Indee baseball team sweeps four in DC play

The Independence/Gilmanton baseball team is getting hot at the right time.

The Indees won four Dairyland Conference games last week to surge into third place in the DC standings with an 8-4 record. I/G began the week with a 9-3 win over Pepin/Alma on Monday before pulling away from Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran late for a 6-2 road win on Tuesday. The team hosted ECIL on Thursday, pulling off the sweep with a 2-0 win before besting Alma Center Lincoln, 11-2, on the road on Thursday.

I/G closed the regular season with a home game against Cochrane-Fountain City on Monday. That’s the same team I/G’s Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament begins against as the seventh-seeded Indees will host the 10th-seeded Pirates on Thursday. The winner of that game will play the winner of the game between (3) Blair-Taylor and (14) Greenwood this coming Tuesday.

I/G 9 P/A 3

The Indees took control with five runs in the second inning then broke it open with four in the sixth.

The Eagles — who defeated I/G, 10-1, four days earlier — took the lead with two runs in the top of the first inning. I/G got on the board in the bottom of the second when Ricky Lopez singled to score Xavier Santillian. Eric Rojas Lopez put the team ahead with a two-run double before Chase Back singled, to make the score 4-2. Rojas Lopez later scored on a wild pitch.

The Eagles got one run back in the top of the fifth, but I/G put the game away late.

Rojas Lopez singled to bring Brandon Sylla home and later scored himself on a walk with the bases loaded. Two more runs were scored on a groundout by Nolan Schank.

The Indees had 11 hits in the game as Sylla, Rojas Lopez, Back and Lopez all had two. 

Sylla was the winning pitcher, striking out four while allowing three hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. Lopez came on and pitched two innings before Nathan Pyka finished the game. 

I/G 6 ECI 2

The Indees scored four runs late to get the road win.

Both teams scored two runs in the third inning and that’s where the score stood until Sylla walked with the bases loaded to put I/G ahead in the top of the sixth. 

Chase Back doubled to begin the seventh and scored on a double by Pyka. Schank doubled three batters later, scoring Pyka and Santillian to give I/G a four-run lead.

The Lancers went down in order in the bottom of the seventh.

I/G had 10 hits in the game with Sylla, Back and Pyka all getting two. Pyka and Schank both had two RBIs. 

Lopez was the winning pitcher. He took the mound in relief in the sixth and retired every batter he faced. Back got the start, striking out eight while allowing four walks and four hits before reaching the 100-pitch limit. 

I/G 2 ECI 0

The Indees completed the sweep of the Lancers as Sylla pitched a shutout.

The senior ace struck out 12 while holding the Lancers to five hits and one walk. 

I/G took the lead on a two-out RBI single by Lopez in the second. Schank singled to score Santillian in the fourth.

Back and Santillian both had two hits to lead the Indees in the game.  

I/G 11 AC Lincoln 2

The Indees scored four in the first and broke the game open late.

I/G took the lead on a hit by Back before Pyka had a two-run single and Santillian singled another run home.

The Hornets scored one in the bottom of the first and another in the fourth to make the score close before the Indees pulled away.

Rojas Lopez scored on a passed ball before Back singled in another run in the fifth. Santillian added another RBI single to make the score 7-2.

Rojas Lopez hit an RBI single in the sixth and another run scored on a fielder’s choice. Peyton Hovey singled a run home in the top of the seventh before Schank stole home to put I/G ahead by the final score. 

The Indees had 14 hits in the game as Rojas Lopez was four-for-five while Santillian was three-for-three and Hovey was two-for-four. Pyka had one hit and three RBIs, Sylla batted in two runs. 

Back got the win on the mound, striking out 12 while holding the Hornets to two hits and one walk in six innings.