Split to end the Regular Season
by Justin Burtis
Oskaloosa — The final two games of the year were away from home for the Indians and they took on the Big Reds of Centerville in a Monday night clash. They then finished away to Fairfield as the whole team gets set for a run to state.
To start the week, Noah Van Veldhuizen took the hill and had a clean first inning but Centerville came roaring back in the bottom of the second. With no score, they popped off four runs on one hit as Noah struggled to fine the zone, with a final tally of six walks over two innings. Only one run was charged to Noah as the Indians would end up committing three errors on the night. Van Veldhuizen also had three strike outs.
The offense was smothered by the pitching from the Big Reds. Brady Kauzlarich led the way, as he threw the first three, giving up one hit and fanning four. Merrick Mathews would repeat the feat while McCain Oden gave up two hits in one inning to go along with one K. The team got only four hits on the night as the offense just could not find the holes. Charlie North had two singles to top the team as Van Veldhuizen and Landon Hunolt each had one. Aiden Hildenbrand took the only walk for the Indians in the game.
Tyler Miller threw the next two innings, hurling 40 pitches and striking out three. He also gave up two runs on two hits, both earned, along with two walks. Krier gave up one hit, two walks, and struck out two in the fifth and sixth inning.
With nothing happening from the plate, the 6-0 shutout left Osky with one game left before the playoffs to get in the grove.
Fortunately, the journey to Fairfield was much better as the Indians put up a win to close the regular season.
Oskaloosa would score first in the game but had the Trojans nipping at their heels all night long. Jarrett Czerwinski threw the first three innings for Osky, giving up two earned runs over that span. He also walked one and struck out three.
Meanwhile, the offense combined for seven runs over the first inning. The lineup would tack on four more over the rest of the game to finish with an 11-6 decision in their favor. Tyler Miller and Colton Butler each went yard, combining for seven RBIs on the night and having two hits apiece. Colin Snitker and Ethan Christ drove in a run each while all but Hildenbrand and Hunolt had hits.
After Czerwinski completed his part of the game, the ball went over to Wes Wilcox, who gave up only one hit and struck out three in three frames. Marcus Fresquez pitched one inning as well and did allow a little bit of life for the Trojans. They pegged him for four runs, two earned, as he also walked four batters. However, the mountain was too steep for the home side, who finish the year at 4-16 overall. The Indians finish with a 14-6 record overall, 9-4 in Little Hawkeye Conference play.
Playoffs – The Indians will start the bracket to the State Tournament by hosting Grinnell at 7 on Friday as Substate section six gets underway. The winner will take on the winner of Norwalk and Carlisle (4:30). The top half of the bracket features Winterset vs Knoxville and Centerville vs Pella (both at 7).
Stat Leaders – The regular season leaders are as follows:
BA: Miller, .423
Hits: Van Veldhuizen, 28
Runs scored: Miller, 26
Singles: Krier & Van Veldhuizen, 20
Doubles: Miller, 4
Triples: Van Veldhuizen & Miller, 1
HR: Van Veldhuizen, 5
RBI: Van Veldhuizen, 27
Stolen Bases: Miller, 17 for 17
ERA: Krier, 1.11 For starters (minimum of four starts) Van Veldhuizen, 1.29
Wins: Czerwinski & Miller, 4
SO: Miller, 34
Saves: Krier, 2
Standings – With the regular season done, the Indians officially finish in second behind DGC. Osky finished a game ahead of Norwalk.
