By KENT MINCER
The Daily Sentinel
Six Flags theme parks don't have roller coaster rides as exciting as the one Iowa Western Community College went on Tuesday.
The Reivers, on the verge of elimination from the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series, backed themselves out of a corner, scoring seven runs in the final three innings to defeat South Mountain (Ariz.) Community College 13-12, eliminating the Cougars.
Iowa Western coach Marc Rardin, who jokingly requested some Pepto Bismol after the game, had plenty of acid-inducing moments during the afternoon.
The Reivers started strong, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Then South Mountain, which was batting .350 as a team entering the game, did what it did best. The Cougars scored 12 runs in five innings, pounding out eight extra-base hits in the process.
Two of those hits came off the bat of Isiah Ka'aihue. The big first baseman blasted a two-run home run in the fifth inning and followed that up with another two-run shot in the sixth.
At that point, South Mountain had built a 12-6 lead and Rardin wasn't sure if his team could come back
"You don't know," he said. "They're 18-, 19-year-old kids."
On the plus side, said Rardin, "We knew our kids had heart."
What Rardin needed was something to counteract South Mountain's hitting. After getting 11 hits and 12 runs off Iowa Western starter Scott Kaskie and his reliever, Ricky Diaz, the bullpen duo of Kevin Dooley and Josh Gow allowed no runs and two hits in 31/3 innings.
"I was just trying to change (the Cougars') rhythm," Rardin said.
The Reivers got two runs in the seventh on Mike Zahm's RBI triple and Andy Masten's sacrifice fly.
Trailing 12-8, Iowa Western got back into it with a two-out rally in the eighth. Aided by two of the 11 errors combined between the two teams, the Reivers scored four runs, including Masten's RBI double, which led to a throwing error allowing the tying run to score.
"We were trying to cut it in half," Rardin said of the four-run deficit. "We didn't know what would happen in the eighth, but you take it."
With the score tied at 12-12, Gow got the Cougars out in order in the top of the ninth.
Nick Chandler hit a one-out single to left in the bottom of the ninth and moved to second when Jamaal Burns was hit by a pitch. Burns got new life when a pop fly he hit on the first pitch was dropped in foul territory.
Rardin then put Ross Sinclair in as a pinch runner for Chandler.
Emmanuel Rosario grounded to short. South Mountain tried to go for the 6-4-3 double play but the flip to second base was bobbled. Sinclair raced around third with Rardin waving him home.
"I'm thinking any ball put in play, I'm going to go," Sinclair said. "I was thinking any play at second, I'm going because even a throw to first, it's close."
The throw to the plate was close.
"I saw the catcher get in front of the plate," Sinclair said. "I was trying to get my legs under his mitt."
The ball squirted loose and Sinclair, safe at home, leaped into the air, then into the arms of his celebrating teammates.
Masten and Zahm both had three hits and three RBI for the Reivers. Ka'aihue went 3 for 5 with four RBI for the Cougars.
With the victory, the Reivers earn a day off. They advance to Thursday's game at 7:30 p.m.
"My pitching staff needs it," said Rardin, "as do I."
Maybe that will give him some time to buy some Pepto Bismol.
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Kent Mincer can be reached via e-mail at kmincer@gjds.com.
