CARROLL, Iowa — Iowa Central secured back-to-back Region 11 titles this past weekend after a gritty performance through a tough bracket.

No. 3 seed Iowa Central began its tournament with an 11-1 win over No. 6 seed Ellsworth. The Tritons got the offense started with a Parker Studtmann double that scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Iowa Central never gave up the lead after that.

The Tritons clobbered the baseball all day behind standout shortstop George McIntyre, who went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a home run. Slugging first baseman Sawyer Stein continued his hot play at the plate with a double and an RBI. Starting pitcher Isaiah Brennan delivered a solid performance on the mound, throwing five innings while allowing two hits and one earned run and striking out six.

After handling Ellsworth, Iowa Central moved on to face No. 2 seed Kirkwood. The Eagles had the Tritons' number all season, sweeping them in late April while totaling 30 runs across three games. However, Kirkwood did not have Iowa Central's number during the tournament.

Iowa Central came out guns blazing with a three-run home run from Wyatt Myers in the top of the second inning before tacking on two more runs with a Will Specht blast to right field. Kirkwood fought back in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run home run from Adam Kayko, but Iowa Central responded with solo shots from Stein and Bryson Carpenter in the fifth and sixth innings.

Kirkwood gave one last push in the bottom of the ninth with another Kayko home run, but Iowa Central reliever Maddox Sullivan slammed the door to send the Tritons to the next round.

Much like Kirkwood, Iowa Central's next opponent also had its number all season. No. 1 seed Southeastern swept the Tritons by scores of 9-5, 6-4 and 11-9. This time, Iowa Central was unable to flip the script on Southeastern in a 5-4 loss.

Iowa Central took the lead in the fifth inning on a double by McIntyre before allowing the tying run the following inning to leave the score knotted at 4. In the bottom of the ninth, with Dan Rollins at the plate and a chance to win it, the Southeastern catcher flew out to center field and sent the Blackhawks to the next round with a sacrifice fly.

Iowa Central would now have to battle its way out of the consolation side of the bracket to get another crack at the Blackhawks.

Unlike Southeastern and Kirkwood, Iowa Central dominated DMACC during the regular season, sweeping the Bears by scores of 14-6, 15-3 and 12-11. The Tritons showed that was no fluke during the Region 11 tournament.

With a chance to advance to the championship, the Tritons belted the baseball, highlighted by a five-run second inning. McIntyre blasted a home run to blow the game open and give Iowa Central a 6-0 lead. Starting pitcher Maddux Gast was brilliant, throwing eight innings while allowing two hits and two runs and striking out nine. The Tritons rode the second-inning barrage and Gast's performance to an 11-2 victory and a date with Southeastern in the championship game.

The Tritons were out for blood in game one of the championship. After falling behind 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning on a three-run home run from Nile Sinn, Iowa Central did not look back. The Tritons scored in five consecutive innings, highlighted by an eight-run sixth inning to blow the game open.

Stein drove in six runs on the day, including a clutch bases-clearing double to give the Tritons a 10-4 lead in the top of the sixth. Stein then homered later in the game to give Iowa Central insurance. The Tritons went on to win 17-4 to force a winner-take-all Game 11.

Game 11 lived up to the hype. Iowa Central jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with a home run from McIntyre, a double from Ben Jones, a triple from Specht and a single from Sam Sejnoha. The Tritons extended their lead to 5-0 with a run-scoring single from Tate Perrin.

Iowa Central was fully in the driver's seat, but the Blackhawks began to claw back with a single and a home run from Efrain Osorio to cut the lead to 5-3. The Tritons responded with a home run from Carpenter to extend the lead to 7-3.

Osorio continued his hot game with another home run to cut the lead back to two before Fernando Pichardo brought Southeastern within one run. With the score at 8-7 and the bases loaded, Southeastern had a chance to tie or win the game with Brady Coffman at the plate.

On a 1-2 count, Sullivan threw a low-and-away slider and got Coffman to chase, securing the Region 11 title for the Tritons. It was the first time Iowa Central had won Region 11 titles in back-to-back years since 2006-07.

McIntyre and Stein were the stars of the show for the Tritons. McIntyre went 11-for-23, hitting .478 with three doubles, two home runs, 13 RBIs, 10 runs and six walks. Stein also went 11-for-23, hitting .478 with three home runs, four doubles, nine RBIs, nine runs and three walks.

The Tritons move on to face Williston State in the North Plains District Championship for a chance to advance to the NJCAA World Series.

Region 11 Tournament - @ Carroll, Iowa - Merchants Park

Thursday, May 7

Game 1 - #4 DMACC def. #5 Northeast, 12-6 - Box Score - Archived Video
Game 2 - #3 Iowa Central def. #6 Ellsworth, 11-1 (5 inn.) - Box Score - Archived Video
Game 3 - #5 Northeast def. #6 Ellsworth, 12-7 - Box Score - Archived Video 

Friday, May 8, 2026

Game 4 - #3 Iowa Central def. #2 Kirkwood, 7-4 - Box Score - Archived Video
Game 5 - #1 Southeastern def. #4 DMACC, 10-7 - Box Score - Archived Video
Game 6 - #4 DMACC def. #5 Northeast, 14-4 (6 inn.) - Box Score - Archived Video

Saturday, May 9, 2026

Game 7 - #2 Kirkwood vs. #4 DMACC - Box Score - Archived Video
Game 8 - #1 Southeastern def. #3 Iowa Central, 5-4 - Box Score - Archived Video
Game 9 - #3 Iowa Central def. #4 DMACC, 11-2 (8 inn.) - Box Score - Archived Video

Sunday, May 10, 2026

Game 10 - #3 Iowa Central def. Southeastern, 17-4 - Box Score - Live Stream
Game 11 - #3 Iowa Central def. Southeastern, 8-7 - Box Score - Archived Video

Iowa Central advances to North Plains District Championship series vs. Region 13.