COLFAX – Up by eight runs early on, the South Hamilton baseball team was forced to hang on late and then win in extra innings in a Heart of Iowa Conference clash here Friday night.

Colfax-Mingo overcame the big deficit, and another four-run hill in the bottom of the sixth inning to draw even, but the Hawks forged ahead for good with three runs in the eighth for a wild 16-13 victory.

“We’ve battled all year and that’s what I expected from (the players) in extra innings,” South Hamilton head coach Kyle Galetich said after his club ended a four-game slide. “I knew if we could get to extra innings we’d have a pretty good chance to win it.”

The two teams combined for 32 hits and the Hawks had 18 of them. Caleb Olson and Blake Barquist both went 5-for-5 at the dish, while Trey Woodall, Colton Griffin, Hunter Griffin and Jake Hand all collected a pair of hits.

Olson, Woodall and Hunter Griffin all doubled. Woodall, Hand and Hunter Griffin all collected two RBI, while Colton Griffin and Barquist had one each.

South Hamilton (3-9, 2-8 HOIC) received two hits in the eighth – singles by Olson and Barquist.

Woodall suffered through some frustrating innings, but managed to go the distance on the mound to earn the victory. He walked four and struck out nine; only seven runs were earned.