And the bottom of the Hawks’ order was a big reason why they sailed through the twinbill with relative ease.

Elijah Balderas went 4 for 5 with two doubles and six RBIs, and Brandyn Feighner produced a 4 for 8 night with four RBIs to help carry South Hamilton (7-5, 7-5 HOIC) to 9-2 and 10-2 victories.

“We don’t miss a beat usually with those guys (at the bottom of the order),” South Hamilton head coach Kyle Galetich said. “A lot of times the middle of our order gets on and they do a great job of swinging the bat at the bottom. I think that’s why we get some bigger innings.”

South Hamilton broke out a six-run third inning to overcome an early 2-0 deficit in Game 1, and the Hawks rolled the rest of the way. They scored once in the fourth and then twice in the fifth to put the Cubs (4-10, 2-8 HOIC) away.

South Hamilton’s Brock Galetich (9) slides into second base under the throw against Nevada on Monday in Nevada. DFJ photo/Angela Hewitt

Powered by Balderas and Feighner, South Hamilton smacked 12 hits in the opener. Tycin Barkema went 2 for 4 with a double, and Cade Flaugh added a pair of singles and two RBIs. Carter Hewitt smoked an RBI double; Brock Galetich, Lane Swenson and Freddie Lewis added singles.

Balderas worked six innings on the bump before he handed the ball off to Tanner Blue in the seventh. Balderas allowed five hits, walked four and struck out three.

The explosive offense continued in the nightcap, as South Hamilton touched Cubs’ ace Carter Franzen for six first-inning runs. Nevada used eight pitchers in the two-game set.

“We did a good job of working all of their pitchers,” Kyle Galetich said. “We worked counts and still put good swings on the ball.”

Quinton Grove joined Balderas and Feighner with two hits in Game 2. Grove found the gap for a double and drove in one run. Lane Swenson also laced an extra base hit and plated a run.

Carter Hewitt slides safely into the plate during South Hamilton’s doubleheader sweep of Nevada on Monday in Nevada. DFJ photo/Angela Hewitt

Brock Galetich, Barkema and Hewitt all had one hit. Flaugh had an RBI.

Brock Galetich limited Nevada’s bats over 61⁄3 innings on the mound before, once again, Blue came on in relief. Galetich fanned eight and walked just one to earn the victory.

South Hamilton will head to Des Moines this evening to take on Saydel. The Hawks will close out the regular season on Thursday at home against fifth-ranked (Class 3A) Gilbert, and will then turn their attention to Saturday’s 2A district game against Prairie City-Monroe in State Center.

Monday at Nevada

Game 1

South Hamilton 9, Nevada 2

NEV 020 000 0 — 2 7 1

S. Ham 006 120 x — 9 12 1

Jordan Barrett, Jack Chandler (3), Keaton Fry (4) and Fry, Karter Beving (4). Elijah Balderas, Tanner Blue (7) and Brandyn Feighner, Balderas (7). WP — Balderas. LP — Barrett. Multiple hits — NEV: Fry; SH: Balderas, Feighner, Tycin Barkema, Cade Flaugh. 2B — SH: Barkema, Balderas, Carter Hewitt. RBI — NEV: Beving, Eli Nelson; SH: Balderas (3), Feighner (2), Flaugh (2), Hewitt.

Game 2

South Hamilton 10, Nevada 2

S. Ham 600 012 1 — 10 11 1

Nevada 010 100 0 — 2 8 1

Brock Galetich, Tanner Blue (7) and Elijah Balderas. Carter Franzen, Marshal Sheldahl (6), Grant Higgins (7), Colin Memmer (7) and Keaton Fry. WP — Galetich. LP — Franzen. Multiple hits — SH: Balderas, Feighner, Quinton Grove; NEV: Cael Franzen, Christian Hawbaker. 2B — SH: Grove, Balderas, Lane Swenson. RBI — SH: Balderas (3), Feighner (2), Grove, Swenson; NEV: Hawbaker, Karter Beving.