The Iowa Central baseball team showed Eric Stein exactly what they can do here on Sunday at Ed Barbour Field.

Facing rival North Iowa Area in a best-of-three series, the Tritons scored a sweep, advancing to the next round of the Region XI Tournament.

Scores were 6-4 and 9-0.

Iowa Central (33-21 overall) joins Kirkwood and Northeast in the double-elimination tourney, which will take place beginning Friday at Mount Mercy in Cedar Rapids. Des Moines Area holds a 1-0 lead over Southeastern in the fourth and final series.

"We're in it and that's all we need to win it," Stein said. "You give yourself a chance to advance when you play baseball like that."

Strong pitching efforts from John Klein, Devon Schewe, Matthew Wilkinson and Kai Reum silenced the Trojan bats, and the defense behind them played nearly perfect baseball. 

"We've got a handful of guys that can really get the job done on the mound," Stein said. "Klein was typical Klein, Schewe looked really sharp, Wilkinson came out of the bullpen and shut them down, and Kai has been just great all year."

Klein struck out six over seven innings, scattering six hits with just one earned run allowed. Wilkinson recorded the final six outs, with four of them coming by strikeout. He did not allow a hit or walk a batter.

Schewe pitched five innings, striking out seven with just two hits allowed and no walks. Reum tossed the final two frames, striking out one with a walk and a hit. 

At the plate, Jack Sievers had the key hit in the opener, belting a three-run homer to give Iowa Central an early 6-1 lead. Brock Johnson drove in two runs and had a stolen base while Derek Kay had two hits and a steal.

"We just got good production up and down the lineup," Stein said. "Guys were patient and waited for their pitch. It's a lot of fun when you are playing baseball like that." 

Timely hitting with two outs in the nightcap made for a quick contest as the Tritons scored six runs to go up 7-0 early behind a six-run second inning. Both Kay and Max Holy had two-RBI hits in the frame.

"We told them after the opener that if we could come out and punch them in the mouth right away in game two, it would set the tone," Stein said. "Our guys did just that and now we get our chance next weekend."

Sievers added a run, an RBI and a stolen base in the second game while Ryan Wickman, Holy, Brock Johnson and Devin Hurdle each had two hits. Gavin Baker, Holy, Johnson and Kay drove in a pair of runs and Wickman, Baker and Holy scored twice each.

-By Dana Becker