By: Dana Becker

Messenger Sports Staff 

The sixth-ranked Iowa Central baseball team took advantage of the weather and made their home debut here Thursday afternoon at Rogers Park.

Behind home runs from Will Smoot and Troy Berg, along with a seven-strikeout performance on the mound by Josh Kirchhoff, the Tritons topped Dakota County, 10-2.

Michael Siemer finished with a triple and a single as the Iowa Central (1-0 overall) pitching staff recorded 15 strikeouts vs. the Blue Knights.

"It was good to get out of the indoor facility and see some live competition from a different team," ICCC head coach Eric Stein said. "After about the fourth inning, the weather definitely shifted a bit and it felt more like February typically does.

"I thought our guys did what we needed to do and performed well."

A game that was planned for later this season against a different team was scrapped, opening up this early date for the Tritons to take to the field.

Smoot and Siemer, who has committed to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville University, are two of the key returning players back off a club that won the ICCAC regular season title last year and reached the regional finals.

"We did a little bit of everything on offense," Stein said. "We stole some bags and got some big hits for homers. We had a few guys who looked a little sped up, but that is to be expected for the first game."

Kirchhoff, who went 5-1 last year while striking out 39 batters, committed to the University of Missouri during the offseason.

"Our pitching staff did a tremendous job," Stein said. "They got a lot of swing-and-misses and really were hitting their spots."

The Tritons will now prepare for an extended trip to Tennessee beginning Feb. 16 with four games over three days.