T-R PHOTO BY NOAH ROHLFING - Gladbrook-Reinbeck junior pitcher Cody Gebel delivers to the plate during the fourth inning of Tuesday’s game against Colo-NESCO in Reinbeck. Gebel allowed only two hits over four innings for the complete-game victory as the Rebels roughed up the Royals, 16-1.

REINBECK — Rain and thunderstorms impacted plenty of baseball and softball games across central Iowa Tuesday evening, including canceling baseball and softball games for South Tama. After the baseball game between Gladbrook-Reinbeck and Colo-NESCO was completed in four innings with the Rebels taking home a 16-1 win over the Royals, G-R head coach Scott Kiburis knew his team had caught a break with the weather.

Waiting out light rain and a 30-minute lightning delay (with Kiburis saying the teams were worried at one point that the game would not have enough innings to be official), the Rebels were in control from the word go against the 8-9 Royals. G-R (8-11) got a strong contribution on the mound from Cody Gebel. In only his second start of the year, Gebel went all four innings and gave up one run, two hits and four walks. He struck out three and hit one batter.

Kiburis said his outing was a nice boost given his prior pitching experience has mostly been in a relief role.

“He’s had a couple good outings of relief,” Kiburis said. “But to start a game and to get a lead and maintain that lead and throw enough strikes, and he struck out a few kids and made them put the ball in play so we could get through the game.”

At the plate, G-R plated five runs in the first inning to set the tone. Keagan Giesking, William Kiburis, Nick Tscherter, Drew Eilers and Gebel all touched home. Four of those five players scored again in the second inning, with Logan Giesking also touching home. The Rebels recorded 13 hits — three from Tscherter, two from William Kiburis, Eilers and Gebel, and one each from Keagan and Logan Giesking, Isaac Clark and Luke Riffey. Tscherter also drove in the most runs with three.

Holding a 10-0 lead through two, the Rebels allowed a run in the third scored by Kenny Cutler for the Royals. Adding three runs to take a 13-1 lead into the fourth, Gebel drove home the winning run (his second RBI of the night) by hitting a ground ball that scored Logan Giesking to put the Royals to bed.

Kiburis was happy with how well the Rebels made contact at the plate.

“I thought we hit the ball real well,” Kiburis said. “Came out in the first and scored five, second inning scored five, and a lot of them on hits. We got some walks, which was good, and the top of our lineup is starting to come on and getting on base quite a bit.”

G-R hosts South Hardin Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.