OTTUMWA — The outfield grass was not the place to be if you were a Centerville Big Red baseball player Monday night in Albia.

That’s where head coach Bill Huisman took his squad — right behind second base in shallow centerfield after his team’s doubleheader was completed versus Albia.

There, the longtime Big Red head coach had a heart to heart.

He wasn’t happy.

Huisman and the Big Reds managed a split versus the Blue Demons in a huge South Central Conference clash that will go a long way to determine a league victor.

Centerville took the first game 4-2 behind the dominant pitching of Patrick Harshman. The Big Reds were clobbered in the nightcap, losing 14-4 in five innings.

“We showed no emotion. There was no fire or desire. It just amazes me. I don’t know what it takes to get up for a big ball game,” said Huisman, in his 32nd season of guiding his perennial power club from Appanoose County.

Centerville’s mark now stands at 19-7 and 11-3 in the conference, good for first place. Albia is 22-9 and 10-5 in the league.

Centerville has six games in the conference left — three with Chariton, two with Davis County and one with Eddyville-Blakesburg.

Albia plays Clarke three times in the next two days and ends the regular season at Chariton. The Blue Demons host E-B in Class 2A district this Saturday. Centerville hosts Chariton in 3A district play on Friday, July 11.

With the conference still up for grabs, there won’t be a puzzle to solve as to who will win the league if Centerville can get production like it did from Harshman.

The senior lefthander shut down a potent Albia squad in the opener as he allowed just five hits and struck out eight batters. He allowed just one earned run. Albia scored all of its runs in the first inning off the hard thrower.

Asked what has been the problem in the two previous losses to Centerville, Albia head coach Boyd Brittain didn’t mess around.

“Harshman,” he said.

Centerville won its first two meetings with Albia 10-0 and 8-2.