Burlington, Iowa -- Indian Hills got the 2020 softball season off to a rousing start with eight home runs in the first two games of a weekend tournament at the Fun City Turf Complex, won their third game of the tourney and had another long ball, then got blanked in their final contest of the two-day affair hosted by Southeastern CC.
A year after they slugged 102 homers, the Warriors came out slamming against Kirkwood CC in the Saturday opener. Brooke Snider, the single-season HR leader with 27 bombs as a freshman, homered three times and drove in four runs as the Warriors pounded KCC, 12-0 in five innings. Snider added two singles and scored four times. Chloe Olson, who supplied 20 long balls in her freshman campaign, went deep twice and knocked in five runs in the whitewashing. A pair of freshmen, Peyton Moffett and Tiffany Unkel, each had two hits and Moffett and Abby Sweet had RBIs. Anna Voigt had a hit and two runs scored in her IHCC debut. Alexis Groet allowed only a single and a walk in a five-inning shutout as she began her sophomore season with a gem.
Next was another blanking, this one 9-0 against Spoon River (Ill.). Snider launched two more home runs, one of them a grand slam, and Brooke Tucker also homered for the winners, who scored single runs in the first two innings and then erupted for seven in the 4th. Tucker also doubled as did Nicole Bellis, who had two hits and two runs scored. Voigt, Olson, Macey Harrington and Moffet each had a hit. CJ Banner, in her first collegiate start, was stellar with a three-hit shutout, one walk and six Ks.
The Warriors started their day on Sunday by beating John Wood (Ill.), 7-3. Indian Hills got off to a quick start with five runs in the first two at-bats. The Warriors belted out 12 hits, including two each by Snider, Voigt, Olson and Harrington, the top four hitters in the lineup. Olson homered and drove in three runs, Bellis knocked in two and Voigt and Moffett one apiece. Jakala Hall and Banner split the pitching duties, both going three innings and combining to allow only five hits and one earned run. Hall fanned three and Banner five.
The IHCC offense was shut down in their final game of the weekend, a 1-0 loss to Illinois Central. The lone run scored on a fielder's choice in the top of the 7th. After scoring 28 runs on 32 hits in their first three contests, IHCC was shut out on four hits -- by Snider, Harrington, Voigt and Moffett. Groet suffered a tough-luck loss. She permitted four hits and struck out eight.
Snider enjoyed a tremendous weekend, going 9-for-13 with five HRs and nine RBIs. She also scored eight times. Moffett and Olson were both 5-for-11 and Bellis had four hits in nine at-bats.
"This weekend was fun to get back to playing games," said IHCC head coach Lindsay Diehl. "The girls were ready and came of the gates swinging. Their energy for the first game was so fun to be a part of. I know we can build off of that to head to Texas and into regular season play. We are still figuring out the pieces of the puzzle, but the kids are starting to come together and really feel like a team. This spring is only going to generate more of that and I feel like that is such an important piece in being successful together."
The Warriors will be idle until they take on Navarro in their first game of the southern trip on Feb. 26.