OTTUMWA, IA – Thirteenth-ranked Indian Hills won its sixth and seventh consecutive contests on Sunday with a double header sweep of visiting Marshalltown. The Warriors collected the victories in differing fashions as a 12-0, five inning blowout was followed by a tight 5-3 contest in game two at R.L. Hellyer Field.
In the opener, the Warriors dominated in all facets of the game as the IHCC offense pounced on MCC starter Kodie Hoskey for three runs in the first, two more in the second and added on a four-spot in the third to take a commanding 9-0 lead. After 80 pitches in just three frames, Marshalltown called on Aspyn Harrison in relief of Hoskey, but her fortunes weren't much different as the Warriors tacked on three more runs in the fourth to set the stage for the early five-inning finish.
"I like to when we put runs on the board right away," said IHCC Head Coach Lindsay Diehl. "I like it when we're up there and we're looking at our pitch, and we're swinging it and give our pitchers that run support, and it's more comfortable for all of us."
IHCC starter Malarie Huseman (8-2) kept the Tigers off balance in her five innings of work as she picked up her third straight decision with a one-hit gem. MCC's Maggie Harison broke up Huseman's no-hit bid with a one-out single to right in the fourth inning. Huseman struck out three and issued two free passes.
"Mal is starting to settle in," Diehl added. "Sometimes our kids try to force it on the mound instead of just trusting their snaps, and they end up trying to do too much. I see us doing that at the plate a little bit, too instead of just staying within ourselves a little bit. Mal keeps getting better each game, and growing and growing."
One player that stayed within herself at the plate was catcher Peyton Moffet, who went 3-for-3 in the opener. The lefty returned to the top of the order and delivered a ringing double to left to start the game and went the other way again in the top of the second with a homerun to account for two of the Warriors' four extra base hits in game one.
"What I like in that leadoff spot is someone who's going to throw a punch," Diehl explained. "Peyton was in that slot to start the season, and after a few games in the seven spot, we've got her back at the top and I like getting a run on the board right away and sending a message."
In addition to Moffet's bat, the Warriors got multi-hit performances from Bryanna Mehaffy and Nicole Bellis. Bellis also drove in four and had a double. Left fielder Anna Voigt delivered her first homer of the year in the fourth frame and had four RBI.
Game two was much more of a struggle as the Warriors fell behind 2-0 going to the bottom of the third before solving the problems that Tiger lefty Bailey Ashton was presenting in the circle. IHCC knotted it up with two in the third and pushed across the eventual game winning runs with three in the fourth.
"We've been guilty of doing that this year," Diehl admitted. "If we come out and win game one handily, then we kind of just think we have to show up and go through the motions and not be ready to play every pitch. We found a way to win, which is what we need to do, but our performances at the plate weren't what I wanted to see."
Pitcher Margot van Eijl moved to 4-0 on the season going 4 1/3 innings surrendering three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks. The Tigers played small ball in grabbing the lead in the first to push across one on a single, walk, single combination, and a leadoff walk came around to score on an RBI-single in the third for MCC.
Sophomore leader Chloe Olson smacked her team-leading fifth homer of the year in the bottom of the third with Moffet aboard after a leadoff double to get the Warriors even at 2-2. IHCC would snatch the lead back in the fourth as Gretta Hartz came across after stealing third and scoring on an MCC error. Moffet then delivered again with her second dinger of the twinbill, this time pulling the ball to right field and the Warriors had a 5-2 advantage.
The Tigers wouldn't go away, however, as Reagan McIlrath led off the fifth with a round-tripper to left to cut it to 5-3. Bellis made a sensational over-the-shoulder catch in right for the first out, but then MCC chased van Eijl after a single, hit batsmen and another single loaded the bags.
"We're moving in the right direction with Margo," Diehl added. "She's getting more and more comfortable, but she still tends to put a lot of pressure on herself. She's a kid that has a little velocity and sometimes she'll get a homerun hit off of her because she's applying some of that power, but she's starting to settle down and the defense is starting to feel a little more confident with her."
Former Clarke prep, Alexis Watson came on in the tight spot in the fifth and put out the fire quickly with a strikeout and a ground out to first baseman Olson to end the threat.
"Looking back, Nicole's catch was huge there at the beginning of the fifth," Diehl said. "I wasn't sure she had it, but she just took it over the shoulder like it was a can of corn. It really was huge because another run would have scored there for sure. And Alexis was pretty chill in that spot. She doesn't get too worked up. I was happy to see her step up there and shut them down to get out of that inning."
Watson would only surrender a pair of walks over the final two innings and was helped out by a nifty double play turned in by Hartz and Mehaffy in the seventh to earn the save, her second on the season.
The Warriors, now 15-3 and 7-1 will complete the four-game ICCAC set with MCC (2-20, 0-8) Monday afternoon back at R.L. Hellyer Field. First pitch for the doubleheader is at 3 p.m.
GAME ONE
Marshalltown 000 00 – 0 1 3
Indian Hills 324 3x – 12 11 0
WP – Malarie Huseman (8-2), LP – Kodie Hoskey (1-10)
(2B – Bellis, Moffet; HR – Moffet, Voigt; RBI – Bellis 4, Bix, Jevyak, Moffet 2, Voigt 4; SAC – Bellis; HBP – Bix; SB – Hartz, Mehaffy, Preston)
GAME TWO
Marshalltown 101 010 0 – 3 6 2
Indian Hills 002 300 x – 5 8 0
WP – Margot van Eijl (4-0), LP – Bailey Ashton (1-8)
(2B – Jevyak, Mehaffy, Moffet; HR – Moffet, Olson; RBI – Moffet 2, Olson 2; SB – Hartz)