OTTUMWA, IA – It's not often that a team surrenders 32 hits in a double header and finds a way to escape with two wins, but that's exactly what Indian Hills did in Saturday's Region XI semifinals against Southwestern.
The Warriors (39-11) advanced to Wednesday's Region Championship Series after posting 11-6 and 11-9 victories at R.L. Hellyer Field. IHCC played a precarious game of repeatedly falling behind, only to burst back into the lead via the long ball as the Warriors blasted 28 hits of their own, including eight homers over the two contests.
"I kept telling our pitchers, your hitters are going to put runs on the board for you," said IHCC Head Coach Lindsay Diehl. "You just keep chipping away and give us some ground balls, and some fly balls and we'll stay in the ball game."
Indian Hills fell behind immediately in game one of the best-of-three series as Southwestern pounced on Warrior starter Margo van Eijl with a two-run homer off the bat of Ali Enright. But as it would be the entire day, IHCC would have an answer as Diehl's troops pulled even on a two-run bomb off their own off the bat of Nicole Bellis in the bottom of the frame.
Van Eijl was roughed up with back-to-back long balls in the third to give the Spartans back a 5-2 lead, but it only took a two-run dinger from Kennedy Preston in the bottom half of the third and a Breanna Newton solo shot in the fourth to draw the teams even again.
"I knew Southwestern was going to swing it," Diehl said. "We just had to keep fighting and chipping away. We can score runs."
Chloe Olson delivered the Warriors their first lead of the day to lead off the fifth as the IHCC career leader in homeruns blasted one of the longest of her career into the extended gravel parking lot in center field to make it 6-5. The Spartans would answer back with one of their own in the top of the sixth before IHCC would administer the knockout blow.
A RBI-double from Bellis plated what would prove to be the winning run in Peyton Moffet who had singled to start the inning. Mehaffy, who had earned a walk earlier eventually scored on a wild pitch and then Preston blasted her second homerun of the game, a three-run job to put the Warriors up 11-6, giving the IHCC backstop five runs knocked in for the contest.
Van Eijl (17-2) would work around a lead off walk in the seventh to earn the victory in the circle in the opener. The Warrior hurler surrendered 12 hits and three walks while fanning three. All six runs were earned.
"Margo's done a great job this year," Diehl said. "She used to be our number two, throwing that second game, but she's just gotten this presence in the circle, and the kids do a great job playing defense her. So, the last couple times out in the doubleheader, we've given her the ball in game one just preparing her for this moment. She kind of settled in there, and then did a great job and so I was pleased with her performance."
Preston and Newton each notched three hits in the opener while Moffet, Bellis and Maddy Findley added two apiece to pace IHCC's 14-hit attack.
If game one had Warrior fans nervous at time, Saturday's nightcap couldn't have been any better as Southwestern jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first and held leads of 5-3 after three innings, 7-4 after four innings, and 9-4 after the top of the fifth inning before the IHCC offense came to the rescue.
The long ball theme continued in the nightcap as Alex Beard ripped her first collegiate homerun in the fourth and Bellis and Newton each tagged their second round-tripper of the day in the fifth to trigger the comeback. Bellis now leads the team with 16 homers on the season.
In all, the Warriors would plate three in the fifth and four more in the sixth to complete the turnaround which ended SWCC season at 28-33-1.
C.J. Banner (6-2) collected the win in relief of game two starter Malarie Huseman, who only lasted one frame. Huseman, who is recovering from a hand injury, clearly wasn't herself as the Spartans got to her for four in the opening frame, prompting Diehl to turn to Banner.
"Malarie has been out because they thought she had a fracture in her finger," Diehl said. "So, she's not spinning it the way she had been all year. Then C.J. came in, which is nice to have a pitching staff when you have kids that are like, alright you go next."
Banner tossed the final six innings giving up five runs on 13 hits and three walks while striking out three.
Bellis, Newton and Preston each had three hits apiece to lead the 14-hit IHCC attack. Preston completed her day with a remarkable nine RBI over the two-game set.
The Warriors used Saturday's postgame to note seven outgoing sophomores after their originally schedule Sophomore Day was wiped out due to COVID-19 protocols a couple weeks back. Jalila Hart, Anna Voigt, Eryn Ackermann, Nicole Bellis, Peyton Moffet, Morgan Griener and Chloe Olson were all honored after the sweep of Southwestern.
Indian Hills will now host No. 2-seed Iowa Western (42-20) for a best-of-three series beginning on Wednesday at R.L. Hellyer Field beginning at 1 p.m. A sweep by either the Warriors or Reivers on Wednesday would advance the winning team to the District series. A split would force a winner-take-all third game on Thursday in Ottumwa at 11 a.m.
IHCC took three-of-four regular season contests with Iowa Western. The Warriors split with the Reivers in Council Bluffs on April 14, and swept IWCC a week later at Hellyer Field on April 21.
"We're just excited that we get to play here at home again," Diehl said.
Districts will be on May 16-18 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri against Region XVI Champion, Three Rivers for a best-of-three set for the right to advance to the NJCAA National Tournament, May 25-29 in Yuma, Arizona.
REGION XI SEMIFINALS
GAME ONE
Southwestern 203 001 0 – 6 12 1
Indian Hills 202 115 x – 11 14 1
Thayda Houser and Jordan Redeker. Margot van Eijl and Kennedy Preston
W – Margot van Eijl (17-2). L – Thayda Houser (14-11).
E – Schad, Newton. LOB – SW 10 , IH 7. 2B – M. Shwaluk, Redeker, Schad, Bellis, Newton. HR – M. Shwaluk, Schad, Enright, Bellis, Newton, Olson, Preston 2. RBI – M. Shwaluk 3, Schad, Enright 2, Bellis 3, Newton, Olson, Preston 5. SB – Mehaffy.
GAME TWO
Southwestern 401 220 0 – 9 20 2
Indian Hills 210 134 x – 11 14 0
Jenna Parfeniuk, Ali Enright (6), Thayda Houser (6) and Kaitlyn Schad. Malarie Huseman, C.J. Banner (2) and Kennedy Preston.
W – C.J. Banner (6-2). L- Parfeniuk (5-7).
E – P. Shwaluk 2. DP – IH 1. LOB – SW 12, IH 6. 2B – Kemper 2, Chews. HR – Parfeniuk, Enright, Beard, Bellis, Newton. RBI – Kemper, P. Shwaluk, Chews 2, Parfeniuk 2, Schad, Enright 2, Beard, Bellis 2, Mehaffy, Newton 3, Preston 4. SAC – Mehaffy. SB – P. Shwaluk, Hart, Mehaffy.