Ottumwa, IA – The No. 19 nationally ranked Indian Hills Softball team made history once again on Sunday as the Warriors broke the all-time single season home run record in a doubleheader sweep of Iowa Western Community College. The Warriors swept the Reivers on Sophomore Day 8-0 and 16-2.
The 2022 squad eclipsed the previous home run record of 110 home runs set by the 1999 in convincing fashion, hitting nine roundtrippers on the day and now sit at 118 total on the year. The Warriors hit five home runs in game one, just one shy of the single-game record while adding four more in the nightcap.
The Warriors entered the day just two shy of taking the program record and wasted no time in surpassing the mark held by the 1999 team. Breanna Newton (Bettendorf, IA/Bettendorf) tied the mark with a three-run home run in the top of the first before Kennedy Preston (Carlisle, IA/Carlisle) immediately followed up with a solo home run for the program record.
Newton finished the opening game with two home runs while Gretta Hartz (Runnells, IA/Southeast Polk) and Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk) each added one. Anderson joined fellow freshman Destiny Lewis (Indianola, IA/Indianola) with two home runs each in the nightcap as the Warriors completed the conference sweep.
The Warriors, who have claimed the outright Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) regular season title and No. 1 seed in the upcoming National Junior College Athletic Association) DI Region XI Tournament, move to 43-8 overall and 23-1 in league play this year. The 43 wins are the most for a team coached by Lindsay Diehl, surpassing Diehl's first team in 2019 who won 42 games and reached the national tournament.
Both Anderson and Lewis have continued to embed themselves into the Indian Hills record books. With three home runs on the day, Anderson extends her school record to 31 on the day while Lewis is now tied for second all-time with 27 home runs on the year. The two now have the most home runs between a pair of teammates in the NJCAA this year while their 165 combined RBI on the year rank second between two teammates.
As a team, the Warriors rank second in the nation with 118 home runs, trailing only No. 1 nationally ranked Yavapai College (AZ). The Warriors also rank third in the nation with 240 extra base hits and third with 1,074 total bases. The team also ranks in the top five in slugging percentage, RBI, walks, and runs scored.
The Warriors jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of game one and never looked back. Hartz and Anderson went back-to-back in the second inning before Newton capped the scoring with her second home run, a solo shot in the fourth.
Newton and Yanna Roberts (Davenport, IA/Davenport North) both collected two hits in the win. Sophomore Madi Huisman (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny Centennial) pitched the complete game, allowing just two hits without allowing a run. Huisman moves to 13-2 overall on the year.
The Warriors fell behind 2-0 in the top of the first inning of game two, but the offense continued to click and erased the deficit in the bottom half of the frame as Lewis stole home and Preston added an RBI single for a 2-2 ballgame.
The Warriors broke things open in the second as Lewis and Anderson connected on their first home runs of the game to give Indian Hills a 5-2 lead. The Warriors added four more runs in the third, including a two-run single from Anderson.
Indian Hills blew the doors open in the fourth with a seven run inning. Lewis and Anderson once again homered in the same frame as Lewis delivered a grand slam and Anderson hit a two-run shot for the final runs of the game.
Anderson finished the game 3-4 with five RBI while Lewis went 2-2 with seven RBI. Hartz and Alex Beard (Albia, IA/Albia) each had two hits in the win. Margot van eijl (Oosterhout, Netherlands/Calandlyceum) pitched four innings to earn the win while Emma Bolton (Osceola, IA/Clarke) tossed a scoreless fifth to preserve the win.
Indian Hills recognized 10 individuals as part of its graduating class for the 2022 season: Margot van eijl, Breanna Newton, Bryanna Mehaffy, Gracie Jevyak, Gretta Hartz, Alex Beard, Maddie Findley, Emma Bolton, Kennedy Preston, and Madi Huisman.
The Warriors have a pair of road games to close out the regular season at Kirkwood Community College. Indian Hills will travel to Cedar Rapids for a doubleheader with the Eagles on Tuesday with first pitch set or 2:00 PM.
