Muskogee, OK – The Indian Hills Softball team wrapped up a four-game weekend with an afternoon split at Connors State College (OK) on Sunday. The Warriors concluded its trip to the Sooner State with a 2-2 record.
One day after splitting a doubleheader with No. 20 nationally ranked Seminole State College (OK) in Norman, OK, the Warriors bounced back with a split at Connors State, a team that entered the day with a 13-3 overall record. Indian Hills moves to 13-11 overall on the year. The Warriors have now played eight games against teams that have appeared in the national rankings this year.
Saturday's contests saw the Warriors drop a hard-fought opening game at Seminole State, falling 4-2 to the Trojans. Trailing by three entering the top of the seventh, the Warriors threatened with a comeback as Claire Tipton (Unionville, MO/Putnam County) delivered an RBI double, but a pair of runners were left stranded as Indian Hills fell.
Sophomore Tatum Aragon (Fort Collins, CO/Fort Collins) powered the offense with a pair of doubles while Eva Fulk (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) continued to have the hot bat at the plate with two more knocks.
The Warrior offense erupted for an eight-run third inning to pull away early from the Trojans in the nightcap on Saturday for a 10-8 win. Yarah Zuiver (Zaanstad, Netherlands/Roc Van Amsterdam) delivered the key hit in the frame with a three-run home run, the freshman's first roundtripper of the year. The Trojans battled back with five runs over the last two innings, but the offense tacked on a pair of runs down the stretch to secure the win.
Freshman Ashlynn Sheets (Ottumwa, IA/Ottumwa) earned the win in the circle after tossing six frames while Sara Reid (Central City, IA/Central City) closed out the win for the Warriors in the seventh.
Fulk tacked on three more hits in the win, scoring a pair of runs for the Warriors. Tipton delivered two more doubles while Larissa Miller (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) and Hannah Simpson (Fairfield, IA/Fairfield) each produced two-hit games. In total, eight individuals collected a hit in the win.
The Warriors dropped their opening affair at Connors State on Sunday in another tightly contested matchup with the Cowgirls, falling 6-3. Despite holding the Cowgirls scoreless over the final four frames, a five-run second inning from Connors State proved to be too much for the Warriors to overcome. Miller and Aragon were joined by Peyton Raley (Arvada, CO/Arvada West) to post two hits in the loss.
The weekend finale saw the Warriors strike first and jump out to a 3-0 lead through the first two innings of play. Indian Hills pushed the lead to 5-0 in the sixth as Julia Kwakernaak (The Hague, Netherlands/Segbroek College) delivered a run-scoring double followed by an RBI single from Miller.
Freshman Ashlynn Sheets was dominant in the circle once again for the Warriors, striking out 11 batters in the win. Sheets scattered six hits while issuing just one walk to move to 6-4 overall on the year.
Sheets becomes just the fourth freshman in the last 10 years to have multiple games of at least 11 strikeouts in a single game for the Warriors. The southpaw currently leads the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference with a 2.18 earned run average while her six wins are top in the league.
Miller put together a productive weekend overall for the Warriors, posting a .636 batting average (7-11) to push her season batting average to .367 on the year.
Tipton has now hit safely in six consecutive contests, boasting a .400 batting average during the stretch.
After 24 games on the road to open the season, the Warriors are set to make their home debut Thursday afternoon for a doubleheader with North Iowa Area Community College. First pitch is set for 2:00 PM from R.L. Hellyer Field.
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