OTTUMWA, IA – After being disappointed with a split with Iowa Lakes on Saturday, Indian Hills Head Coach Lindsay Diehl remarked that one of the great things about softball was the opportunity to right a wrong very quickly.
Exhibit A: Sunday's doubleheader.
Eleventh-ranked IHCC got things correct on Sunday's twinbill with the Lakers as the Warriors followed up the split with a dominating 10-1 and 13-2 sweep to go 3-1 in the four-game weekend set.
"We definitely stepped up and played the way I know we are capable of," Diehl said. "Malarie Huseman came out and threw with a better presence in the circle, and the rest of the team followed that lead."
Huseman, who didn't get the better end of a pitcher's duel with Iowa Lakes hurler Lexi Chase in the opener on Saturday, had her fortunes reversed on Sunday as the Dubuque Hempstead product kept the Laker bats quiet most of the day, scattering just four hits and allowing only a RBI-double from Chase in the third frame.
The biggest difference in the rematch was the Warrior bats figuring out Chase as IHCC followed up their three-hit output in Saturday's opener with a 13-hit barrage.
Diehl's Warriors were consistent on Sunday, plating a pair of runs in five different innings to back Huseman's effort as the freshman right hander moved to 6-2 on the season.
Leading the charge at the plate were Nicole Bellis and Kennedy Preston, both of whom went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Both Bellis and Preston drilled a double and a dinger each.
"Kennedy Preston is turning a corner, and it was fun to watch her start to figure some things out," Diehl added.
Peyton Moffet added pair of hits including a double, but nearly every starter contributed at least a single to keep the pressure on Iowa Lakes the entire contest. Gretta Hartz, Gracie Jevyak, Bellis, Moffet and Preston all scored a pair of runs for the Warriors.
IHCC wouldn't let up in game two as the Warriors plated six in the fourth inning to take command in support of Margot van Eijl, who got her first collegiate win on Saturday and made it two-for-two on Sunday with five innings of two-hit ball from the circle that included six strikeouts and just one free pass. Alexis Watson pitched the final two frames and surrendered the two Laker runs in the bottom of the sixth before tossing a scoreless seventh. Watson struck out one and walked two.
The reigning ICCAC Player of the Week, Bryanna Mehaffy, came alive in game two as the Warrior shortstop went 3-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored.
"Bryanna Mehaffy keeps being a table setter for us and getting on base in different fashions," Diehl said.
Bellis and Moffet were at it again in the night cap, each tallying a pair of hits including a double. Bellis was particularly effective in big spots with four runs batted in. Chloe Olson and Preston each plated a pair as well. Waterloo Columbus prep Jalila Hart provided a second leadoff from the nine-hole going 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.
"Our outfielders went and made plays on Sunday, which helped our pitchers get out of innings," Diehl explained. "It was a great start to the conference season for us."
The Warriors are scheduled to be back in action at Creston for a pair of games with Southwestern on Wednesday starting at 2 p.m. IHCC will turn around and host the Spartans for a pair on Thursday at R.L. Hellyer Field, again at 2 p.m.
GAME ONE
Indian Hills 020 222 2 – 10 13 1
Iowa Lakes 001 000 0 – 1 4 3
WP – Malarie Huseman (6-2), LP – Lexi Chase
(2B – Bellis, Moffet, Preston 2; HR – Bellis, Preston; RBI – Bellis 3, Newton 2, Preston 3; SAC – Mehaffy, Newton).
GAME TWO
Indian Hills 000 603 4 – 13 11 1
Iowa Lakes 000 002 0 – 2 5 2
WP – Margot Van Eijl (2-0), LP – Eliya Johnson
(2B – Bellis, Moffet; RBI – Bellis 4, Hart, Mehaffy, Moffet, Newton, Olson 2, Poortinga, Preston 2; SAC – Mehaffy; HBP – Hart; SB – Hartz, Mehaffy 2).