Ottumwa, IA – Indian Hills Softball ran its winning streak to 18 games on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep of Southwestern Community College at R.L. Hellyer Field. The Warriors took game one 10-1 and game two 11-3.
Indian Hills improved to 21-6 overall on the year and 6-0 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) action. Both games on Saturday were shortened by way of the run rule, the 12th and 13th occasion during the team's 18-game winning streak. The Warriors needed just five innings in the opening game and six frames in the nightcap.
Freshman Ryann Cheek (Eldridge, IA/North Scott) earned the game one win in her first career start in the circle. Cheek allowed just one unearned run in five innings while striking out six batters. Freshman Destiny Lewis (Indianola, IA/Indianola) homered in each game while Breanna Newton (Bettendorf, IA/Bettendorf) collected five hits and five RBI in the doubleheader sweep.
The Warriors, who swept the Spartans 7-2 and 15-0 in a conference doubleheader on Friday, got off to a slow start in the opener on Saturday. The Spartans scored the game's first run in the second inning before Abbi Cataldo (Altoona, IA/Southeast Polk) connected on her first career home run, a solo shot in the third to tie the game.
The bats finally came alive in the fourth as the Warriors broke free for nine runs in the frame. Newton recorded an RBI double before the Warriors tacked on three more by way of errors and walks. The big hit of the frame came via Lewis who sent a shot over the left field wall for a grand slam. Indian Hills batted around in the inning to give Newton another RBI double.
The Warriors opened up game two with five consecutive hits, including a two-run triple from Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk). Newton, Kennedy Preston (Carlisle, IA/Carlisle), and Alex Beard (Albia, IA/Albia) all collected run-scoring base hits to stake a 5-0 lead after one.
Leading 6-2 in the fourth, the Warriors went to Lewis one more time who hit a leadoff home run. Newton collected her final hit of the night, a two-run home run in the sixth to extend the Warriors' lead to 10-3. Beard tacked on another run-scoring single to close out the game.
Lewis, Anderson, Newton, and Beard all collected three hits in the game two win as the Warriors totaled 17 knocks. The Warriors have now recorded at least 17 hits in a game six times this year.
The four home runs on the day gave the Warriors 55 total home runs on the year which ranks sixth in the nation. Only two teams in the nation are averaging more home runs per game than the Warriors' 2.04 mark.
Margot van eijl (Oosterhout, Netherlands/Calandlyceum) recorded the win in the circle while Emma Bolton (Osceola, IA/Clarke) boasted an impressive relief appearance for the Warriors.
Indian Hills takes a break from conference action with a doubleheader at Johnson County Community College (KS) April 5-6 in Overland Park, KS.
