Ottumwa, IA – One of the most potent offenses in junior college softball was on full display Thursday as the Indian Hills Softball team erupted for 50 total runs in a doubleheader sweep of Marshalltown Community College at R.L. Hellyer Field. The Warriors won game one 21-3 and game two 29-1.
The Warriors eclipsed the 20-run plateau for the fourth and fifth times this season after earning the two Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) wins over the Tigers. The team pounded out 23 hits in the opener and 24 more in game two. With the sweep, Indian Hills moves to 34-7 overall and 17-1 in the ICCAC this year.
The 29 runs in game two are the most for a Warrior program dating back to the 2000 season when that year's team scored a school record 34. The 28-run margin of victory in the second game eclipses the Warriors' previous total of 27 in a 27-0 victory over Kishwaukee Community College (IL) at the Hindman/Person Invitational in Ottumwa on May 1, 2004.
13 different Warriors collected a hit on the day, led by freshman Destiny Lewis (Indianola, IA/Indianola) who went 8-10 on the day with 12 RBI, six runs scored, two doubles, and two home runs. Freshman Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk) connected on three home runs on the day while Breanna Newton (Bettendorf, IA/Bettendorf) went 6-7 with four extra base hits.
Lewis drove in nine runs in game two thanks in large part to a grand slam in the second inning. The nine RBI set a new school record, breaking the old mark of seven that was set seven different times.
Sophomore Gretta Hartz (Runnells, IA/Southeast Polk) drove in nine runs total on the day while collecting six hits. Bryanna Mehaffy (Burlington, IA/Burlington), Alex Beard (Albia, IA/Albia), and Abbi Cataldo (Altoona, IA/Southeast Polk) all had three hit performances on the afternoon. Kennedy Preston (Carlisle, IA/Carlisle) and Maddy Findley (Knoxville, IA/Knoxville) each recorded three-run home runs in the game two win.
In the circle, four different Warriors saw action as Madie Anderson (Mt. Pleasant, IA/Winfield Mt. Union) picked up the win in game one while Ryann Cheek (Eldridge, IA/North Scott) secured the victory in game two. TJ Stoaks (Lenox, IA/Lenox) provided two innings of strong relief work in game one while Margot van eijl (Oosterhout, Netherlands/Calandlyceum) struck out four with just one hit allowed in two innings in game two.
The Warrior offense continues to climb the national leaderboards in a number of statistical categories. The team currently ranks third overall with 96 home runs on the year and are just 14 shy of tying the program record set by the 1999 Warriors. This year's club also ranks third in slugging percentage (.740), fifth in extra base hits (204), fifth in total bases (898), seventh in on-base percentage (.479), seventh in runs (426), and ninth in batting average (.408).
Anderson now owns the team lead with 24 home runs on the year, tied for second-most in program history with Macey Harrington (2019) and the second most in the country this year. Lewis' 23 home runs are third-most in program history and third in the country this year. Lewis ranks sixth nationally this year with 68 RBI while Anderson ranks eighth with 65. Lewis ranks in the top five in the country in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.
The Warriors are set to host NJCAA Division III powerhouse Rock Valley College (IL) at R.L. Hellyer Field on Friday for a nonconference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled to start at 5:00 PM.
