Branson, MO – No. 15 Indian Hills Softball went 1-1 on the final day at the Ballparks of America in Branson on Sunday after defeating Fort Scott Community College (KS) 13-0 before falling to Murray State College (OK) 2-0. Indian Hills moves to 5-3 on the year.
The Warriors put together their most complete performance of the year in the opener vs. Fort Scott, scoring the team's most runs on the year while tossing the first shutout of the season. Indian Hills pounded out 12 hits while four individuals collected multi-hit performances.
In the nightcap, Indian Hills fell to Murray State, the top-ranked team in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DII Softball poll. The loss ended the Warriors' three-game winning streak.
Sophomore Destiny Lewis (Indianola, IA/Indianola), an NJCAA All-American from a season ago, picked up a first inning single in the opener vs. Fort Scott to reach the 100-hit milestone for her career. Lewis' current career .515 batting average is the best mark in school history for the Warriors.
The Warriors scored early and often against Fort Scott to pull away in the opener. Lewis and freshman Tatum Aragon (Fort Collins, CO/Fort Collins) both singled and scored on a double from Abby Martin (Lamoni, IA/Lamoni in the first inning to stake a 2-0 lead.
Indian Hills tacked on five more runs in the second as the first five batters of the frame reached base. Aragon provided a two-run double in the inning while Jenna Lemley (Troy Mills, IA/North Linn) added an RBI single to left.
With a comfortable 7-0 margin, Indian Hills piled on five more runs in the third as Aragon added another RBI single. Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk) and Martin added their own RBI base hits to extend the lead. Anderson added another RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to cap the scoring.
Aragon finished the game with a season-high three hits and three RBI while Martin, Jensyn Jones (Swisher, IA/Cedar Rapids Prairie), and Eva Fulk (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) each added two base hits.
Freshman Sara Reid (Central City, IA/Central City) picked up her first-career win in the circle with four scoreless frames. Reid allowed just two base hits while striking out three. Sophomore TJ Stoaks (Lenox, IA/Lenox) worked a perfect fifth with two strikeouts.
In the finale, the Warriors fell behind 2-0 early as the Aggies tallied a run in each of the first two innings. After producing a season-high 13 runs in the opener, the Warrior offense stalled in game two. Indian Hills put a runner on base in each of the first five innings, but failed to convert as the Warriors went 1-2-3 over the final two innings to drop the nightcap.
Aragon tallied one of the team's four base hits to extend her season-long hitting streak to five games. Martin recorded a double while Stoaks and Fulk added the only two additional base hits.
Sophomore Madie Anderson (Mt. Pleasant, IA/Winfield Mt. Union) went the distance for the Warriors but suffered the loss with just one earned run. The Aggies, who are averaging nearly 10 hits a game on the year, were limited to a season-low four hits against Anderson.
Next up for the Warriors is the Midwest JUCO Bash in Evansville, IN where Indian Hills will play six games in three days with action opening up Friday, March 10.