Iola, KS – No. 19 Indian Hills Softball picked up two run-rule wins in Kansas on Tuesday to move to 7-3 overall on the year. The Warriors defeated Allen County Community College 13-2 and Neosho County Community College 12-4.
Indian Hills pounded out 27 total hits on the day to pick up the two non-league wins. Sophomore Destiny Lewis (Indianola, IA/Indianola) connected on a home run in each contest for her 33rd and 34th career home runs. Freshman Tatum Aragon (Fort Collins, CO/Fort Collins) and Jensyn Jones (Swisher, IA/Cedar Rapids Prairie ) each posted four total hits in the two wins.
In the opener against Allen County, the Warriors jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first as Lewis delivered a leadoff home run to open the day. The Warriors tacked on two more in the opening frame, including an RBI single from Jones.
Freshman Sara Reid (Central City, IA/central City) allowed just one baserunner in the opening three innings in the circle as the Warrior offense extended the lead with three more runs in the third on RBI base hits from Jenna Lemley (Troy Mills, IA/North Linn ), Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk), and Eva Fulk (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny). A two-run single in the fourth from Lemley and a solo home run from freshman Julia Kwakernaak (The Hague, Netherlands/Segbroek College ) pushed the lead to 9-0 in the fifth.
Jones delivered a two-run double in the sixth and a TJ Stoaks (Lenox, IA/Lenox) single scored Abbi Cataldo (Altoona, IA/Southeast Polk) capped the scoring for the Warriors.
Lewis, Aragon, Lemley, Jones, and Abby Martin (Lamoni, IA/Lamoni ) each delivered two base hits while Lemley and Jones tallied three RBI apiece. Reid improved to 2-0 in the circle after scattering five hits in 4.1 innings of work. Stoaks tossed a scoreless 1.2 innings of relief for the Warriors.
In game two against Neosho County, Lewis put the Warriors on the board in the bottom of the first after scoring on a sacrifice fly from Aragon. The Panthers responded with two runs in the second before the Warriors pushed three runs through in the bottom half of the second on a three-run home run from Lewis.
After a run in the third from Neosho County to pull within one, the Warriors pushed the lead to 6-4 in the fourth on a two-run double from Aragon. Indian Hills closed out the game in dominant fashion with six runs in the sixth, including RBI base knocks from Lewis, Lemley, and a three-run home run from Anderson.
Lewis finished the game 2-3 at the plate with four runs and four RBI. Aragon, Anderson, and Fulk each added two base hits.
Freshman Thea Banning (Winterset, IA/Winterset ) earned her first career win in the circle with 2.2 innings of effective relief work. Banning struck out a career-high five batters. Sophomore Ryann Cheek (Eldridge, IA/North Scott) picked up the save.
The Warriors are back in action Wednesday afternoon in Overland Park, KS with a pair of games against Johnson County Community College (KS) and North Iowa Area Community College. First pitch is set for 11:00 AM vs. Johnson County.