Creston, IA – Indian Hills Softball wrapped up its four-game conference series with a doubleheader sweep of Southwestern Community College on Monday afternoon. The Warriors dropped the Spartans 9-5 in the opener and no-hit Southwestern in a 14-0 game two victory.
The Warriors completed the four-game Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) sweep of the Spartans following Sunday's twinbill that went to Indian Hills. The Warriors outscored Southwestern 48-8 in the series, including a pair of shutouts.
Sophomore Destiny Lewis (Indianola, IA/Indianola) connected on four home runs on the day, including three in the nightcap to become the first player in school history to surpass the 50 home run milestone for her career. With the four roundtrippers on Monday, Lewis, the school's single season and career record holder, has 52 over the past two seasons, the most in the nation during that span.
Game one saw eight different Warriors record a hit, powered by freshman Abby Martin's (Lamoni, IA/Lamoni) 4-4 effort at the dish. Martin's two-run home run in the top of the second opened the scoring for the Warriors who scored three in the frame before Martin added a run-scoring single in the third for a 4-0 advantage.
Southwestern pulled within one, 4-3 with a three-spot in the fourth, but a two-run home run from Jensyn Jones (Swisher, IA/Cedar Rapids Prairie) gave the Warriors some breathing room. Southwestern pulled back within two, 6-4 only to see Lewis connect on her first home-run of the day, a two-run shot.
Madie Anderson (Mt. Pleasant, IA/Winfield Mt. Union), Monday's game one starting pitcher, re-entered the circle in the sixth to hold off a Southwestern rally as the Warriors picked up the conference win.
Martin finished the game with three runs and three RBI. Sophomore TJ Stoaks (Lenox, IA/Lenox) put together a strong performance with a 3-3 effort at the plate, including a double.
Anderson tossed four full innings in the circle to move to 13-3 on the year and has won five consecutive starts.
Indian Hills picked apart the Spartans early and often in the nightcap, scoring three runs in the first inning, sparked by a leadoff home run from Claire Tipton (Unionville, MO/Putnam County) and a two-run blast from Lewis. Jones connected on her second home run of the day in the second to push the lead to 4-0 in favor of the Warriors.
Leading 5-0 in the fourth, Lewis delivered her biggest knock of the day, a grand slam to extend the lead for the Warriors. Lewis completed the barrage of home runs with a solo shot in the fifth as Indian Hills took the four-game conference set.
Lewis' performance on Monday rewrote a number of categories in the Warriors' record book. The sophomore All-American became the school's all-time runs leader after scoring four times on Monday for 156 in her career, passing Breon Michel (1999-00). Lewis also moved into second-place all-time in school history with 352 total bases while her 153 career RBI now ranks second.
Tipton and Eva Fulk (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) each tallied three hits in the game two win. Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk) tallied a double and a triple while Jones finished the game with a pair of hits.
The Warrior pitching staff saw a dominant outing from sophomore Ryann Cheek (Eldridge, IA/North Scott) who tossed four hitless innings with just one walk allowed. Freshman Sara Reid (Central City, IA/Central City) closed out the game without allowing a hit for the Warriors' second no-hitter of the year. Cheek moves to 7-2 on the year and owns a team-best 1.01 earned run average.
Originally scheduled for back-to-back non-league doubleheaders over the next two days, the Warriors have shifted its schedule to accommodate impending weather. Indian Hills will now host conference foe Southeastern Community College, originally scheduled for a Friday/Saturday series, on Wednesday and Thursday this week at R.L. Hellyer Field. Both games are set for a 2:00 PM first pitch.