Oxford, AL – The Indian Hills Softball team split a pair of games on its opening day of the JUCO Extravaganza at Choccolocco Park on Friday. The Warriors battled to a 1-0 victory in the opener against Snead State Community College (AL) before dropping the nightcap 4-3 in nine innings to Georgia Military College.

Sophomore Hannah Simpson (Fairfield, IA/Fairfield) sparked the offense in the opening game while freshman Ashlynn Sheets (Ottumwa, IA/Ottumwa) kept the Parsons at bay from the circle. Simpson connected on a second inning double and later came around to score on an error for what proved to be the game-winning run.

Sheets collected her first collegiate victory after working five innings in the circle for the Warriors. Sheets scattered three hits while striking out five batters and issuing just a single walk. Freshman Alivia Ruble (Lacona, IA/__) closed out the contest to earn her first collegiate save with a pair of scoreless innings, striking out three of the eight batters she faced.

The Warriors struck first in the nightcap as Simpson delivered an RBI single to score Eva Fulk (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) in the top of the first inning. Indian Hills doubled its lead in the top of the fifth behind an RBI from Peyton Raley (Arvada, CO/Arvada West) that scored Claire Mathews (Centerville, IA/Centerville). Sophomore Sara Reid (Central City, IA/Central City) kept the Bulldogs off the board through the first four innings of play, but Georgia Military hit paydirt in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of runs to tie the game at two.

The two sides traded scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh to push the contest into extra innings. Indian Hills struck first in extras as Tatum Aragon (Fort Collins, CO/Fort Collins) drove in Raley for a 3-2 advantage. The Bulldogs answered right back with a run in the bottom of the eighth, and after holding the Warriors scoreless in the ninth, delivered the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth for the walk-off.

Aragon and Jenna Lemley (Troy Mills, IA/North Linn) each tallied two hits in the loss as the team produced nine hits overall. 

Indian Hills falls to 3-5 ovearll on the year.

The Warriors are back in action on Saturday for day two of the JUCO Extravaganza. Indian Hills will open up against No. 2 nationally ranked Northwest Florida State College at 12:00 PM before taking on Southern Union State Community College (AL) to close out the day at 4:00 PM.