Ottumwa, IA – The Indian Hills Softball team extended its winning streak to 11 games on Monday after sweeping visiting North Central Missouri College at R.L. Hellyer Field. The Warriors improve to 20-12 overall on the year.
The Warriors took both ends of Monday's non-league doubleheader, dropping the Pirates 10-0 in six innings in the opener and 13-8 in the nightcap. Indian Hills has now at least 20 games in all 37 years of existence of the modern era of the program, dating back to the inaugural year in 1989. With the sweep, the Warriors improve to 17-2 all-time vs. the Pirates.
Indian Hills continued to make a statement at the plate with a pair of offensive outburst vs. the Pirates. The Warriors tallied 22 hits on the day, including 12 in the opener as nine different players collected at least one hit on the day.
Indian Hills broke things open in game one with a three-run second inning, highlighted by a two-run double from sophomore Courtney Locke (Bow, WA/Burlington-Edison). Locke tacked on another run-scoring double in the fourth before Ava Smith (Waukee, IA/Waukee Northwest) extended her hitting streak to 15 games with a two-run double in the fifth.
Sophomores Ashlynn Sheets (Ottumwa, IA/Ottumwa) and Jordyn Beck (Marion, IA/Linn-Mar) teamed up to keep the Pirates scoreless as the offense continued to push the lead. Yarah Zuiver (Zaanstad, Netherlands/Roc Van Amsterdam) recorded an RBI double in the fifth for a 7-0 advantage. Smith's productive day was capped by a game-ending three-run home run in the sixth inning, her fifth home run of the season.
Ava Smith ends game one with a bang ��
— Indian Hills Softball (@WarriorSoftball) April 7, 2025
Ava's game-ending three-run home run extends the Warriors' win streak to 10 games!@GoHillsTv | #WarriorNation pic.twitter.com/DoLLQ12jPw
Smith finished the opener 3-4 at the plate with five RBI while Locke posted a 3-3 performance with three RBI. Sheets earned the win in the circle with three shutout innings while Beck allowed just one base hit in three innings of scoreless relief.
Game two saw the Warriors erase a 2-1 deficit with three runs in the bottom half of the second, sparked by Locke's third run-scoring double of the day. A three-run base hit from Shanna Buford (Donnellson, IA/Central Lee) in the fourth pushed the Warrior advantage to 8-2.
North Central Missouri cut into the deficit in the fifth to pull within two, 8-6. Freshman Emma Scully (West Des Moines, IA/Valley) put a stop to the rally with her first collegiate home run, a two-run shot to dead center in the fifth. Cassandra Benberg (Green Bay, WI / Pulaski) delivered the knockout punch to the Pirates four batters later with a three-run home run to right.
Locked extended her season-long hitting streak to eight games by going 5-5 on the day, including 2-2 in the game two victory. During the streak, Locke is batting .650 with 10 RBI and six extra base hits.
Alivia Ruble (Lacona, IA/Southeast Warren) recorded her eighth win of the year in the circle, scattering six hits in four innings of work.
The Warriors jump right back into action Tuesday afternoon to take on Southeastern Community College in an Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) doubleheader. Originally scheduled for a Wednesday tilt, the two teams will square off at 2:00 PM in Burlington, IA.
HOW TO WATCH
As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of all Indian Hills home softball games. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:
- Facebook: visit www.facebook.com/gohillstv
- GoHillsTV App: Download the GoHillsTV app on your android or ios device
- Website: https://www.gohillstv.com/browse to catch all live and archived information
- Roku Streaming Device (new): Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!
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