Ottumwa, IA – Indian Hills Softball reached the 100 home run milestone on the year at R.L. Hellyer Field on Friday night in a pair of wins over Rock Valley Community College (IL). The Warriors won game one 13-5 before dropping the Golden Eagles 2-0 in the nightcap.
The Warriors hit four home runs from four different players in game one to reach 100 home runs for the year. Abbi Cataldo (Altoona, IA/Southeast Polk) delivered a three-run home as part of a seven run sixth inning to close out the game in the run-rule shortened victory. Destiny Lewis (Indianola, IA/Indianola), Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk) and Breanna Newton (Bettendorf, IA/Bettendorf) all added home runs in the win.
While the Warriors did not hit a home run in game two, snapping the team's nine straight games with a roundtripper, Madie Anderson (Mt. Pleasant, IA/Winfield Mt. Union) provided a gem in the circle to lead the team to victory. Anderson held the Golden Eagles scoreless in the complete game, the team's 10th shutout of the year.
Taking on the seven-time defending National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DIII National Champions, the Warriors fell behind 3-0 in game one before a four-run third inning put the home team in front. Lewis delivered a two-run home run before Anderson connected on a solo shot to tie the game. Alex Beard's (Albia, IA/Albia) RBI single put the Warriors on top.
The two offenses exchanged two-run home runs in the fourth as Newton's shot gave Indian Hills a 6-5 lead. The Warriors erupted in the sixth inning as the team used RBI base hits from Beard and Lewis before Cataldo's three-run blast for the walk-off.
Lewis finished the game 3-4 with four RBI while Newton, Beard, and Kennedy Preston (Carlisle, IA/Carlisle) all had two-hit games. Ryann Cheek (Eldridge, IA/North Scott) earned the win in the circle allowing just two earned runs in four innings.
The bats in both dugouts cooled in game two as Anderson went toe-to-toe with the Golden Eagles' ace Hannah Hockerman. Anderson delivered the game's first run, an RBI single in the third to score Lewis. Both teams went scoreless until Preston drove in Newton in the sixth on an RBI double to center. The Golden Eagles put two runners on base in the seventh, but Anderson worked out of the jam to complete the shutout.
Lewis extended her hitting streak to seven games and added a stolen base, her 16th of the season. Anderson produced her most effective outing of the season, striking out seven batters while allowing just two hits to improve to 13-2 on the year.
Indian Hills heads to Peoria, IL for a doubleheader on Saturday as part of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Day. The Warriors will take on Illinois Central Community College at 3:00 PM and Rock Valley at 5:00 PM.