West Burlington, IA -- The Indian Hills softball team showed some toughness on Sunday. The Warriors dropped a 5-4 game to Southeastern CC in the opener of a conference doubleheader, then pounded out 15 hits, including three home runs, in a 16-3 rout of the Blackhawks in the second game.
The split is the second one in conference play for IHCC, now 16-10 overall.
One bad pitch spelled doom for Indian Hills and starter Kylee Coughlin in game one. Coughlin took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the 6th inning, but she gave up a three-run homer to Joseline Torrealba that proved to be the game-winner for SCC.
IHCC jumped out to a 4-0 lead with four runs in the 3rd. Jordan Grell had a double and a triple for the Warriors who benefited from a couple of SCC errors in their big inning.
Southeastern started their comeback with a homer, a two-run shot by Myleinys Graterol in the 3rd, and ended it with their second round-tripper.
The Blackhawks slugged two more homers in the second game but they weren't nearly enough against a rejuvenated IHCC offense. Nicole Steinle had a three-run homer in the 1st and Grell went deep with the bases loaded in the 2nd. Jenna Wolfe also homered in the five-inning second game.
Cortney Wood was 4-for-4 and four Warriors -- Sarah Wilcox, Tory Beaver, Kristen Paulson and Wolfe -- all had two hits. Grell had five RBIs and Steinle and Wolfe three each.
Hannah Washburn was the beneficiary of the offensive explosion, going all five innings for IHCC while giving up six hits and striking out two.
A home doubleheader with Illinois Central on Tuesday is next on the schedule for IHCC.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
League Schedule Begins With Split for IHCC
Muscatine, IA -- Indian Hills and Muscatine, the teams that battled it out in the final game of last spring's Region 11 postseason tournament, opened the 2011 conference season with a doubleheader split on Tuesday. The Warriors won the first game, 7-2, but were blanked by MCC's Michaela Fligg on just two hits in the second game as the Cardinals got revenge with a 9-0 win.
Indian Hills had won both games they played against Muscatine in last year's regional tourney. And they won the schools' first meeting this year, in Tuesday's opener.
IHCC took advantage of nine walks from MCC starting pitcher Rachel Brisker. The Warriors scored their seven runs on just five hits, two of them by Lindsey Evans who also drove in two runs. Starter Kylee Coughlin and reliever Hannah Washburn combined to give up only six hits and two runs. Muscatine left 10 runners on base.
IHCC pitchers Ali Martin and Sonja Holmes were knocked around in game two, surrendering nine runs and 12 hits. Tory Beaver and Sarah Wilcox had the only hits for Indian Hills as the Warriors were held in check in the five-inning game.
Indian Hills' season record is 15-9. The Warriors resume conference play with a doubleheader at Southeastern next Sunday, after they play two games against the Graceland JV on Saturday.
Indian Hills had won both games they played against Muscatine in last year's regional tourney. And they won the schools' first meeting this year, in Tuesday's opener.
IHCC took advantage of nine walks from MCC starting pitcher Rachel Brisker. The Warriors scored their seven runs on just five hits, two of them by Lindsey Evans who also drove in two runs. Starter Kylee Coughlin and reliever Hannah Washburn combined to give up only six hits and two runs. Muscatine left 10 runners on base.
IHCC pitchers Ali Martin and Sonja Holmes were knocked around in game two, surrendering nine runs and 12 hits. Tory Beaver and Sarah Wilcox had the only hits for Indian Hills as the Warriors were held in check in the five-inning game.
Indian Hills' season record is 15-9. The Warriors resume conference play with a doubleheader at Southeastern next Sunday, after they play two games against the Graceland JV on Saturday.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Two Days, Two Wins, Two Losses for IHCC in Missouri
Carthage/Neosho, Mo. -- The 19th-ranked Indian Hills softball team had mixed results on a weekend trip to southern Missouri. The Warriors won two games in the abbreviated Carthage Bash on Saturday, then lost two contests played on Crowder CC's diamond in Neosho on Sunday.
IHCC blanked Connors State (OK) in the first game on Saturday. Ali Martin gave up just one hit in notching her 4th win of the spring against only one loss. The Warriors scored twice in the first inning and three times in the 3rd in building a big early cushion.
Morgan Powers had three hits and Tory Beaver two for IHCC and Nicole Steinle drove in three of the five runs. Powers and Sarah Wilcox each scored twice.
Another fast start helped the Warriors in the second game. They scored five runs in the first two innings on the way to a 9-5 victory against Maple Woods.
Indian Hills pounded out 13 hits, including home runs by Steinle and Sydney Hallbauer. Beaver and Powers had three-hit games and Beaver and Steinle each had two runs scored and two RBIs.
Big innings by Sunday's two opponents led to two defeats. Crowder scored 10 runs in the 4th inning and knocked off the Warriors, 11-3. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M broke a 6-all tie with seven runs in the bottom of the 6th and beat IHCC, 13-7, in the second game of the day.
Hannah Washburn took a 3-1 lead into the 4th against Crowder, the team that Indian Hills defeated in last year's District tournament. But the team that hosted the two Sunday games, erupted against Washburn and reliever Emily Hemming.
Jordan Grell and Powers had two hits each for the Warriors and Grell knocked in two runs.
Kristen Paulson slammed a homer in the second game and she drove in three runs. Wilcox had three hits and Grell and Paulson two apiece.
The Warriors ended the weekend with a 14-8 record. They begin conference play at Muscatine CC on Tuesday.
IHCC blanked Connors State (OK) in the first game on Saturday. Ali Martin gave up just one hit in notching her 4th win of the spring against only one loss. The Warriors scored twice in the first inning and three times in the 3rd in building a big early cushion.
Morgan Powers had three hits and Tory Beaver two for IHCC and Nicole Steinle drove in three of the five runs. Powers and Sarah Wilcox each scored twice.
Another fast start helped the Warriors in the second game. They scored five runs in the first two innings on the way to a 9-5 victory against Maple Woods.
Indian Hills pounded out 13 hits, including home runs by Steinle and Sydney Hallbauer. Beaver and Powers had three-hit games and Beaver and Steinle each had two runs scored and two RBIs.
Big innings by Sunday's two opponents led to two defeats. Crowder scored 10 runs in the 4th inning and knocked off the Warriors, 11-3. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M broke a 6-all tie with seven runs in the bottom of the 6th and beat IHCC, 13-7, in the second game of the day.
Hannah Washburn took a 3-1 lead into the 4th against Crowder, the team that Indian Hills defeated in last year's District tournament. But the team that hosted the two Sunday games, erupted against Washburn and reliever Emily Hemming.
Jordan Grell and Powers had two hits each for the Warriors and Grell knocked in two runs.
Kristen Paulson slammed a homer in the second game and she drove in three runs. Wilcox had three hits and Grell and Paulson two apiece.
The Warriors ended the weekend with a 14-8 record. They begin conference play at Muscatine CC on Tuesday.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Home Slate Starts With Sweep for IHCC
Ottumwa -- In what was likely one of the earliest home openers in the program's history, the Indian Hills softball team took both games of a doubleheader with Marshalltown CC on Thursday, winning by scores of 4-2 and 4-0.
The Warriors got solid pitching performances from starters Kylee Coughlin and Hannah Washburn and two shutout innings in relief from Ali Martin in improving their season record to 12-6.
Coughlin allowed only five hits and one walk in a five-inning stint in the opener. Washburn fashioned a two-hit complete-game shutout in game two.
Indian Hills jumped on the visiting Tigers with three runs in the bottom of the first in the opening game. Jordan Grell had a two-run double and Jenna Wolfe followed with a run-scoring double for an early 3-0 lead. Both hits came with two outs.
Morgan Powers doubled home Sarah Wilcox with an insurance run in the fifth.
MCC scored their only runs of the day in the 7th against Martin on two hits and a sacrifice fly. But the freshman reliever got out of further trouble in saving the game for Coughlin.
Washburn was in control in the nightcap, spacing the two hits and fanning four.
Her teammates got her all the runs she would need when they scored four times in the 4th inning. Nicole Steinle and Tori Beaver had two-run doubles in the big inning. All eight runs scored on the day by the Warriors came on two-base hits.
Indian Hills will go to Carthage, Missouri this weekend for five games in the Carthage Bash.
The Warriors got solid pitching performances from starters Kylee Coughlin and Hannah Washburn and two shutout innings in relief from Ali Martin in improving their season record to 12-6.
Coughlin allowed only five hits and one walk in a five-inning stint in the opener. Washburn fashioned a two-hit complete-game shutout in game two.
Indian Hills jumped on the visiting Tigers with three runs in the bottom of the first in the opening game. Jordan Grell had a two-run double and Jenna Wolfe followed with a run-scoring double for an early 3-0 lead. Both hits came with two outs.
Morgan Powers doubled home Sarah Wilcox with an insurance run in the fifth.
MCC scored their only runs of the day in the 7th against Martin on two hits and a sacrifice fly. But the freshman reliever got out of further trouble in saving the game for Coughlin.
Washburn was in control in the nightcap, spacing the two hits and fanning four.
Her teammates got her all the runs she would need when they scored four times in the 4th inning. Nicole Steinle and Tori Beaver had two-run doubles in the big inning. All eight runs scored on the day by the Warriors came on two-base hits.
Indian Hills will go to Carthage, Missouri this weekend for five games in the Carthage Bash.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Warriors Enjoy Success on Season-Opening Trip
Ottumwa -- A spring trip that began with five games in Mississippi and ended with six more in a rugged tournament in Florida resulted in a 10-6 record for the Indian Hills softball team, ranked 19th in the preseason NJCAA poll.
The Warriors wound up the 10-day journey by playing in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Junior College Leadoff Classic in Panama City, Florida.
In that tourney, they won two of their first three games and qualified for the Silver Championship Bracket, where they won two of three contests, including an impressive 12-2 thumping of Johnson County (Kans.) in the final game of the trip.
“I was very pleased with the trip,” said IHCC coach Jim Overturf. “I believe any time you return from a southern trip with more wins than losses you have had a lot of success. The Leadoff Classic was a great experience for our players because it had a national tournament atmosphere.”
In fact, the reason Indian Hills was invited to play in the Classic was their appearance in last year’s national tourney.
The first stop for the Warriors was the Tiger Fest tournament in Booneville, Miss. Indian Hills scored seven runs in the first two innings of their first game and rolled over East Central Mississippi, 8-2, in five innings. Kylee Coughlin, one of two returning pitchers on the roster, went the distance, scattering four hits. Sarah Wilcox had a pair of doubles and Lindsey Evans and Tory Beaver also had two hits. Beaver and Jordan Grell had two RBIs and Morgan Powers and Wilcox each scored twice.
Freshman Hannah Washburn got the start in game two against Northeast Mississippi and picked up her initial collegiate victory in a 7-2 win. Grell, Wilcox and Kylee Homewood all had two-hit games and Homewood and Jenna Wolfe each drove in a pair of runs.
Indian Hills kept it going the next day with wins against Itawamba (2-1 in 8 innings) and Northwest Mississippi (8-2) before losing a tough 1-0 decision to Copiah-Lincoln, ranked No. 10 in Division II.
The Warriors had the bases loaded in the top of the 7th of the Copiah-Lincoln game, but Powers lined hard to 3rd base to end the game. They managed only two hits, but Coughlin, a tough-luck loser, gave up only three.
Coughlin started the game with Itawamba and Washburn won it in relief. Beaver, Evans, Homewood and Powers had two hits apiece and Nicole Steinle drove in Powers with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 8th.
Ali Martin, another freshman, got her first career win against Northwest Mississippi, a complete-game five-hitter. Washburn and Powers had three hits and Beaver, Steinle and Washburn had two RBIs.
From Mississippi, the Warriors traveled to Pensacola, Florida where they routed Mercyhurst (Neb.) in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader, 9-0. Emily Hemming tossed the shutout and Sydney Hallbauer homered. IHCC was ahead 4-0 in the second game when it was rained out.
A couple of games with Pensacola State were up next and the Warriors battled back for a split. They lost the opener 6-2 before taking the nightcap 8-5.
Evans had two hits and an RBI in the opener; Homewood drove in four runs in the second game to back the pitching of Coughlin, who won her 2nd game.
The Warriors had a difficult time the following day, getting swept by Northwest Florida State. Indian Hills scored three times in the first inning of game one, but lost 10-5; they tallied five times in the 1st in the second game and lost 21-5.
The Leadoff Classic began with a 5-0 shutout loss to Chipola. IHCC was held to five hits, two of them by Grell.
Indian Hills recovered with a 3-2 win against Chesapeake (Md.) with Washburn allowing only one earned run and six hits. After spotting Chesapeake a 2-0 lead, the Warriors tied the game in the 5th and won it on a run-scoring groundout in the 6th.
The final game of pool play was a 3-2 win against San Jacinto (Tex.). Martin was the winning pitcher. The eventual game-winning run came home on a bases-loaded walk.
The victory against San Jacinto gave the Warriors the No. 5 seed in the Silver Bracket. They started out with a 9-3 loss to Spartanburg (S.C.). Evans homered and Beaver continued her hot hitting with a two-run double.
Washburn then blanked Georgia Perimeter, 4-0, with a seven-hit shutout and the 12-run, 11-hit blowout of Johnson County followed.
A four-run second inning got the Warriors off to a good start and they scored at least one run in every inning after that in defeating the 7th ranked team in DII. Grell and Wolfe each had three hits, Beaver and Grell scored three runs, and Wolfe had three RBIs. Ali Martin and Emily Hemming combined to limit Johnson County to three hits.
IHCC used five pitchers on the trip and Overturf said he is confident that they will continue to improve as the season goes on. “Our staff had some bright moments and some other moments where they struggled,” the coach said. “We need to improve on the way we start the game, an area we are going to focus on in practice. They put themselves in a hole early in a number of games, but battled to keep us close and our offense was able to score some runs.”
It was the offense that Overturf pointed to as one of the highlights, saying, “It was a pleasant surprise. Usually it takes an offense a little while to get going. But we averaged five runs a game and batted .316 as a team. That’s a good start against some quality teams.”
There were some individuals who distinguished themselves offensively. Lindsey Evans hit .487 with seven RBIs; Jordan Grell, who also had a good week defensively at third base, batted .359 with a team-leading 10 RBIs; Kylee Homewood had a .407 average and eight runs-batted-in; and Morgan Powers, batting in the second spot in the order, came back with a .340 average and scored a team-high 13 runs.
“We had a great team effort and a lot of different players stepped up when we needed them to,” said Overturf.
The Warriors will be idle until opening their home schedule against Marshalltown CC on March 17. They are slated to play five games in a tournament in Carthage, Mo. Mar. 19-20 before opening conference play at Muscatine CC on Mar. 22.
The Warriors wound up the 10-day journey by playing in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Junior College Leadoff Classic in Panama City, Florida.
In that tourney, they won two of their first three games and qualified for the Silver Championship Bracket, where they won two of three contests, including an impressive 12-2 thumping of Johnson County (Kans.) in the final game of the trip.
“I was very pleased with the trip,” said IHCC coach Jim Overturf. “I believe any time you return from a southern trip with more wins than losses you have had a lot of success. The Leadoff Classic was a great experience for our players because it had a national tournament atmosphere.”
In fact, the reason Indian Hills was invited to play in the Classic was their appearance in last year’s national tourney.
The first stop for the Warriors was the Tiger Fest tournament in Booneville, Miss. Indian Hills scored seven runs in the first two innings of their first game and rolled over East Central Mississippi, 8-2, in five innings. Kylee Coughlin, one of two returning pitchers on the roster, went the distance, scattering four hits. Sarah Wilcox had a pair of doubles and Lindsey Evans and Tory Beaver also had two hits. Beaver and Jordan Grell had two RBIs and Morgan Powers and Wilcox each scored twice.
Freshman Hannah Washburn got the start in game two against Northeast Mississippi and picked up her initial collegiate victory in a 7-2 win. Grell, Wilcox and Kylee Homewood all had two-hit games and Homewood and Jenna Wolfe each drove in a pair of runs.
Indian Hills kept it going the next day with wins against Itawamba (2-1 in 8 innings) and Northwest Mississippi (8-2) before losing a tough 1-0 decision to Copiah-Lincoln, ranked No. 10 in Division II.
The Warriors had the bases loaded in the top of the 7th of the Copiah-Lincoln game, but Powers lined hard to 3rd base to end the game. They managed only two hits, but Coughlin, a tough-luck loser, gave up only three.
Coughlin started the game with Itawamba and Washburn won it in relief. Beaver, Evans, Homewood and Powers had two hits apiece and Nicole Steinle drove in Powers with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 8th.
Ali Martin, another freshman, got her first career win against Northwest Mississippi, a complete-game five-hitter. Washburn and Powers had three hits and Beaver, Steinle and Washburn had two RBIs.
From Mississippi, the Warriors traveled to Pensacola, Florida where they routed Mercyhurst (Neb.) in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader, 9-0. Emily Hemming tossed the shutout and Sydney Hallbauer homered. IHCC was ahead 4-0 in the second game when it was rained out.
A couple of games with Pensacola State were up next and the Warriors battled back for a split. They lost the opener 6-2 before taking the nightcap 8-5.
Evans had two hits and an RBI in the opener; Homewood drove in four runs in the second game to back the pitching of Coughlin, who won her 2nd game.
The Warriors had a difficult time the following day, getting swept by Northwest Florida State. Indian Hills scored three times in the first inning of game one, but lost 10-5; they tallied five times in the 1st in the second game and lost 21-5.
The Leadoff Classic began with a 5-0 shutout loss to Chipola. IHCC was held to five hits, two of them by Grell.
Indian Hills recovered with a 3-2 win against Chesapeake (Md.) with Washburn allowing only one earned run and six hits. After spotting Chesapeake a 2-0 lead, the Warriors tied the game in the 5th and won it on a run-scoring groundout in the 6th.
The final game of pool play was a 3-2 win against San Jacinto (Tex.). Martin was the winning pitcher. The eventual game-winning run came home on a bases-loaded walk.
The victory against San Jacinto gave the Warriors the No. 5 seed in the Silver Bracket. They started out with a 9-3 loss to Spartanburg (S.C.). Evans homered and Beaver continued her hot hitting with a two-run double.
Washburn then blanked Georgia Perimeter, 4-0, with a seven-hit shutout and the 12-run, 11-hit blowout of Johnson County followed.
A four-run second inning got the Warriors off to a good start and they scored at least one run in every inning after that in defeating the 7th ranked team in DII. Grell and Wolfe each had three hits, Beaver and Grell scored three runs, and Wolfe had three RBIs. Ali Martin and Emily Hemming combined to limit Johnson County to three hits.
IHCC used five pitchers on the trip and Overturf said he is confident that they will continue to improve as the season goes on. “Our staff had some bright moments and some other moments where they struggled,” the coach said. “We need to improve on the way we start the game, an area we are going to focus on in practice. They put themselves in a hole early in a number of games, but battled to keep us close and our offense was able to score some runs.”
It was the offense that Overturf pointed to as one of the highlights, saying, “It was a pleasant surprise. Usually it takes an offense a little while to get going. But we averaged five runs a game and batted .316 as a team. That’s a good start against some quality teams.”
There were some individuals who distinguished themselves offensively. Lindsey Evans hit .487 with seven RBIs; Jordan Grell, who also had a good week defensively at third base, batted .359 with a team-leading 10 RBIs; Kylee Homewood had a .407 average and eight runs-batted-in; and Morgan Powers, batting in the second spot in the order, came back with a .340 average and scored a team-high 13 runs.
“We had a great team effort and a lot of different players stepped up when we needed them to,” said Overturf.
The Warriors will be idle until opening their home schedule against Marshalltown CC on March 17. They are slated to play five games in a tournament in Carthage, Mo. Mar. 19-20 before opening conference play at Muscatine CC on Mar. 22.
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