Two Nailbiters, Warriors Settle For Split

Ottumwa -- Indian Hills and Iowa Western hooked up in a dandy Region XI softball doubleheader on Saturday with each team winning a game by a 6-5 score.

It was a day filled with drama, but the most dramatic moment came on the final play -- a walkoff home run by IHCC's Cortney Wood in the bottom of the 7th inning in game two. Indian Hills had entered the last half of the 7th trailing by a run. Nicole Steinle tied the score at 5 with a homer, setting the stage for Wood's game-winner.

Steinle also homered in the first game, a two-run shot in the 6th that tied the game at 4-4.

Iowa Western was outhit, 8-4, in the first game, but won it with two runs in the 7th that snapped a 4-all tie. The Warriors scored once in the bottom of the 7th and had the tying and winning runs on base when the last out was recorded.

Ali Martin, in relief of starter Hannah Washburn, took the loss for IHCC. Morgan Powers and Jordan Grell had two hits for the Warriors.

IHCC jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 3rd inning of the second game. Steinle's two-run single was followed by an RBI-double by Wood.

The Reivers tied it at 3, the Warriors went ahead on Tory Beaver's run-scoring hit in the 5th and IWCC scored two in the top of the 7th before the Warriors' long-ball heroics in the bottom of the inning.

Kylee Coughlin went the distance and got the win for IHCC. She only allowed five hits and three earned runs.

Kylee Homewood, Steinle, Beaver and Wood all had two hits.

Indian Hills can tie Iowa Western for the regular season conference title if they can sweep a doubleheader from Muscatine CC next Tuesday.