Three Wins for IHCC in Softball Classic

Ottumwa, IA -- The Indian Hills softball team pushed its season record above the .500 mark as the Warriors won three of four games in the weekend IHCC Classic at R.L. Hellyer Field.

The Warriors played only once on Friday before the rains came, but managed to get in three games Saturday.

IHCC defeated Ellsworth CC 8-0 Friday. The Warriors then routed St. Louis CC-Meramec 15-0 in five innings and St. Charles CC 15-3 before losing to Southeastern CC 9-6 on Saturday.

The Ellsworth win featured a four-hit shutout by freshman Kylee Coughlin of the Warriors. Coughlin didn't walk anyone and struck out six in the complete-game effort. Her teammates backed her with 10 hits, three by freshman Sydney Hallbauer who drove in four runs.

Hallbauer singled in the first IHCC run in the 2nd. She doubled home another run in the 3rd and then supplied a two-run single in a four-run 5th.

Brandi Haight had a pair of RBIs and Ryan Jehle and Morgan Powers both scored twice.

The action Friday was suspended because of rain after only two games.

Saturday's play started with the Warriors erupting for 11 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning against Meramec. Tory Beaver had a grand slam homer and Lizzy Tucker a three-run shot in the opening inning for IHCC. Tucker had a two-run single earlier in the inning. Sarah Wilcox and Hallbauer had RBI hits in the 3rd and the Warriors tallied two unearned runs in the 4th.

Meanwhile, Brandi Haight tossed the second straight shutout in the tourney for the Warriors, limiting Meramec to just one hit in the five-inning complete game.

Indian Hills sprinted out to a 7-0 lead after an inning and a half in the game with St. Charles and finished the contest with a nine-run 7th inning.

The 17-hit IHCC attack was led by McKenzie Cason and Kelly Ruepke with three hits each and Wilcox, Haight and Jordan Grell with two apiece. Ruepke and Hallbauer had three RBIs and Wilcox scored three runs.

In a matchup between two Region XI rivals in the final game of the day -- a game which doesn't count in the conference standings -- Southeastern pushed across three runs in the 7th inning to knock off the Warriors 9-6.

Milagros Lozada had two of SCC's four homers in the game, including a leadoff shot in the 7th that was the game-winner.

Ruepke and Jehle each had two of the Warriors' 10 hits. Molly Mitchell started and went four innings for IHCC. Sonja Holmes took the loss in relief.

Indian Hills has a season record of 17-15-1 and goes to Iowa Central for a doubleheader on Tuesday before hosting Region XI foe Iowa Western on Friday, starting at 1:00.