Burlington, IA – The Indian Hills Softball team secured a pair of wins on the opening day of the SCC Turf Tournament in Burlington, IA on Friday. The Warriors dropped Ellsworth Community College 6-4 before completing the morning sweep with a 13-3 win over Black Hawk College (IL).
Indian Hills extended its winning streak to four games to move to 4-2 on the year. The Warriors used a potent offensive attack, combining for 29 hits, including 19 against Black Hawk to pull away for the two victories. 10 different players recorded a hit on Friday to pace the offensive surge.
Sophomores Ashlynn Sheets (Ottumwa, IA/Ottumwa) and Alivia Ruble (Lacona, IA/Southeast Warren) combined for a pair of impressive starts in the circle to keep the opposition at bay. The duo allowed just five hits on the day in 9.2 innings of work.
Sophomore Ava Smith (Waukee, IA/Waukee Northwest) totaled six hits on the day, including four doubles in the win over Black Hawk. In the game two win over Black Hawk, six different players connected for at least two hits in the win.
The Warriors struck first in game one vs. Ellsworth as freshmen Emma Scully (West Des Moines, IA/Valley) and Chandler Houselog (Dubuque, IA/Dubuque Hempstead) delivered back-to-back run-scoring base hits in the second inning. The Warriors added three runs in the third, aided by an RBI single from Mackenzie Wesson (Colfax, IL/Ridgeview) to give Ruble a comfortable lead in the circle.
Ruble kept the Panthers in check through 3.2 innings of work with just one hit allowed. The Panthers strung together a late rally with a pair of runs in both the sixth and seventh frames before sophomore Jordyn Beck (Marion, IA/Linn-Mar) closed the door for her first-career save.
Smith and Scully both delivered two hits and an RBI in the win for the Warriors.
Indian Hills found itself in a pitcher's duel to open game two vs. Black Hawk as Sheets cruised through the first three innings of work, striking out four batters along the way. The Braves got on the board first with a run in the third, but Indian Hills responded with consecutive run-scoring doubles from Houselog and Yarah Zuiver (Zaanstad, Netherlands/Roc Van Amsterdam) in the top half of the fourth.
Zuiver broke things open in the top of the fifth with another clutch knock, driving in a pair of runs with a double to left. Indian Hills put the game out of reach in the sixth with four runs before closing out the victory with five more runs in the top of the seventh.
Zuiver delivered a career-performance for the Warriors, going 4-5 with a career-high five RBI against Black Hawk. Sophomore Peyton Raley (Arvada, CO/Arvada West) added three hits and a pair of runs. Raley extended her hitting streak to six games to open the 2025 camapign.
Sheets was dominant in the circle, striking out nine batters while scattering four hits through six innings. Freshman Courtney DenRuyter (Lena, WI/Coleman) closed out the win in the circle with her third consecutive scoreless appearance, striking out the side in the seventh.
The Warriors return to action Saturday morning with a pair of games on the final day of the SCC Turf Tournament. Indian Hills will take on Hawkeye Community College at 9:00 AM and Rock Valley College (IL) at 1:00 PM.
Looking for Indian Hills Athletics information straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter and mobile alerts to receive news, scores, highlights, and more in real-time: INDIAN HILLS ATHLETICS NEWSLETTER
