Burlington, IA -- The Indian Hills Softball team capped an unbeaten weekend with a pair of wins on Saturday at the SCC Turf Tournament. The Warriors defeated Hawkeye Community College 12-0 before dropping Rock Valley College (IL) 3-0 in the finale.
The two wins push the Warriors' winning streak to six games after sweeping all four games during the weekend tournament at the FunCity Turf Complex. During the four-game stretch, Indian Hills outscored its opponents 34-7.
Six in a row ��
— Indian Hills Softball (@WarriorSoftball) February 15, 2025
Warriors take down Rock Valley 3-0 to sweep the weekend.#WarriorNation pic.twitter.com/8LqFkFpG59
An offensive onslaught in the opener powered the Warriors to the shutout over Hawkeye before a masterful pitching performance from Ashlynn Sheets (Ottumwa, IA/Ottumwa) lifted Indian Hills to its second consecutive shutout with the clean sheet vs. Rock Valley. In total, Indian Hills collected 21 hits on the day while allowing just eight knocks in the two wins.
Saturday's opener saw the Warriors strike early and often as Indian Hills plated 11 runs in the first inning against Hawkeye, including 10 runs with two outs. Sophomores Ava Smith (Waukee, IA/Waukee Northwest), Courtney Locke (Bow, WA/Burlington-Edison), and Peyton Raley (Arvada,CO/Arvada West) along with freshman Chandler Houselog (Dubuque, IA/Dubuque Hempstead), Shanna Buford (Donnellson, IA/Central Lee), and Mackenzie Wesson (Colfax, IL/Ridgeview) delivered run-scoring doubles in the frame to spark the offense.
With the Warriors in the driver's seat early, sophomore pitcher Alivia Ruble (Lacona, IA/Southeast Warren) delivered her second victory in as many days. Ruble struck out a career-high six batters before sophomore Jordyn Beck (Marion, IA/Linn-Mar) struck out the side in the run-rule shortened fifth frame to combine for the shutout.
Raley, Smith, and Locke delivered a pair of hits each in the win as Indian Hills strung together 14 knocks, including eight extra base hits.
In the nightcap vs. Rock Valley, the Warriors struck first once again with a run in the first inning as freshman Cassandra Benberg (Green Bay, WI/Pulaski) singled to score Buford from second. The Warriors maintained the one-run advantage as Sheets kept the Golden Eagles off balance through the early goings.
Locke delivered a run-scoring single to score freshman Avery Kies (Iowa City, IA/Regina Catholic) to double the lead in the bottom half of the fourth. Rock Valley threatened in the fifth before a spectacular catch from Raley ended the frame to keep the Golden Eagles off the board.
Raley extended the lead at the plate with an RBI single in the sixth, scoring Houselog for a 3-0 lead. Sheets, looking for her first complete game of the season, sat the Golden Eagles down in order in the top of the seventh to close out the victory for the Warriors.
Sheets scattered six hits through seven innings of work while striking out a pair of batters.
Smith produced another dominant day at the plate as the sophomore finished the weekend 10-14 (.714) at the plate with seven doubles. The sophomore is now batting .560 on the year with an .880 slugging percentage. Smith's eight doubles are tied for third-most in the nation this year, and the most by a player with fewer than 10 games played.
With a hit in each contest Saturday, Raley has now hit safely in each of the team's eight games to start the year. Raley upped her season batting average to .414 to start the year.
Benberg, who ranks second on the team this year with a .458 batting average, extended her season-long hitting streak to six games. The freshman leads the Warriors with nine RBI on the year.
Indian Hills is set to return to action with a southern swing to Tennessee and Alabama this week. The Warriors are schedule to kick things off in Gallatin, TN on February 19 against Volunteer State Community College (TN) before taking on the JUCO Extravaganza in Oxford, AL on February 21.
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