COLUMBUS, Neb. — It took some late-game dramatics, but the Indian Hills softball team had another winning weekend of tournament play.

The Warriors made the most of their late at-bats in both their games Saturday at the Central Nebraska Tournament. IHCC avenged a one-run loss suffered last week to Western Nebraska with a 2-1 win delivered by a Kaitlyn Matzen two-RBI sixth inning double, the got a seventh-inning two-out two-RBI hit from Lindsay Evans to force extra innings against Southeast Nebraska.

Hiliary Pennington sent the Warriors back to Ottumwa on a high note. The sophomore catcher’s RBI hit brought in Carrie Hudson with the game-winning run in a 4-3 victory that gave Indian Hills a second straight 4-1 weekend tourney record.

“That Southeast Nebraska game was one we should have dominanted. We had plenty of hits and runners on all day,” Jim Overturf said. “Lindsey came up big. She got the clutch hit that gave us new life.”

Before getting the walk-off hit by Pennington, Indian Hills got clutch pitching by Hannah Washburn. The former Keokuk ace earned her eighth win in releif by striking out five batters over three innings, including striking out two batters with Southeast Nebraska having the runner at second to start the frame.

“That really changes your mindset as team going into the bottom of the eighth,” Overturf said. “It really set us up to have success in our half of the frame.”

The Warriors (18-21) returns to the diamond with a trip to Des Moines on Tuesday. Indian Hills will take on Iowa Central, ranked eighth nationally in the NJCAA Division II poll, for a doubleheader at Grand View College at 3:30 p.m.

“The whole week was a positive one for us. We got nine wins and you’re always looking for those kind of positives,” Overturf said. “We came out of this weekend making big plays and getting big hits to win. We’re looking forward to the week ahead.”

Indian Hills 2, Western Nebraska 1

WNCC    000    010    0    —    1    1    1         

IHCC     000    002    x    —    2    5    2

Indian Hills battery — Hannah Washburn (4IP, H, 4K, 4BB) and Ali Martin (W, 9-8) (3IP, R, 3K, BB), Courtney Wood catching.

2B — Kaitlyn Matzen.

Hits — Karlee Dale 1-2, Paige Blom 1-3, Hiliary Pennington 1-3, Matzen 1-3, Sam Norris 1-3.

RBI — Matzen 2.

Runs — Norris, Wood.

Indian Hills 4, Southeast Nebraska 3 (8)

SENCC    100    110    00    —    3    4    0         

IHCC     100    000    21    —    4    10    3

Indian Hills battery — Grace Cleair (5IP, 4H, 3R, ER, 3K, 3BB) and Washburn (W, 8-10) (3IP, 5K), Lindsey Evans catching.

2B — Evans.

Hits — Blom 2-4, Evans 2-4, Wood 2-4, Pennington 2-5, Elizabeth Cason 1-4, Jenna Wolfe 1-4.

RBI — Evans 2, Pennington, Wood.

Runs — Carrie Hudson, Matzen, Norris, Pennington.



Warriors softball takes two of three to kick off Central Nebraska Tourney

Courier sports staff

COLUMBUS, NEB. — Ultimately, the Indian Hills softball offense literally went away which was the wind blew on Friday at Central Nebraska Tournament.

With winds gusting at up to 30 miles an hour during the opening day of the tournament, the Warriors bats took full advantage of the wins blowing out on their diamond against North Platte and Central Nebraska. IHCC had their biggest offensive explosion, scoring 25 runs in two straight wins with an 11-2, five-inning win over North Platte before a 23-hit attack led the Warriors to a 14-3 victory against Central Nebraska.

In their finale of their first day in Nebraska, IHCC to a different diamond facing into the teeth of the wind. The gusts knocked down the Warriors production in a big way as IHCC was shutout by in-state foe Southwestern, 5-0, in the third game of the day for Jim Overturf’s squad.

“We played really good softball on Thursday (at Iowa Western) and continued that for the most part on Friday,” Overturf said. “The last game was frustrating. The conditions weren’t as good, but it wasn’t good for both teams. It was just disappointing not to have the same energy in that last game.”

“That’s been our problem throughout most of the season. It’s become a common theme. We’re still looking for some constancy.”

IHCC hitters found a consistent hitting theme for most of the day as 10 different Warriors at least one hit in the first two games of the day. Highlights of the Warriors’ opening win included 2-3 effort by Jenna Wolfe with three RBI, three hits and an RBI from Courtney Wood and a two-hit, two-run effort by Hilary Pennington.

Carrie Hudson, however, had the single best game any Warrior hitter has had at the plate this season. In the 14-3 win over Central Nebraska, Hudson was a perfect 5-5 with a double and three RBI.

Pennington added four hits, an RBI and a run while Sam Norris added three hits, an RBI and two runs scored. Former Ottumwa Bulldog Lindsay Evans added two hits and drove in three runs while Paige Blom and Kaitlyn Matzen both scored three times in the explosive IHCC win.

“It was good to bounce back and explode like that,” Overturf said. “It seemed like we were able to bounce back and use that to carry us through the first two games.”

“It just couldn’t carry over to the final game.”

Southwestern stymied the hot Warrior bats, who saw all their big hits in the first two games turn into harmless flyouts into the win against the Spartans. IHCC still had a chance late in the contest, trailing by just one run, when Ali Martin gave up a string of clutch two-out RBI hits as Southwestern opened their lead after loading the bases against Grace Cliear.

“That four-run inning was probably our worst pitching inning yet this year,” Overturf said. “I thought Ali was going to get out of the inning, then all of a sudden Southwestern broke it open.”

“It’s like making free throws in basketball. In a close game, if you get that first out it’s usually the hardest one to get. I thought Ali got her toughest hitter and then gave up the timely hits.”

Despite the loss, IHCC (16-21) took two of their first three games in Central Nebraska and are a Saturday sweep from winning four out of five tournament games for a second straight weekend. Indian Hills gets a 9 a.m. rematch with Western Nebraska, the only team to edge the Warriors at the BUCO Bash last weekend, before wrapping up the tournament with Southeast Nebraska at 1 p.m.

“We have to work on making adjustments. That’s what will give us the consistency we’re looking for,” Overturf said. “We talked about finishing the spring break portion of out schedule with a winning mark. We can get right back on a role with two more wins and hopefully starting putting things together completely.”

Indian Hills 11, North Platte (Neb.) 2

IHCC    106    13    —    11    12    1         

NEN     020    00    —    2    6    1

Indian Hills battery — Grace Cleair (W) (4IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 2K, BB) and Hannah Washburn (IP, H), Lindsey Evans catching.

2B — Jenna Wolfe 2.

Hits — Courtney Wood 3-4, Wolfe 2-3, Hilary Pennington 2-3, Paige Blom 1-2, Elizabeth Cason 1-3, Karlee Dale 1-3, Evans 1-3, Sam Norris 1-3.

RBI — Wolfe 3, Cason, Wood, Pennington.

Runs — Blom 2, Norris 2, Pennington 2, Cason, Evans, Wolfe.

Indian Hills 14, Central Nebraska 3

IHCC    021    303    5    —    14    23    2         

CCN     210    000    0    —     3     8    2

Indian Hills battery — Ali Martin (3IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 2K) and Washburn (W, 7-10) (4IP, 3H, 5K), Wood catching.

2B — Carrie Hudson.

Hits — Hudson 5-5, Pennington 4-6, Norris 3-6, Evans 2-3, Blom 2-5, Wood 2-5, Kaitlyn Matzen 2-5, Wolfe 2-5, Dale 1-5.

RBI — Hudson 3, Evans 3, Blom 2, Matzen 2, Dale Norris, Pennington.

Runs — Blom 3, Matzen 3, Norris 2, Wood 2, Wolfe 2, Evans, Pennington.

Southwestern 5, Indian Hills 0

Southwestern    000    140    0    —    5    7    1         

Indian Hills     000    000    0    —    0    4    1

IHCC battery — Washburn (3IP, H, 4K), Cleair (L, 1-3) (1 1/3IP, 4R, 3ER, 3H, 3K, BB) and Martin (1 2/3IP, 3H, R, ER, 4K), Wood catching.

Hits — Megan Bix 1-2, Evans 1-3, Norris 1-3, Wood 1-3.