COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - Iowa Western Softball swept ICCAC Conference rival Indian Hills on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Warriors 4-1 and 6-5 in windy conditions that saw gusts up to 45 mph throughout the day.
Game one saw Sophomore Pitcher Madeline McCall throw a complete game on 107 pitches, giving up just a single earned run while striking out 11. The Reivers (25-15 |5-1) struck first in the third inning when Ella Fitzpatrick hit a high fly ball to right field that Tatum Aragon mishandled in the wind and Fitzpatrick ended up at third base, scoring Emma Hague who had reached first base via a fielders choice.
Hague would plate the 2nd run in the 4th inning on an RBI groundout that scored Kendall Woods. Indian Hills (17-13 | 3-1) got on the board in the top of the 6th after a two-out double by Claire Tipton and an RBI single from Jenna Lemley. The Reivers answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning with Alex Stoner notching her 47th RBI of the season and Alix Bailey grounded out to second base to score Cydnee Schneider from third. McCall would shut the door in the 7th, striking out a pair of Warriors. The win was the first over Indian Hills since the 2022 season, snapping an 11-game skid versus IHCC.
It was an ugly start to game two for Iowa Western (26-15 | 6-1) as the team gave up three runs in the first inning on three hits, an error, and a wild pitch that scored a run. Maddison Depencier would come in to relieve the starter, Erin Kirkland after 24 pitches. The Reivers got a run back in the bottom of the first but gave it right back in the top of the 2nd to make it a 4-1 ball game. Indian Hills (17-14 | 3-2) added another run in the top of the 6th but the Reivers chipped away, scoring a run in each of the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings to bring it to a 5-4 game in the bottom of the 7th.
Fitzpatrick grounded out to open the final frame, but Mattea Martin hit a loud single to left-center. Allie Cromer followed with an infield single back to the pitcher with no one covering first base. That led to Schneider, the team leader in slugging percentage, to lay down a bunt back to Alivia Ruble who threw the ball over the head of Courtney Locke who was covering at first base and Martin and Cromer came all the way around for the walk-off victory.
With the sweep, the Reivers take control of the ICCAC and are three games up on the Warriors. This is the first time Iowa Western has swept their conference rival since the 2019 season and it is the first two wins over IHCC for 2nd-year Head Coach Heidi Jordan.
The Reivers are back in action next Saturday at home versus Southeastern; the teams split the first two meetings in Burlington a week ago.
