OXFORD, Ala. - 17th seeded Iowa Western Softball's 2024 season came to and end on Wednesday morning in a 4-1 defeat to the 12 seed San Jacinto Ravens.
San Jac (42-24) opened up with 3 runs in the first inning after what looked to be strike three to Izzy Farmer was called for a ball with two outs and on the very next pitch, the designated player barreled a double into the right center field gap, scoring a pair.
The Ravens recorded three of their five hits during the game in the opening frame and added another run in the bottom of the 2nd inning after back-to-back walks, a wild pitch from Maddison Depencier and a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.
Iowa Western (41-19) struggled at the plate with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 runners on base and striking out 8 times. The Reivers did manage to scratch across a run in the 5th inning after three singles in a row by Moira Baxter, Ella Fitzpatrick, and Mattea Martin. Allie Cromer struck out swinging for out number one but Cydnee Schneider hit a ground ball fielders choice to second base to push across a run. A popup in foul territory by Alex Stoner ended the threat.
IWCC managed just two bases runners in the final two innings to close out their national tournament.
Despite the early ending, it was a very successful season for the Reivers, winning the ICCAC Region 11 title, Midwest District Title, and making their first appearance in the NJCAA D1 Softball World Series since 2013.
The team also set numerous offensive records throughout the year, including, team triples (24) and stolen bases (133).
Sophomore Infielder Moira Baxter set the school record for stolen bases in a season with 48 and Catcher Cydnee Schneider set the IWCC record for single-season batting average (.509) and on-base percentage (.578). Baxter also moved in to 2nd place all-time for runs scored in a single season with 80.
Schneider moved up the career ladder as well, finishing 3rd for batting average (.455), 5th in home runs (26), 4th in walks (47), and 3rd in defensive put outs with 586. Alex Stoner finished her Iowa Western career with 27 home runs, good for a tie for 3rd all-time and 126 RBI, the 3rd best mark in school history. Baxter ended her two years at IW with 123 runs scored, 2nd in Reiver history.
A full list of Iowa Western Softball records can be found here.
Iowa Western runs their national touranament record to 7-8 and have finished 2-2 three of the four times they've reached the D1 Softball World Series. Head Coach Heidi Jordan's career national tournament record runs to 10-18 after making her 9th trip to nationals.
