Indians Host Annual Classic

by Jay Harms

The Oskaloosa Indians hosted the Indian Classic on Saturday and some of the top teams in the State traveled to Oskaloosa to be a part of it. Out of the 16 teams playing on Saturday, 13 were ranked and 10 of the teams were ranked in the top ten in Class 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, and 5A. The Indians were matched up with #8 Class 4A ranked Creston and #9 Class 2A ranked Louisa-Muscatine.

Game 1:
Final Score: Creston 6-3 Oskaloosa
Creston 6 runs, 9 hits, 4 errors
Osklaoosa 3 runs, 6 hits, 2 errors

Losing Pitcher: Shannon Van Rheenen Her record: 3-7
She pitched 7 innings, gave up 9 hits, 6 runs – 4 earned, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts

The Indians led the game 3-2 going into the top of the 6th inning but Creston’s #4 hitter, Morgan Driskell blasted a homerun to tie things up 3-3. The Panthers would erupt for 3 runs on 4 hits in the top of the 7th to pull away for the 6-3 win. The Indians would never threaten after that as they managed only one baserunner over the next 2 innings.

Leading Hitters vs. Creston:
Maleah Walker 1-4
Aubrey Boender 1-4, 2 runs scored
Olivia Gordon 1-3, double
Presley Blommers 1-4
Alexis Price 1-3, solo homerun in 2nd inning, 1 rbi, 1 run scored
Shannon Van Rheenen 1-2
Lucy Roach 2 rbi’s

Game 2:
Final Score: Oskaloosa 9-5 Louisa-Muscatine
Louisa- Muscatine 5 runs, 6 hits, 2 errors
Oskaloosa 9 runs, 5 hits, 1 error

Winning Pitcher: Presley Blommers Her record: 1-1 (her 1st varsity win in her career as a pitcher) 6 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs – 5 earned, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts

The Indians jumped out to a 4-0 lead on the 9th ranked team in Class 2A after 3 innings only to see Louisa-Muscatine score 5 runs on 5 hits in the top of the 4th inning to take the lead. However in the bottom of the 4th inning, the Indians came up with timely hits with two outs to retake the lead. The inning started off with Alexis Price drawing a walk. Kobie Criss came in to run for her. Criss would steal second and with 2 outs, Maleah Walker was hit by a pitch. Aubrey Boender would single Criss home to tie things up. Then Olivia Gordon hit a no ball – 2 strike pitch off the left field foul pole for a 3 run homer to give the Indians an 8-5 lead heading into the 5th inning. Blommers would retire the Falcons in order in the next two innings. Meanwhile, the Indians would add an insurance run in the bottom of the 5th on Shannon Van Rheenen’s rbi single scoring Lydia Van Veldhuizen to make the final score 9-5. This big win snapped a 5 game losing streak for the Indians. With the win the Indians overall record moves to 8-12 on the season. They presently are in 5th place in the Little Hawkeye Conference with a 5-7 record. The Indians host #5 ranked Norwalk in a varsity doubleheader Monday. The Warriors presently sit in first place in the Little Hawkeye Conference with a 12-1 record. First pitch at Jay Harms Field will be at 5:30.

Leading Hitters vs. L-M:
Olivia Gordon 1-3, Home run, 3 rbi’s, 1 run scored
Lucy Roach 1-2, 1 rbi, 1 run scored
Aubrey Boender 1-3, 1 rbi, 1 run scored
Shannon Van Rheenen 1-3, 3 rbi’s
Maleah Walker 1-2, 2 runs scored
Presley Blommers 1 rbi, 1 run scored
Lydia Van Veldhuizen 2 runs scored
Kobie Criss 1 run scored