Softball struggles in Florida tourney

The softball team traveled to Tampa hoping to move forward and forget the three one-run losses it suffered last weekend. Instead, the Hoosiers took a step backward, dropping their first four games at the Wilson South Florida Tournament.\nFriday, the Hoosiers (2-7) fell in another one-run contest to host South Florida 2-1 in eight innings. Once again, a solid pitching outing by junior Alison Cooke went to waste. Cooke pitched seven innings, allowing no earned runs. The Hoosiers only run came on a solo home run by junior catcher Brooke Monroe.\nIn the second game of the doubleheader, Hofstra routed the Hoosiers 9-1. Hoosier bats fell silent, as the team managed only two hits. Senior right-hander Jenny Smith struggled in her first outing of the season, allowing seven earned runs in six innings. \nSaturday, it was a pair of Panther squads that did in the Hoosiers, as the Florida International Golden Panthers downed IU 5-0, while the Georgia State Panthers defeated the Hoosiers 9-3.\nIn the first game, No. 25 FIU used a strong outing from starting pitcher Vanessa Preston to take the win. Preston pitched six scoreless innings for the Golden Panthers. On the mound for the Hoosiers, sophomore Lisa Mattke pitched six innings and allowed five unearned runs.\nAgainst Georgia State, the Hoosiers snapped out of their hitting slump as they tallied a tournament-best 10 hits. Freshman designated hitter Dawn Ramynke and Mattke led IU, as the four and five hitters went a combined 5-for-6 with two runs and and two RBIs against GSU. Prior to their meeting with Georgia State, IU had managed just nine hits for the tournament.\nThe results for the Hoosiers' final game of the tournament against Pittsburgh were unavailable at press time.