Tourney chance lost with team's defeat

A winless weekend on the road ensured the softball team will not meet its goal of reaching the Big Ten tournament.\nThe last-place Hoosiers dropped two games to Northwestern (17-18, 6-7 Big Ten) on Friday, 4-2, 5-1.\nThe Hoosiers took a 2-1 lead into the top of the fifth inning, but the Wildcats responded with three of their own in the bottom half and held on for the win.\nThe victory gave NU coach Sharon Drysdale 700 wins for her career.\nIn the second game, the Hoosiers jumped out to a 1-0 lead before falling 5-1.\nThis time, it was a five-run third inning off IU freshman pitcher Heather Stillians that secured the win for Northwestern.\nNext, the Hoosiers traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, for two games against the Hawkeyes, where Iowa junior Kristi Hanks held IU to one hit. Iowa bats were not nearly as silent. The Hawkeyes hammered 11 runs, to take the win in five innings.\nFreshman first baseman Dawn Ramynke had the only hit off Hanks, who improved her record to 27-6.\nIowa did most of its damage in the second inning, where it scored seven runs.\nSunday, it was more of the same for IU, as Iowa's seven-run fourth inning led the Hawkeyes to another 11-0 five-inning victory. \nIowa pitching handcuffed the IU (13-32, 3-13 Big Ten) offense. The Hoosiers managed three hits. \nJunior Brooke Monroe went 2-for-2 in the defeat for IU. The Hoosiers mounted a rally in the bottom of the fifth on a single by junior Monique Bullock, who advanced to second on an error by the Iowa centerfielder. But the Hawkeyes (25-10, 11-3) defense held the Hoosiers in check to retire the next two Hoosier batters.\nThe Hoosiers return to action today at home for a non-conference doubleheader against Mid-American Conference foe Miami (Ohio). Game 1 is set to begin at 2 p.m. at the IU Softball Complex.