Perfect performance in weekend tourney

The IU softball team defeated all three of its opponents in the Indiana Invitational this weekend to give it four straight wins and move its record for the year to 9-10-1.\nIn Saturday action, the Hoosiers took on Valparaiso and Loyola-Chicago. Home runs off the bat of senior Brooke Monroe and junior Stormy Hanson led the Hoosiers over Valpo by a score of 5-4. Monroe hit a three-run homer in the third inning to put IU ahead 3-1 and Hanson extended the lead to 5-1 in the fourth.\nValpo (6-7) threatened with three runs in the top of the seventh, but sophomore pitcher Heather Stillians closed the door to move her record to 5-5 on the year.\n"Stringing a couple of wins together will help us a lot," Monroe said of the Hoosiers' weekend success.\nIn their second game of the day, the Hoosiers faced Loyola ace pitcher senior Sarah Smith. Smith entered the game with a 1.93 earned run average and allowed just four Hoosier hits in six and one-third innings pitched.\nLoyola led 2-0 heading into IU's half of the sixth inning. But in the sixth Smith became wild, walking IU junior Heather Suca and Monroe to start the inning. After a failed sacrifice attempt by freshman Ashley Griffiths, sophomore Abby Stark advanced Suca and Monroe to second and third. Stillians then hit a slow bouncer up the middle. \nSmith deflected the ball to the left of her second baseman, freshman Keilah Williams. Williams, her momentum going to the right, attempted to reach the ball, but it deflected off her glove and went into right center field allowing Suca and Monroe to score.\nAfter a scoreless seventh inning for Loyola (7-12), Hanson came to the plate with one out. With a 1-0 count, Hanson hit a game-winning solo home run to center field to give the Hoosiers a 3-2 win.\nHanson thought the Loyola win was big for IU's confidence.\n"It was huge," Hanson said. "After the first game, even though we won, it was kind of disappointing for them to come back and score those runs. But in the second game, for us to win it and come back in the sixth and the seventh it was tremendous for our team confidence."\nFreshman pitcher Katie Witham kept the game tied in the seventh by getting the third out with a runner on third base. Senior Alison Cooke also returned to the Hoosiers rotation, throwing two innings against Loyola. It was the first action for Cooke since she injured her knee on March 8 against Tennessee Tech.\nDespite the team's comeback victory, coach Diane Stephenson was upset in her team's "non-aggressiveness" on defense against Loyola.\n"I was really disappointed in the way we started the game," Stephenson said. "We came out and in the inning that they scored, we had three balls that we handled non-aggressively. I have been trying to get our team to be more aggressive and to go after the game instead of letting the game come to them. But anytime you can win a one-run ballgame, it is going to help you."\nTo conclude the Invitational, IU hosted Butler yesterday afternoon. The IU offense returned to form as they posted a 7-1 victory over the Bulldogs.\nMonroe had two hits and two runs batted in, while Suca had a hit and three runs scored. Hanson had a double to lead off the game and extend her hitting streak to nine games. She is hitting .446 on the year.\nWitham (4-2) and Cooke combined to hold Butler to one run on six hits as the IU defense didn't commit an error for the first time this season. The Hoosiers committed just two errors on the weekend.\nStephenson was more pleased with the defense after the Butler game and believes it will give the players more confidence defensively.\n"I think that our kids are very good defensively, but I think that they have to keep believing in themselves," she said.\nLoyola was 2-1 in the Invitational, while Valpo was 1-2 and Butler went 0-3.\nIU returns to action Tuesday when they head to Indiana State to make-up a game scheduled for last Wednesday. Game time is set for 5 p.m.