Season ends on high note

The IU softball team ended up on the losing end of a 6-0 rout for Purdue's senior day, but the Hoosiers returned the favor to the Boilermakers with a 3-0 win Sunday. IU finished the season with a 19-31 record, which is actually the Hoosiers' best win total since the 1997 season when IU went 27-21. \nSunday's contest had both teams unable to send a runner across home base until the hosting Hoosiers decided to come alive for a two-run fourth inning, immediately followed by yet another run in the bottom of the fifth. The game was truly a team effort as five players added a hit to the cause while freshman Lauren Hines paced the team with two runs batted in off one home run.\nPrior to Sunday's win, the Hoosiers were unable to score a run while Purdue seemed not to be able to stop scoring. Junior Valerie White notched half of IU's offensive production with two hits. IU had a runner in scoring position without an out in the first two innings but dropped the ball on both occasions, leading to no runs off of four hits in the contest. Purdue began its rout in the third inning with three runs and later added to their lead with three more runs in the next two innings.\nSunday's win against Purdue also marks the end of seniors Stormy Hanson, Katie Joy and Heather Suca's careers. Hanson has been a consistent asset to the Hoosier softball team through her prowess at the plate, both as a catcher on the defensive end and a hitter. Hanson led IU in 11 offensive categories this year by logging a .382 batting average, paired with 12 home runs and 31 RBIs.\n"Stormy catapulted beyond the physical part of the game to become a great leader for Indiana softball," coach Sara Hayes said. "She used her maturity and ability to connect and communicate to combine her physical excellence with her ability to articulate her thoughts and visions."\nJoy started in a total of 122 games and recorded the first two home runs of her career this season and started in 50 games. \n"Her name speaks for itself, she is truly a joy to be around," junior Heather Stillians said. "I have never met anyone in my entire life that works as hard as she does. She is a mentor for many people, not only through athletics but in life as a whole."\nFinally Suca had a playing style that belied her \n4-foot-9-inch stature. Suca finished off the season with eight doubles, 14 walks and seven stolen bases. After graduating, Suca intends to pass on her game knowledge by becoming a high school teacher and softball coach. Suca's coaching philosophy will rely on one essential part of every sport: effort.\n"As a coach I would want my players to always give it their all," Suca said. "If you don't win a game but you try your hardest, that's fine, but always give it your all."\nWhile a 19-31 record is not an impressive one for most teams, the Hoosiers showed a lot of improvement.\n"I'm so impressed with their character," Hayes said. "The seniors learned how to finish. They deserved to succeed and they did. Before the season we began, we said that we wanted to play our finest game on the final day of the season. It's more theoretical than realistic. But the thing is, we did, in every phase of the game"