Bogado extinguishes Flames in win

For the IU softball team, the day started off well and ended even better. The team swept its doubleheader against the University of Illinois-Chicago with wins of 6-2 and 9-2.\nRiding an impressive streak of 11-3 in their past 14 games, the team will look to harness that momentum as they head into Big Ten conference play.\n"We feel excited," senior Mariangee Bogado said. "We are ready to play and get some more wins."\nBogado had a big day for the Hoosiers in the first game against UIC. The senior threw a complete game with six strikeouts to extinguish the Flames and hold them to just two runs. But, Bogado was not finished.\nAt bat, she was 1-for-4 on the day with a triple. She was helped out on offense by freshman shortstop Sarah Padove who was 3-for-4 -- all singles. Center fielder Kim Richards and designated hitter Anna Olson each added a double for the Hoosiers.\nAfter a short break following its first win, IU came out even hotter than the Flames in the second game, dominating them 9-2.\nThe younger players who got a chance to play took advantage, as third basemen Jennilee Huddleston went 3-for-4 and was a triple short of hitting for the cycle.\n"I wasn't even aware of it on the field," said Huddleston. "I was out there trying to hit the ball."\nNot to be outdone, two upperclassmen also had impressive second games for the Hoosiers. Richards belted a grand slam in the top of the fourth and senior Megan Roark helped complete the sweep by pitching another complete game with three strikeouts.\n"I always feel more confident when my team goes out and scores runs like today," Roark said. "They were on fire today, so it was easy to pitch."\nWith the tournament portion of its schedule behind them, the team is peaking at the right time and ready to head into Big Ten play.\n"We used the earlier games to get the kinks out of our system," Roark said. "Now we are just ready to play. It's exciting"