Badgered and bruised: Hoosiers drop another Big Ten doubleheader

The Hoosiers have hit a skid since the Big Ten season started. They have gone 1-7 in conference play and 2-10 since beginning their Big Ten season against Iowa. \nIU lost two more Big Ten contests yesterday when it was swept in a doubleheader against Wisconsin. The Hoosiers lost 5-3 in their first game, and 7-1 in the second. \nMorale may have been lost when the Hoosiers began their first game poorly, letting Wisconsin get out to a 5-0 lead and going scoreless until the fifth inning of the game. Senior infielder Rachel Terry hit a three-run homer to bring the score to 5-3, but the Hoosiers would not see any more offense as the rest of the game was a stalemate. \nSenior pitcher Christy Wahl said the Hoosiers have to begin their games better. \n“I think both first innings gave the game away because we weren’t able to come back,” she said. \nSophomore pitcher Monica Wright fell to 12-14 with a loss in the first game, but she wasn’t the only one to lose her touch. In seven innings, Wahl allowed four earned hits out of eight, seven runs and six walks. Despite striking out a career-high nine batters, she dropped to 2-2 on the season. \nThe Hoosiers’ offense suffered in their second game. The first score of the game for IU came when senior outfielder Kim Richards hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. IU didn’t see much from its bats, but Richards stole the shutout from the Badgers. \nJunior infielder Jennilee Huddleston said a lack of offense resulted in other problems. \n“The lack of offense affected our defense,” Huddleston said. “It’s hard to get one thing going when you have others that aren’t.” \nThe Hoosiers have seen four consecutive losses in two doubleheaders where IU’s offense struggled late in the game. IU scored only one run in multiple games while Minnesota and Wisconsin scored several runs against the Hoosiers. \nThe recent string of losses for the Hoosiers haven’t changed their outlook on the season. Sophomore infielder Sarah Padove said the team will pull it together. \n“We have to play our game and get all three components together,” Padove said. “But the losses don’t affect us because we try to take each game as they come.”