Slumping Hoosiers looking for victory

Time is ticking…fast.\nAs the IU softball team gets set for a road trip to visit Ohio State and Penn State, they find themselves in desperate need of a win if they are to qualify for the Big Ten tournament. The top eight teams in the conference advance to postseason play and with six games remaining in the regular season, the Hoosiers are currently in last place with a conference record of 1-13 and a 21-28 overall record. \n“Absolutely, there’s a sense of urgency at this point in the season that we’ve backed ourselves in the corner a little bit and we have to put our nose to the grindstone to make something happen and to make it to postseason play,” said IU softball coach Stacey Phillips.\nThe Buckeyes (27-15) are currently tied with Michigan for the best record in the Big Ten (8-2). The Buckeyes will be playing their first Big Ten home games since they swept Minnesota and Wisconsin. \nOhio State enters the contest with IU possessing the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, Jamee Juarez. In three games last week against Illinois, Iowa and IUPUI, Juarez went 4-0 with a 0.97 ERA and 46 strikeouts. She even threw a perfect game against IUPUI on April 18. The Hoosiers lead the all-time series with the Buckeyes, 52-23-1, but in recent years, the Buckeyes have had the Hoosiers’ number, going 11-3 since 2000. \nThe Hoosiers face a Penn State team that currently stands in the eighth spot in the conference with a 3-5 with most of its games being cancelled due to poor weather conditions. IU owns a 28-12 all-time record against the Nittany Lions. The Hoosiers understand that a stellar performance against Penn State could allow the teams to switch places in the standings and put them in a good position to make postseason play.\n“They’re always going to be tough games for us,” said sophomore Sarah Padove, commenting on playing Ohio State and Penn State. “They (Penn State) are 8th and I think we have every confidence in the world. Taking that mentality as well as knowing we can knock them out is going to be a big motivating factor for us.”\nPrior to the Hoosiers split Wednesday with Kentucky, they had struggled to produce the big hit with runners in scoring position. However, junior Tory Yamaguchi, known for hitting home runs, helped the Hoosiers defeat the Wildcats by hitting a two-run single in the top of the 7th with two outs. Along with Yamaguchi, the Hoosiers put forth a collective effort offensively as four other Hoosiers combined for a nine-hit, five-run victory. Even in the loss to Kentucky in the second game of the doubleheader, six Hoosiers pounded out eight hits on four runs, including a 3-4 outing from Padove. Padove said the Kentucky doubleheader was a good sign for the Hoosiers.\n“That’s going to be a big confident boost for us because a bunch of people stepped up and our offense started to come alive (Wednesday),” she said.\nEven though the Hoosiers are backed into a corner with just a few games left, they still control their destiny, an opportunity Phillips gladly will take.\n“We’re still in control; I’d rather have it in our hands than someone else’s at this point,” said Phillips.