PUSHING TOWARDS THE CUP

If the IU softball team can win two games against its rival Purdue this weekend, it stands a chance of being able to make everyone forget what has been a sour season to this point.\nThe series is a rare “home and home” with a game Saturday in West Lafayette and a game Sunday in Bloomington. \nBoth games start at 1 p.m. \nIU head coach Stacey Phillips is not worried about the rare travel plan for this weekend’s games. \n“I don’t think it will make a great difference,” Phillips said. “One game a day leaves for us being a little bit fresh. It’s only a two hour drive and most of our players live at least two \nhours away.”\nThe stakes for this series are high, as the winner will receive a point for the Crimson and Gold Cup. Currently the series is tied at 8.5, so a sweep by the Hoosiers would go a long way in making sure the cup goes to Bloomington, its home for all three years of its existence. \nThis weekend’s games present one of the last chances for IU to gain a point, as only next weekend’s Men’s and Women’s Big Ten Outdoor Track Championships will provide an opportunity for two more points total to the two schools. For the Hoosiers to win the cup, they must do one of two things. Either they must win both softball games and place higher than Purdue at one of the two track events, or if they lose or split the softball games, they must place higher in both track events to keep the cup in their possession. \nThe Hoosiers come into the game at 21-32 and 1-17 in the Big Ten and have already been eliminated from postseason consideration.\nTo add to the drama, Sunday is also Senior Day for the Hoosiers, and for IU’s four seniors, a win would be a special way to cap off a disappointing season. \n“It would be very nice to sweep Purdue as our last games as seniors,” senior first baseman Rachel Terry said. \nSenior centerfielder Kim Richards echoed Terry’s sentiments.\n“Obviously our softball career, we haven’t had the greatest season, so these two wins will jump-start the summer workout,” Richards said.\nAlso graduating are pitcher Christy Wahl and right fielder Heather Hohs.\nThe Boilermakers come into the series at 30-31-1 and 8-9 in the Big Ten. Despite the disparity in records, Phillips noted the Hoosiers are a similar team on paper. \n“We match up pretty well with hitting and pitching”, she said. “We’ll have to play solid defense, make sure we make our plays and score when we have somebody in scoring position and I think IU is coming out on top.”\nIU is coming off a 2006 sweep of the Boilermakers, where they won 7-0 and 5-2 to clinch a berth in the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 1996. \nWhile no such pressure is on the line this weekend, Phillips still knows that state pride is at stake whenever the two teams meet. \n“(In) any sporting event against Purdue, records are pretty much deleted and it’s such a great rivalry... the term ‘Glory of Old IU’ is something that plays a role, and we want to represent Indiana University in the best possible light,” she said.