IU hopes to steal first Big Ten win against Minnesota

Every team battling through adversity needs unsung heroes to boost the team’s performance. \nBasketball has its sixth man, hockey has its second line and baseball has situational bench players. Indiana softball has senior Kari Bettenbrock and junior Stephanie Pellerito.\nAfter dropping their four opening games in Big Ten play, the Hoosiers (7-23, 0-4) rallied against Kentucky to take their next two games by close margins. As her team heads north to face Minnesota and Wisconsin in conference games, IU coach Stacey Phillips said now is the time when her team needs to come alive.\n“We’re going to try to roll through with the Kentucky wins earlier this week,” Phillips said. “We now have to focus on our defense and sharpen up on our weaknesses.”\nBettenbrock, who pinch-hit in the second game in Lexington, put the Hoosiers ahead by one run early in the out-of-conference matchup. Later in that game, Phillips called upon Pellerito, the other half of the dynamic duo, to regain the IU’s lost momentum at the plate. Pellerito did just that by blasting a 2-run home run, giving the Hoosiers a 15-13 advantage, a lead they would not relinquish.\nBettenbrock, a utility player on IU’s team, said offense was the main focus during Thursday’s practice, a key ingredient that has been missing this season.\n“Our focus in practice was hitting and realizing that we need to win at least two of the next four games,” Bettenbrock said. “The team is positive after our wins in Kentucky and we are expecting an upswing during Big Ten play.”\nDespite only seeing action in 21 games this season, Pellerito is expecting some key victories down the stretch. \n“I think beating Kentucky set the team off on a high note for this weekend,” Pellerito, the Tustin, Calif., native said. “If we win the next four games, we’ll have a pretty good chance of making it to the Big Ten Tournament.”\nBoth Bettenbrock and Pellerito’s clutch play will be vital if the Hoosiers want to make the all-important Big Ten Tournament, Phillips said.\nHaving started the conference schedule 0-4 with losses to Michigan and Penn State, Phillips notes that her team has to make their strengths stronger now more than ever.\n“Michigan and Penn State showed a lot of toughness here, and we need to show that same toughness on the road,” Phillips said. “The Big Ten is obviously such a strong conference, but it’s really in our control.”\nThe Hoosiers are scheduled to battle Minnesota on Friday and Saturday. The softball team will make an appearance on the Big Ten Network on Sunday, playing in a doubleheader versus Wisconsin beginning at 11 a.m.\n“It’s a matter of making the next month and a half the best part of the season,” Phillips said. “The true colors are going to shine through here, so we are going to see what happens.”