IU's confidence not shaken despite 9-game skid

IU looks to bounce back from its current nine-game losing streak when it faces Louisville on Wednesday and Evansville twice on Thursday in Bloomington.

The Hoosiers (6-18) hope to improve their record before they begin Big Ten conference play in the upcoming weeks.

“I think Louisville, and any team we play, is beatable,” IU softball coach Michelle Gardner said. “I think we have yet to put a complete game together.”

No. 23 Louisville (19-10) is on a three-game win streak entering its matchup with the Hoosiers.

Senior catcher Melissa Roth leads the Cardinals with a .464 batting average and seven home runs.

“I think we have a strong chance against Louisville because we are going to have positive energy on the field,” senior outfielder Jennifer Glueckert said.
Sophomore pitcher Tori Collins has five wins on the season and leads the team with a 3.41 ERA.  

Lately, errors have hindered IU. The Hoosiers had five against Central Michigan on Sunday, leading to six unearned runs and an 8-2 loss.

“I think the amount of errors is obviously a problem, but our new goal is to have zero-one errors a game,” junior catcher Cassie Gogreve said.

The Hoosiers will play a double header against the Evansville Purple Aces (6-12) at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Sophomore infielder Allison Aguilera leads the Aces with a .300 batting average and .417 OBP.

“I think we should believe that we are going to come out and win each game,” Glueckert said.

Freshman pitcher Kendall Kautz is first on the team with a 2.52 ERA and 4 complete games.

“They need to continue to believe in what they are doing and we need them to win,” Gardner said. “We need leadership in these next few games.”