IU gets back to .500 in Florida

The IU softball team finished the USF Tournament with a record of 3-2 giving it a 5-5 record on the season.  

The Hoosiers defeated the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Ole Miss and South Florida, but lost to DePaul and Fordham. For the second consecutive weekend the Hoosiers outscored their opponents, this time by a count of 23-15.

Freshman Meaghan Murphy said she saw the Hoosiers’ success at the plate as a team effort.

“We’re just building off of each other’s success, getting hits when runners are on and seeing the ball and hitting it down,” Murphy said.

As the Hoosiers have continued to score runs, sophomore Breanna Saucedo has been the catalyst in the leadoff spot. Saucedo leads the team in hits, on-base percentage and stolen bases.

Saucedo said her focus thus far has been to stay patient.

“I think staying relaxed kind of helps me,” Saucedo said. “I feel like we’re kind of under a lot of pressure, but I think keeping your composure up at the plate definitely helps.”

For the second straight weekend, the Hoosiers went into the final game with a chance to finish with a winning record.

This time, they were successful.

“We have definitely improved, and I think everybody notices it, so I think we are all really excited, and we’re going to keep working hard to keep going forward,” Saucedo said.