Weekend sweep gives IU chance to capture regular-season crown

IU senior pitcher Morgan Melloh stifled yet another Big Ten opponent.

The IU softball team swept its two-game series during the weekend at Michigan State to record its 10th win in a row, its longest streak since 1994, and improve to 30-15 (10-2) on the season. The Hoosiers 30 victories are their most since the 2006 season.

The victory gave the Hoosiers their fourth straight series win since splitting two with No. 1 Michigan three weeks ago. The Hoosiers are now tied for first place in the Big Ten standings.

Melloh was once again dominant in the circle, striking out 22 Spartans while only allowing three earned runs in two more complete games during the weekend. The senior pitcher had two more outings of double-digit strikeouts, giving her 78 career games with 10 or more strikeouts.

IU coach Michelle Gardner said Melloh’s consistency is an important factor in the Hoosiers’ success.

“Morgan gives us a chance to win every game and we have to find a way to score runs early and take a little pressure off,” Gardner said.

With her two victories against Penn State, Melloh improved her record to 25-14 with an ERA of 1.82. The senior southpaw has struck out 397 batters in 253.3
innings while allowing only 158 hits and throwing 30 complete games.

Freshman Ashley Warrum, who stands third on the team with a .317 batting average, said while they have been able to count on Melloh to limit opponents, the offense still needs to continue to produce.

“She does a lot for us and we don’t want to put too much pressure on her. Everybody has to do their job. Our hitters have to hit and our defense has to play good defense,” Warrum said.

The Hoosiers came from behind to win yet again Saturday afternoon, scoring five runs in the sixth en route to a 7-2 victory.

Gardner said her team needs to focus on the opposing pitcher to avoid the need for a late comeback.

“It’s just making adjustments to hitters early,” Gardner said.

The Hoosiers have won nine straight Big Ten contests and sit atop the Big Ten standings tied with No. 1 Michigan.

“We really need to keep doing what we’re doing and keep our energy up. We just have such a great energy around the team,” Warrum said. “If everybody keeps doing their jobs like they have been doing, I think things look good for us.”