IU ‘O’ looks to beat Louisville ‘D’

After taking the series against Big Ten rival Northwestern last weekend, the Hoosiers face the Louisville Cardinals at 2 p.m. today at the IU Softball Field.

This matchup marks the second team in a row the Hoosiers have faced that has several nationally recognized players.

Taner Fowler led Cardinal hitting. The designated player and catcher recorded four home runs on eight hits in five games. She recorded eight RBI while touching home plate six times, as well.

Fowler was named Big East Softball Player of the Week for her efforts this
past week.

Tori Collins has led the Cardinals’ defensive effort this season. The pitcher was recently named Louisville Slugger Division I National Player of the Week between April 9 and 15 for going 3-0 throughout the week. The defining factor of the sweep, however, was the complete shutout of all three games, only allowing four hits and five walks in all 21 innings. By the end of the week, Collins had earned a perfect 0.00 ERA and forced her opponents to an .087 batting average.

She had also completed her first collegiate no-hitter April 14 in an 8-0 shutout against Longwood.

This season, Louisville has made a name for itself in the national rankings. Starting the season tied for 24th in the NFCA rankings, the Cardinals have continued to climb week after week. Currently, the Cardinals are ranked No. 9 after climbing two spots against a sweep of University of South Florida and Seton Hall last week.

The nearly undefeated team gave up its only two losses to Big East rival DePaul during an away stand in Chicago.

Throughout the series, DePaul proved to the rest of the league that the Cardinals can be scored on — winning 7-1, losing 4-3 and winning 3-0, respectively.

However, in the games played last week, the Cardinals outscored their opponents 31-5.

The Hoosiers will look to continue their momentum gained against Northwestern last weekend. The 23rd win of this season marks the first time since 1996 and 1997 that the Hoosiers have won at least 23 games in back-to-back seasons.

Junior Amanda Wagner, sophomore Jenna Abraham, senior Samantha Berenter and freshman Bri Meyer are on fire right now for the Hoosiers.

Wagner hit .800 with six runs scored last weekend. Abraham leads the team with 31 runs scored with six home runs and 18 RBI. Berenter notched two home runs this past weekend and continues to add to her season highs of 27 RBI and 24 runs. Finally, Meyer earned Big Ten Player of the Week last week after hitting .556 in three games, earning at least one RBI in each game.

Today’s battle between consistent hitting from the Hoosiers and consistent pitching from the Cardinals looks to make a close game between the two border-state rivals.