Hoosiers struggle in Easton Invitational

The IU softball team ran into tough competition at the Easton Invitational in Fullerton, Calif., during the weekend, going 0-5 against a field containing three top-25 teams.

“We have some things to work on,” IU Coach Michelle Gardner said of the weekend play. “I think we made some good plays, we had some really good innings; we just have to be able to put it all together.”

The Hoosiers’ weekend started off with a 10-3 loss to Cal Poly on Friday. The team ended the day’s doubleheader with an 8-2 loss to Cal State Fullerton. Junior outfielder Jenna Abraham, freshman infielder Michelle Huber, junior infielder Shelby Gogreve, sophomore Shannon Cawley and senior infielder Amanda Wagner all drove in runs for the Hoosiers in their first day of the Invitational.

Saturday gameplay began with a rematch against No. 8 California, in which the Hoosiers were dealt a 9-1 loss. Wagner scored the lone run for the team against the Golden Bears.

The Hoosiers continued their Saturday doubleheader with a battle against No. 24 Oregon State, nearly pulling off an upset. The game went into extra innings, with both teams posting one run, before the Beavers sealed the deal with a walk-off single to secure the 2-1 win. Huber posted the lone run for the Hoosiers, as they continued to struggle with hitting in the Invitational.

The Hoosiers closed out the tournament with a rematch against No. 15 Stanford, but fell to the Cardinal 7-0.

“I think we did a lot of great things (this weekend),” Gogreve said. “Obviously we didn’t have the outcome we wanted, but we are growing in every tournament we play. Taking these losses, we realized that what we need to do is bring our moments of greatness together.”

The trip out West provided many team members the chance to play in their home state again, as five of the Hoosier softball players are from the Golden State.

Gogreve, who is from South Pasadena, Calif., said she is always excited to play in California in front of friends and family.

“It feels incredible,” Gogreve said. “It’s nice to come home and feel like you’re performing for the people you love a lot.”

Gogreve said the warm weather of Fullerton was also a plus for the team, where they were able to enjoy temperatures reaching all the way up to 82 degrees.

While the team dropped to 10-10 on the season, pitchers Lora Olson and Meaghan Murphy also drop to 5-4 and 5-6, respectively. The Hoosiers are now posting an earned run average of 3.28 for the season, as well as a batting average of .238 after scoring seven total runs over the weekend.

The Hoosiers return to action March 8 in Nashville, Tenn., for their first game of the Tiger Classic against Nebraska-Omaha.

“We’re going to focus on the same things we focused on last week,” Gardner said going into this week’s practices. “We just have to keep working to put everything together.”