Softball to play five games during the weekend

IU Coach Michelle Gardner said the Hoosiers’ win against UT Arlington last weekend came down to one thing: scoring runs.

“We scored a lot of runs,” Gardner said. “We really did some nice things all the way around. We put all of the aspects of the game together.”

The Hoosiers will look to continue the turnaround, traveling to Boise, Idaho, for the Spring Hill Suites Invitational.

IU is set to take on Weber State and Boise State Friday and Saturday and Valparaiso on Sunday.

Gardner said the biggest key to the weekend’s invitational will be to play a well-balanced game.

“We need to play all sides of the game,” she said. “Our pitching and defense are steadily getting better. Offensively, we are doing some good things. All we can ask for right now is to compete.”

IU junior pitcher Lora Olson, who struck out a season-high five batters in the victory of UT Arlington, said sticking to the game plan will be very important this weekend.

“We really have to stick to our game no matter who we are playing,” Olson said. “We need to focus on ourselves and play IU softball. We need to build off of the positive things that we did last weekend.”

Weber State has a 9-5 record this season, including victories in five of the last six games.

The Hoosiers will have the task of facing off against Weber State’s best pitcher, junior MaCauley Flint.

Flint has a record of 6-1 with an ERA of 1.34. Also, Flint has struck out 59 batters and allowed just 10 runs.

A pair of power hitters, sophomore utility player Alyson Kulp and senior pitcher Jasmine Ioane, lead Weber State’s offensive attack.

Each has four home runs, while Kulp’s slugging percentage — .795 — is slightly higher than Ioane’s .667..

The Boise State Broncos have a 7-10 record to start the season, including splitting a set of games last weekend in the Saint Mary’s Tournament against Saint Mary’s and Sacramento State.

Two seniors, infielder Mackenzie Whyte and outfielder Tara Glover, lead the Broncos’ offensive attack.

As a team, Boise State has a batting average of .263 and scored 67 runs, which is good enough for an average of close to four runs per game.

The pitching staff, led by senior Rebecca Patton and freshman Mackenzie McGill, has an earned run average of 4.50.

Patton has struck out 39 batters, which leads the team.

IU will conclude the weekend against the Valparaiso Crusaders.

Last weekend, IU had a scheduled meeting with Valpo but the game was delayed in the top of the fifth inning due to rain. The teams are expected to conclude the game Sunday. IU had a 5-0 lead before the delay.

The Crusaders are 3-10, but as the team exhibited in a 24-run outing against Seton Hall at the beginning of the season, the offense can put runs on the board.