Ranked teams continue to trouble Hoosiers

The Hoosiers’ struggles in Big Ten play continued during the weekend.

After splitting a midweek doubleheader with Ball State, the IU softball team (13-33-1, 4-13) was swept in Evanston, Ill., by No. 25 Northwestern (27-11, 9-6). The loss gives IU an 0-11 record this season against ranked opponents.

Despite the weekend results, IU Coach Michelle Gardner said she was encouraged by the team’s performance in the last two games.

“That is the number 25 team in the country, and we competed with them all weekend,” she said. “We really battled. I’m very happy with how we competed this weekend.”

In the first game of the series, Northwestern’s bats were too much for IU as they fell in six innings 8-0.

Northwestern drove its first run across the plate in the bottom of the second
inning.

Facing a 2-2 count with one out, Northwestern junior infielder Anna Edwards hit a solo home run over the left field wall.

After a scoreless third inning, Northwestern found the scoreboard again in the fourth, this time pushing two across to extend the lead to three runs.

Following a double in the bottom half of the fifth from Northwestern senior infielder Mari Majam that drove in one run, senior infielder Marisa Bast took the fifth pitch of her at bat.

The hit went over the left field wall for a two-run home run, giving the Wildcats a six-run lead.

A pair of Northwestern RBI singles extended the lead to eight, which ended the game due to the NCAA run rule.

IU didn’t register a hit until the top of the fourth in the second game, when freshman outfielder Natalie Lalich reached after a bunt to second base. It was the first of just two hits off of sophomore pitcher Kristen Wood.

The Hoosiers were unable to take advantage of opportunities with runners on base in game two, stranding eight in the 4-2 loss.

“We have to execute,” Gardner said. “We need to control what we can control. We have got to find a way to get timely hits when we have runners on base.”

In the bottom of the first frame, Bast hit her second home run of the weekend, this time a solo shot to center field after facing a full count.

With two outs in the top of the third, Northwestern scored three runs off of three consecutive doubles, giving them an early four-run advantage.

In the top of the sixth, IU scored the first runs of the weekend.

With the bases loaded, senior third baseman Shelby Gogreve was walked, bringing in sophomore utility player Alyssa Rosati.

IU scored again on the next at-bat after a wild pitch. Sophomore second baseman Kassi Farmer scored from third.

In the third game of the weekend Sunday, the Hoosiers lost 3-2 off of a walk-off single.
The Wildcats’ offense struck first, sending two runners across the plate to give them a two-run lead in the bottom of the second inning.

In the top of the fifth inning, IU knotted the game at two highlighted by a RBI-triple off of the bat of senior third baseman Shelby Gogreve.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning, senior catcher Paige Tonz hit a 2-0 offering centerfield, driving the game’s winning run.

“It was unfortunate that we lost, but we battled,” Gardner said. “It was the best the team played all weekend.”