Softball loses 3 road games

Heading into the final Big Ten series of the season, IU Coach Michelle Gardner wanted to see the Hoosiers do one thing against No. 19 Nebraska — win.

“I want a couple wins from Nebraska,” she said. “We need to put together a full game.”
IU (17-38-1, 5-18) was unable to do so, getting swept in three games on the road against the Huskers (40-14, 18-5).

During the first contest of the weekend, IU fell 3-1.

Through the first five innings, neither team was able to score.

In the first at-bat of the sixth frame, IU junior center fielder Brianna Meyer homered giving IU the first lead of the game.

The solo home run was Meyer’s second long ball of the season.
The 1-0 Hoosier lead would be short lived.

With one out and two runners on base, Nebraska freshman infielder Marjani Knighten sent a 1-0 offering to left-center, clearing the bases and legging out a triple in the process.

On the next at-bat, junior outfielder Kylee Muir hit a double to left center field, pushing across Knighten for the final run of the game.

The Hoosiers offense shutout for the ninth time this season in a 3-0 loss.

Not only did IU’s offense not push a run across the plate, but the team was limited to just one hit, which came off of the bat of senior third basemen Shelby Gogreve in the top of the seventh inning.

The first run of the game came in the fourth. Nebraska freshman outfielder Austen Urness sent a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall, giving the Huskers a 2-0 lead.

Nebraska registered what was at that point the third team home run of the weekend in the following inning.

On the first at-bat of the frame, senior catcher Tay Edwards sent the first pitch of the offering to left field for the final run of the game.

Gardner said she saw some encouraging things from the offense.

“I felt like Friday and Saturday we did some good things,” she  said. “We were in both those games. We scored first Friday but couldn’t finish on top. We need to continue to battle and find timely hits with runners in scoring position.”

Despite an early lead from IU in the third game Sunday, Nebraska came back to win 8-3, completing the three-game sweep.

With two outs in the bottom of the second, IU sophomore catcher Kelsey Dotson hit a single to drive in two runners for IU.

The Hoosier lead would last until the bottom of the third.

Senior pitcher Tatum Edwards sent a ball to left center, driving in the first Nebraska run of the game.

After recording two outs, IU junior pitcher Lora Olson faced a bases loaded jam as Muir stepped up.

On the second pitch of the at-bat, Muir sent a ball to left field, bringing in four runs to give the Huskers a 5-2 lead.

IU allowed two more runs in the next inning after a throwing error and another RBI single from Edwards.

In the bottom of the fifth, Muir got her fifth RBI of the game, driving in Knighten off of a double to left.

With IU set to begin conference tournament play Thursday against Purdue, Gardner wants to see the team stay competitive and push more runs across the plate.
“We need to play our own game,” Gardner said. “We need to be better with putting runs on the board.”