Despite losing to No. 3 Auburn in a game that IU once led by seven runs, the Hoosiers once again took care of business to earn a 3-1 record this weekend at the Wilson/DeMarini Classic.
IU was on a bit of a roll as they wrapped up their nonconference road tournament schedule in Auburn, Alabama, by playing four games in three days. The Hoosiers (11-7) took down Georgia State on Friday afternoon and earned a pair of wins against Murray State on Saturday and Sunday, but they couldn’t hold on against the Tigers.
When IU led 7-0 in the fourth inning Friday night against the third-ranked team in the country, an undefeated weekend looked possible. Four innings later, however, the Hoosiers walked off the field having allowed eight unanswered runs en route to an 8-7 defeat in eight innings.
“It’s a tough loss, and obviously it’s not an easy one to get over,” junior first-baseman CaraMia Tsirigos said. “But the game goes on, and life goes on and I think we bounced back pretty well.”
Tsirigos looked to be the hero of the evening early on against Auburn after a first-inning grand slam. She continued her hot night with an RBI double in the third to put IU up 5-0.
She finished the weekend as the team’s leader in RBIs with six. In addition, Tsirigos leads the Hoosiers’ offense with two home runs and 11 RBIs for the season.
Aside from the eight runs allowed to Auburn during the last five innings of Friday’s game, the pitching of freshmen Josie Wood and Tara Trainer carried the Hoosiers through the weekend.
Trainer earned the start against Auburn and began strong before ultimately surrendering four earned runs in 5.2 innings. She also tossed six scoreless frames and struck out 10 batters against Murray State on Saturday before redshirt freshman Emily Kirk came in to finish the game.
Wood allowed three earned runs in 15.2 innings, including two complete game shutouts against Georgia State and Murray State. Wood’s strong pitching was needed in both games, as IU beat Georgia State 3-0 and wrapped up Sunday’s finale against the Racers with a walk-off 1-0 victory.
IU Coach Michelle Gardner said she was impressed with Wood’s composure against Murray State, as the freshman repeatedly worked her way out of tight spots throughout the scoreless tie of the first six innings.
“Sunday’s always tough because everyone’s tired,” Gardner said. “Josie battled through some things and got herself out of a lot of tough jams, so I’m proud of her.”
Gardner maintained the offense will find its groove as the schedule calms down, and she said she knows the team can do great things when they’re at their best.
“I feel like we’ve done some really good things so far this year, and we’re still growing,” Gardner said. “We’re really looking forward to being home for a while.”
