When IU takes the field against Purdue today, it will be less than 48 hours since the Hoosiers were mercy-ruled at the hands of Michigan to complete a potentially demoralizing sweep.
IU (20-13, 3-3) had been riding an impressive hot streak going into the series, having won nine of their ten games before they faced off against Michigan, so the Hoosiers could have been justifiably upset with themselves.
Despite the abrupt halt to their healing process, senior outfielder Shannon Cawley said the Hoosiers’ healing process began immediately when IU walked off the field Sunday.
“Softball is a game of failure,” Cawley said. “You’re not going to win every game. The best we can do is learn from it and turn around and get ready to beat Purdue.”
The Hoosiers will travel to West Lafayette to play a doubleheader against Purdue today. The first game starts at 3 p.m., with the second to follow shortly after.
The Boilermakers (20-15, 2-4) are led by senior left-handed pitcher Lilly Fecho, who has posted a 1.80 ERA this season while pitching in more than half of the team’s innings.
IU’s pitchers, who saw their team ERA rise from 2.47 before the Michigan series to 3.08, will be tasked with shutting down Purdue’s offense.
Freshman standouts Josie Wood and Tara Trainer have sub-3.00 ERAs this season, but both struggled against the Wolverines and allowed a combined 21 earned runs to the dominant Michigan lineup.
The Boilermakers boast three players with batting averages above .300, and leadoff batter Kristen Hoppman leads all Big Ten players with 26 stolen bases. Purdue also leads the Big Ten in steals as a team, with 61 bags swiped in only 69 attempts.
“I always love playing Purdue, it’s always a fun series,” Cawley said. “They’re a good team, so we’re pretty psyched up to play them.”
Sophomore leadoff batter and center fielder Rebecca Blitz will match the Boilermakers’ speed for IU, as she is tied for second in the conference with 20 steals. Blitz also leads the team with a .396 batting average.
The Hoosiers will use the two games against Purdue as an opportunity to jump up to the top half of the standings.
IU is currently in eighth out of 14 Big Ten teams, but 15 more conference games after the Purdue matchups will give them plenty of time to solidify their final position.
The bottom two teams in the standings at the end of the year will miss the Big Ten tournament, and the top four seeds receive byes past the first round of games.
IU Coach Michelle Gardner said she was disappointed after the Michigan series, but thought that her team competed well. She emphasized the need to put the losses out of the team’s mind quickly.
“Any time you have a rivalry, it’s good,” Gardner said. “We’re going to Purdue to win both games and come home. We have to turn on some happy faces and get stuff done.”
