IU will be host to in-state foe Ball State at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Hoosiers’ final nonconference game of the regular season.
Ball State (18-26, 4-11) has lost eight of its last nine games, while IU (23-19, 6-8) has lost six of eight.
The Cardinals were swept on the road by Eastern Michigan this past weekend. IU also played in Michigan over the weekend, losing two of three games to Michigan State.
IU hopes to get a boost from senior catcher Kelsey Dotson, who returned in the Michigan State series after missing about a month due to injury. Dotson delivered in a big way in Sunday’s series finale with a two-run double in the fifth inning to give the Hoosiers a 2-1 win.
“Obviously it was very tough that she went out, so having her back is very beneficial to us,” IU Coach Michelle Gardner said. “Because even though we struggled a little this weekend, she helped us find a way to get a win.”
Dotson leads the Hoosiers in both slugging and on-base percentage, and is tied for fourth on the team with 16 RBIs despite missing 18 games. Gardner said her return gives the team much better flexibility, both in defensive positioning and in the batting order.
IU’s lineup struggled a bit over the weekend, only scoring nine runs in three games, but they still got solid contributions from the top of the order.
Sophomore outfielder Rebecca Blitz went 5-for-11 in the series to raise her average to .370. Junior infielder Erin Lehman hit 6-for-11 to spike her batting average to .352, the highest it’s been since the first game of the season.
The Hoosier pitching staff delivered a strong performance against Michigan State, allowing just seven earned runs in the series. Sophomore pitcher Emily Kirk capped off the weekend with a complete game victory in which she allowed no earned runs.
Freshman pitchers Josie Wood and Tara Trainer each started a game in the series as well, with Kirk coming in to relieve both days.
“Emily threw a great game, and Trainer and Josie did well this weekend too,” Dotson said. “We just haven’t been getting enough hits to back them up.”
At different times this season, IU’s offense and pitching have looked dominant, but never at the same time for an extended period. Gardner said the need to put together complete, all-around games is crucial at the end of the season.
In the circle, Ball State is led by senior pitcher Nicole Steinbach. She has a 14-14 record with a 3.56 ERA and has started 26 of the team’s 44 games.
Offensively, freshman catcher Madison Lee paces the Cardinals with a .349 batting average. As a team, Ball State has some pop, with 35 home runs this season. IU, by comparison, has just 16.
The matchup against Ball State is the last midweek game on the schedule for IU and with just three Big Ten series remaining, every game is important for the Hoosiers.
“We did some really good things on Sunday. I thought we played relatively clean,” Gardner said. “Hopefully we can continue that into the week and win some games.”
