After issues at the plate and in the circle in earlier tournaments, IU had its best showing in both categories this past weekend.
IU posted a 4-1 record in Birmingham, Alabama, at a tournament put on by both Samford and UAB. The Hoosiers are now 6-8 for the season.
The Hoosiers went 2-0 on Friday and on Sunday, with the lone loss coming to Samford on Saturday afternoon.
“It speaks volumes to who they are and the potential that they have,” IU Coach Michelle Gardner said. “For me, it was forgetting about Saturday and coming out and playing hard on Sunday.”
Freshman pitcher Emily Goodin and sophomore pitcher Tara Trainer anchored the IU pitching rotation and combined to pitch 32 innings out of a possible 34. Goodin and Trainer were effective in their starts. Each pitched seven-inning complete games in IU’s two victories Friday.
“They both threw very well and gave us some really good innings,” Gardner said.
Trainer struck out nine batters and allowed four hits in the opening 4-1 win against Iowa State. However, Goodin stole the show later that night.
Making her second collegiate start, Goodin no-hit UAB in a 7-0 IU victory. Only two Blazers reached base, on a walk and a fielding error, in the game.
“To throw a no-hitter, it was very unexpected,” Goodin said. “I didn’t actually think about it. I didn’t realize it was going on, I just went out and did my thing.”
Friday also marked a productive day for the IU offense. Seven different Hoosiers recorded an RBI against the Cyclones and Blazers. This helped IU double its number of season wins in just one day.
“Everyone started to come around at the plate,” Gardner said. “There were a couple kids who really stuck out and we all competed as a team.”
Problems hitting with runners on base made a return Saturday afternoon, though.
The Hoosiers generated only four hits in a 4-2 defeat against the Bulldogs but stranded 11 runners on the base paths. IU failed to convert in the sixth with the bases loaded and scored just once to pull within two runs.
The loss to Samford was the only game of the weekend IU used three pitchers in, with freshman pitcher Jessica Conenna throwing two scoreless innings of relief work.
Both games Sunday saw Gardner use the same pitching strategy. Trainer started both games, pitched four innings and was replaced by Goodin, who pitched the final three innings and picked up both victories.
“Emily is very composed, and she does her job,” Gardner said. “It’s the kind of pitcher that she is. She doesn’t over try, and there’s a lot to be said for being young and kind of naïve.”
However, it took a late-game comeback to pick up the first win against Murray State. Trailing 4-2 in the seventh, IU’s bats rose to the occasion with a seven-hit, four-run inning.
Senior utility player Erin Lehman started the comeback with a solo home run. Then RBI singles from junior infielder Taylor Uden, junior utility player Aimilia McDonough and freshman utility player Katie Lacefield gave IU a 6-4 lead that would last.
For the second time in three days, IU shut out UAB to close the tournament. The 2-0 win meant the Blazers recorded only four hits and failed to score against the Hoosiers in 14 innings this weekend.
“Tara and I are more rise ball pitchers and we got them to bite on those pitches a lot,” Goodin said. “They were aggressive, but they chased our pitches. We made them try to hit our pitches.”
