Through blowout losses and late-game collapses alike, IU softball missed an opportunity to create history this weekend.
IU had never defeated Long Beach State, California or Fresno State, all of whom the Hoosiers took on over the weekend. In addition, it had been more than 20 years since they had beaten Washington or South Carolina. IU blew sixth-inning leads in two games, and two others ended early because of the NCAA’s eight-run mercy rule.
IU went 0-5 during the weekend and fell to 6-13 overall at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California.
“It’s unfortunate to let games get away from us like that,” IU Coach Michelle Gardner said. “Those things are going to happen. We had a tough schedule this weekend.”
Friday’s opening 13-1 defeat to No. 8 Washington in five innings proved to be a sign of what was to come.
An eight-run second inning that featured three different Hoosier pitchers propelled the Huskies to the win. Washington recorded four home runs in the victory, while IU totaled only two hits.
On a positive note for IU, the loss to Washington marked the return of sophomore pitcher Emily Kirk. Kirk had been sidelined since Feb. 10 after suffering a broken nose in her first start of the season.
She pitched two thirds of an inning in relief work and allowed no hits.
“I thought Emily came out and did a good job,” Gardner said. “She’s still ironing out some kinks in her comeback, but I thought she did well.”
Friday’s night game was kinder to the IU bats. In a rematch of the season-opening loss against Fresno State, IU grabbed a 2-0 lead on a single by freshman utility player Gabbi Jenkins in the second. Jenkins had struggled at the plate entering the tournament, but she recorded five of her seven hits this season over the weekend.
After lasting only one inning in her start against Washington, IU sophomore pitcher Tara Trainer also started against Fresno State. Despite allowing a two-run double in the third to tie the game, Trainer retired eight straight while IU regained the lead.
However, she walked a batter and allowed a two-run home run in the sixth, which gave Fresno State the 4-3 win.
IU dropped another rematch, this time to South Carolina, in its only Saturday game. The Gamecocks defeated the Hoosiers by run rule for the second time in 2017, and won 8-0 in six innings. Kirk started the game and pitched four innings while allowing nine hits. The Hoosier offense gave her no support, though, and mustered only four hits.
In a 5-4 loss to Long Beach State on Sunday, IU struggled to produce timely hitting. The Hoosiers scored just one run in a bases-loaded, no outs situation in the third.
Trainer allowed 15 hits while pitching her fifth complete game of the season. All five Long Beach State runs, including a go-ahead RBI single by senior infielder Mattie Scheele in the seventh, came in the fifth inning or later.
“I didn’t think Tara was great, but she was good enough to get the win,” Gardner said. “We just didn’t get enough hitting-wise.”
Freshman pitcher Emily Goodin also went the distance in IU’s final game, a rain-shortened 6-3 loss to No. 23 California.
Junior utility player Aimilia McDonough recorded a season-high three hits against the Golden Bears, including a solo home run in the fourth. McDonough has been on a tear of late for IU and boosted herself to a .433 average for the season.
She is the outlier among IU hitters, though. The team has scored 41 fewer runs than its opponents this season, which will need to be addressed before IU’s Big Ten opener March 24.
“I’m not going to shake up the lineup or anything like that,” Gardner said. "It’s just waiting for someone to step up.”
