After taking down No. 10 Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge last weekend, IU softball looks to keep rolling during its upcoming weekend in Clearwater, Florida.
IU is one of six teams competing in this weekend’s Clearwater Parks and Recreation Showcase Tournament, hosted by the University of South Florida. Rounding out the group of six are Saint Joseph’s University, Seton Hall University, University of South Carolina Upstate and Furman University.
A pair of back-to-back night games against Seton Hall and St. Joseph’s on Friday night get IU’s weekend started.
Though neither team brings great overall records — Seton Hall is 7-6 and St. Joseph’s is 6-2 — the two offense’s are strong groups. The Pirates’ lineup has accounted for eight home runs and 50 runs batted in thus far, while the Hawk’s have raked to the tune of a .445 slugging percentage.
Saturday’s doubleheader kicks off early at 10:30 a.m. with a game against USC-Upstate, which IU defeated 2-0 last weekend. The Spartans' pitching staff, with a0.86 team earned run average, does a very good job of limiting base runners and is a major reason they’ve started the season at 13-3.
IU returns later in the afternoon for a matchup with South Florida, which is 12-9 this season. Led by junior Bethaney Keen and sophomore AnaMarie Bruni, South Florida presents multiple players in the batting order that must be neutralized in order for IU to come out victorious.
On Sunday, IU wraps up its weekend road trip against a struggling Furman team. Sophomore infielder Marissa Guimbarda has been one of the lone bright spots on the Paladins this year as her seven home runs and .378 batting average eclipse every player on IU’s offense.
Outside of Tara Trainer and Emily Goodin, pitching has been an issue for IU this season. Another sweep is a real possibility this weekend, but it remains to be seen how long of a leash IU starting pitchers will get.
“Right now, our decisions are based on not taking bad losses, getting quality wins, and improving our RPI,” IU head coach Shonda Stanton said. “But all that will change once conference play starts.”
