After a series loss to Wisconsin on the road from April 1-3, Indiana softball swept Rutgers this weekend at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington to secure its first Big Ten series victory.
Indiana won the first game of the series 6-4 on Friday. The Hoosiers got their first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. During the first scoring play, Indiana sophomore right fielder Aaliyah Andrews stole home plate on a passed ball that got through Rutgers junior catcher Katie Wingert. Freshman left fielder Taylor Minnick then hit a home run in the bottom of the third inning to extend the Hoosiers’ lead to 2-0.
Rutgers rallied in the top of the fourth inning and scored three runs. In the top of the fifth inning, Rutgers extended its lead to 4-2.
Indiana senior designated hitter Brittany Ford hit a one-run batted in single during the bottom of the fifth inning, which sent sophomore second baseman Cora Bassett across home plate. In the same inning, graduate student third baseman Grayson Radcliffe hit a two-run RBI to help junior outfielder Tatum Hayes and Minnick score and help Indiana retake the lead at 5-4.
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Freshman first baseman Brianna Copeland hit an RBI single to right field during the bottom of the sixth inning to secure the win for the Hoosiers.
Indiana won the second game 5-4 to secure the series victory on Saturday with one game in hand. Ford hit an RBI double to put the Hoosiers on the board first with a 1-0 lead.
Rutgers then rallied once again during the top of the third inning by capitalizing on Indiana's errors to take a 2-1 lead. Minnick hit an RBI double to left center during the bottom of the fifth to get sophomore shortstop Brooke Benson home to tie the game at 2-2.
Copeland hit a two-run RBI triple during the bottom of the fifth inning to right center field to give the Hoosiers a 4-2 lead. Radcliffe reached first base on an error, which also allowed Copeland to score an unearned run.
Rutgers freshman first baseman Maddie Lawson hit a two-run double to left center in the top of the sixth inning, but it was the Scarlet Knights final scoring play and was not enough to secure the victory for the road team.
Indiana finished the series with an 11-6 win in Sunday’s finale. Minnick hit an RBI double to left center field in the bottom of the first inning to give the Hoosiers a 1-0 lead early.
Wingert hit an RBI double to tie the game in the top of the second inning. Rutgers graduate student left fielder Gabrielle Callaway followed that up with a two-run home run to give Rutgers a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning.
Related: [Fearless Hoosiers show perseverance in Indiana softball’s weekend sweep of Rutgers]
Bassett hit a solo home run to left center field to cut Indiana’s deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the third inning. During the bottom of the fourth inning, Benson hit a two-run RBI double to right field to help the Hoosiers retake the lead at 4-3. The Scarlet Knights recorded multiple errors in the bottom of the fourth inning, allowing the Hoosiers to score five runs and extend their lead to 8-3.
During the bottom of the sixth inning, Callaway hit another home run and Rutgers junior center fielder Taylor Fawcett hit an inside-the-park home run to cut Indiana’s lead to 8-6.
Radcliffe hit a two-run RBI double during the bottom of the sixth inning to once again extend the Hoosiers’ lead, this time to 10-6. Ford hit an RBI double to score the final run of the series.
Indiana will next play a doubleheader against in-state rival Purdue at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
