While Indiana softball’s pitching staff surrendered just one run to Wisconsin in the second game of the series Saturday, inconsistent performances led to difficulties containing the Badgers’ offense throughout their three-game series over the weekend.
As a result, Indiana dropped the series 1-2. Following their series loss, the Hoosiers stand at 28-12 overall and 7-7 in conference play, while sitting in ninth place in the Big Ten standings.
In the first game Friday, senior pitcher and utility player Brianna Copeland earned the start in the circle. Heading into the weekend, Copeland led the Hoosiers with an 11-4 record and was 40th in the nation with 110 strikeouts this season.
However, the Pelham, Alabama, native struggled to open the series. Copeland walked the lead-off batter and allowed a double to the second hitter she faced in the bottom of the first inning. In the next at-bat, the Badgers lined a two-RBI single before tacking on an additional run in the first frame.
Following their three-run opening inning, the Badgers scored their fourth run in the second inning to continue a successful day in the batter’s box against Copeland.
Despite their early struggles, the Hoosiers tossed three straight scoreless innings as freshman pitcher Jenae Berry entered the circle for the Cream and Crimson in the fourth frame. Going into the series, Berry led the Indiana pitching staff with a 3.41 ERA.
Just as the Hoosiers began to gain momentum on the defensive side, the Badgers launched a two-run home run in the sixth inning to secure a 6-5 victory.
After an up-and-down opening game Friday, the Indiana pitching staff strung together a more consistent outing Saturday.
Freshman pitcher Jasmine Reyes started in the circle but pitched just 1 1/3 innings before Copeland returned to the circle in search of a bounce-back performance.
Across 3 2/3 innings Saturday, Copeland allowed three hits, zero earned runs and collected two strikeouts to improve upon her previous outing and lead Indiana to a commanding 14-1 win.
With a chance to secure the series victory Sunday, Berry started in the circle for the Cream and Crimson. However, the team-leader in ERA surrendered four earned runs across two innings of action before Copeland entered in relief of Berry.
Yet, the pitching change did not disrupt Wisconsin’s momentum offensively. The Badgers added six more runs and four earned against Copeland across 1 1/3 innings.
Reyes closed the game and threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings as the Hoosiers dropped the series finale 10-5.
The Hoosiers’ pitching staff will look to put together a more consistent series when it travels to Lincoln, Nebraska, for a two-game set against Nebraska. The series is set to begin at 6 p.m. Friday and can be streamed on Big Ten+.