Melloh sets record as IU wins 8th straight game

There is no sign of slowing down for senior pitcher Morgan Melloh and the IU softball team.

The Hoosiers defeated Ball State 3-0 for their eighth-straight win as Melloh set the single-season strikeout record with 375.

Melloh struck out 14 batters and pitched her 27th complete game of the season.

The senior’s performance broke Amy Unterbrink’s previous mark of 370 punchouts in 1986. Melloh now stands at 23-14 and the Hoosiers improve to 28-15.

The Fishers, Ind., native said she felt honored to be able to break a record that was held for so long.

“I accomplished a goal and Amy Unterbrink set a high standard in pitching,” Melloh said. “She did an amazing job, and I felt like I was with her.”

IU coach Michelle Gardner said she felt the record was a great thing for Melloh and for the program. She said the combination of Melloh and junior catcher Cassie Gogreve has been a huge key to success this season.

“Cassie Gogreve has caught every inning that kid (Melloh) has thrown, and she does a great job behind the plate,” Gardner said. “Behind every great pitcher is a great catcher.”

The Hoosiers once again were in a close game late, and once again they came out victorious, earning their eighth-straight win, a streak they have not reached since 2007.
The Hoosiers improved to 18-9 on the season in games decided by three runs or less.

Sophomore shortstop Breanna Saucedo said the team is finishing in close games better than it did earlier in the season.

“I think there is a lot more confidence in our team,” she said. “I feel at the beginning of the season we were all kind of shocked that we were winning so many games and I think everybody, not just the team but other people on the outside, thought it was luck, and now that our streak has continued we all walk to the field with our heads held a little higher.”

The Hoosiers have now won 13 of their 14 games at home.

Saucedo said they can play with anybody, and the sky is the limit for Gardener’s team.

“I think we got used to losing before, and now we’re expecting ourselves to win,” she said. “I think it will be a little more disappointing if we lose but that’s not going to happen.”