Softball sweeps Georgia Tech Classic

The IU softball team swept the field Feb. 15-17 at the Georgia Tech Classic in Atlanta.
The Classic marked the team’s second weekend of play of the 2013 season, in which it drastically turned around its previous losing record.

The Hoosiers came out of the weekend 5-0 with two victories over Marshall and Georgia Tech each and a shutout win against Miami (Ohio).

“We’ve done exactly what we needed to do to win,” IU Coach Michelle Gardner said. “We’ve had good pitching, solid defense and just played well all the way around the field.”

One of the standout performances of the weekend was junior pitcher Meaghan Murphy’s first career no-hitter against Miami (Ohio) on Friday. Murphy’s effort helped the Hoosiers win 10-0 and was the first no-hitter thrown by an IU pitcher since 2009.
She was also the 11th pitcher ever to throw a no-hitter at IU, and the performance was the 24th thrown in program history.

“I’m pretty proud of myself,” Murphy said. “It’s a pretty big feat for any pitcher.”

The team faced a greater challenge against Marshall, led by the strong pitching of senior Andi Williamson. While the first of the team’s two-game matchup went into extra innings, the Hoosiers secured a victory in both Friday and Saturday’s games, posting 2-1 scores in each.

The Hoosiers continued to have success in the Classic by pulling off an upset over No. 24 Georgia Tech, winning 4-1 on the Yellow Jackets’ home field in Saturday’s game. IU brought home their fifth and final victory of the weekend after Sunday’s 10-2 win against Georgia Tech en route to a clean sweep of the Classic.

Pitching played a big role in the Hoosiers’ winning record at the Classic. The team only allowed a combined five runs on the weekend.

“I think we’ve been very solid,” Gardner said. “We’ve been doing the things we need to do. When we have good pitching, there isn’t a lot of pressure to score a lot of runs, so it kind of all goes together.”

Gardner attributed the Hoosiers’ success to the overall hard work of everyone on the team, citing freshman Kassi Farmer’s hitting, Murphy’s no-hitter against Miami (Ohio) and senior Jena Malmen’s first career home run against Marshall as key elements to the team’s success.

“Kassi Farmer has hit the ball extremely well,” Gardner said. “(Murphy) had great presence on the mound and just had control during the whole (Miami) game. Amanda Wagner had a great weekend. Jena Malmen’s home run was enormous. Pretty collectively, we’ve had some good performances.”

After the weekend in Atlanta, the team’s record stands at 7-3.

“I’m really proud of the team and what we’ve done this weekend,” Murphy said. “Everybody’s done their part in contributing. Our team has had a huge tournament, and it’s exactly what we needed.”