The Hoosiers softball team dropped their Big Ten opener to Rutgers on Friday evening by a final score of 11-5.
This is the first game of a three game series against the Scarlet Knights that the Hoosiers will play and the second time they will play a weekend in Bloomington at Andy Mohr Field.
The team talked about how they wanted to control the momentum of the game and get on the board first, which is exactly what the Hoosiers were able to do, scoring a run in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by junior Kelsey Dotson to score senior Brianna Meyer.
Rutgers quickly answered in the top of the second inning to take its first lead of the game on a pair of back-to-back RBI singles.
After Rutgers took an early 2-1 lead, IU took the lead back immediately in the bottom frame of the second inning. A bases-loaded walk from sophomore Erin Lehman scored junior Michelle Huber to tie the game before Dotson cleared the bases with a three run RBI double to give the Hoosiers a 5-2.
However, IU would fail to keep the momentum going in their direction, as the Scarlet Knights had seven runners cross the plate in the third inning, all coming with two outs, to really put the game out of reach.
Rutgers would plate two more runs in the game, one coming in the fourth inning and another in the sixth inning.
The Hoosiers would be unable to push another run across the plate as the Scarlet Knights capped off a game one series win behind a great pitching performance from Rutgers pitcher Alyssa Landrith, who threw a complete game in the win, giving up five runs on six hits.
Senior Lora Olson would get the loss, suffering eight runs, two earned, eight hits in just 2.2 inning pitched.
IU has won five of their last nine but have dropped its last three games. The Hoosiers, now standing at 9-21, will have a chance to even up the series in game two of three game series as the Hoosiers and Rutgers will be back Saturday at Andy Mohr Field at 1 p.m.
Michael Hernandez
