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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

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Underdog IU travels to face No. 7 Minnesota

Frshman pitcher Emily Goodin pitches in the game against Rutgers. The Hoosiers took on the Scarlet Knights last weekend winning two games on Friday but lost on Saturday.

In the biblical story of David and Goliath, David uses a stone and sling to defeat his mighty opponent. This weekend, IU softball will look to use a ball and bat to channel its inner David in an underdog fight against No. 7 Minnesota.

After a disappointing series loss at Penn State last weekend, IU, 17-18 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten, will travel to play its highest-ranked opponent so far this season.

The Golden Gophers, 32-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play, average more than seven runs per game on offense while their pitchers allow fewer than two runs per game. Minnesota started this season 19-0 and has only lost to Illinois and No. 10 Washington.

However, IU Coach Michelle Gardner said she feels beating Minnesota is within her team’s ability.

“We’re going to have to play flawless to beat Minnesota,” Gardner said. “This team has the capability to do it.”

After struggling to produce at the plate against the Nittany Lions, the Hoosiers will have an even tougher task against the Golden Gophers. No Minnesota pitcher has an ERA higher than three, which includes two-time All-America senior Sara Groenewegen.

Groenewegen brings a 15-2 record into the three-game series with IU. She has allowed just seven earned runs in 18 appearances, and her 0.50 ERA throughout 98 innings pitched is the third-best in the country.

As a team, Minnesota’s 1.40 ERA is ranked eighth nationally and first in the Big Ten.

“I want to force their defense to make plays,” Gardner said. “They have opportunities to have errors just like everybody else.”

IU’s offense will likely flow through a pair of freshman utility players this weekend. Gabbi Jenkins and Katie Lacefield have combined for 16 hits in IU’s last eight games and average around .300.

Friday night’s opening game will be the first meeting between IU and Minnesota since 2013, and changes await IU at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium in Minneapolis. Before this season, the stadium used a grass playing surface, but this offseason, Minnesota switched to a turf surface.

To help her team prepare, Gardner had the Hoosiers practice Thursday on the turf inside John Mellencamp Pavilion.

Sophomore pitcher Tara Trainer remains IU’s go-to pitcher despite losing three of her last four starts.

Trainer fared well in those outings and struck out 14 batters in the four starts. However, she received inadequate run support in losses March 29 at Louisville and April 2 at Penn State.

Last weekend’s series also marked the return of sophomore pitcher Emily Kirk to the starting rotation. Kirk threw her first complete game of the season in the team’s 3-2 defeat April 8.

“It was a really good experience for me because I’ve kind of faltered whenever I’ve been going out there,” Kirk said. “My game is ground balls, so when I was getting those ground balls in the first few innings, that kind of reassured me.”

Kirk and the IU pitching staff will have to be wary of Minnesota’s high-powered offense.

The Golden Gophers lead the Big Ten with a .348 team batting average and also boast the Big Ten’s leader in home runs, freshman Kendyl Lindaman, who has 13.

“Our coaches said Minnesota likes it high in the zone,” Kirk said. “Something I can pitch to is starting the ball a little higher and getting a really good drop on it, so the ball will go under their bats.”

While Gardner and Kirk agreed the 3-3 start to conference play was a disappointment for IU, both remain confident in the team’s bounce back ability.

“Their record is awesome, and ours isn’t so great,” Kirk said. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t win against them.”

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