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(02/24/14 3:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team went into the weekend planning to play five games in the Lipton Invitational. Due to poor weather conditions, IU’s game against Coastal Carolina Friday was delayed and later cancelled. The Hoosiers went 0-3-1 over the weekend, bringing the team’s record to 1-12-1 on the season. Although the Hoosiers were unable to register a win, IU Coach Michelle Gardner said she was pleased with the way the team competed all weekend.“We are truly competing,” she said. “It took a little bit of time, but I feel that things are finally starting to come together.” Friday night, IU played the first of two games against No. 1 Florida. Despite the game being close for seven innings, the Hoosiers lost 3-1.In the bottom of the first inning, IU senior infielder Breanna Saucedo hit a single to center field, extending her hitting-streak to six games. It also marked the 10th time in eleven games that Saucedo has registered a hit.In the top of the third inning, the Gators scored the first two runs of the game when junior first baseman Lauren Haeger hit a single to right field, driving in sophomore second baseman Kelsey Stewart. Haeger would go on to score later in the inning from a double off of the bat from junior outfielder Bailey Castro.In the next half-inning, the Hoosiers cut the deficit to one run when Saucedo scored on a passed ball.The Gators responded in the top of the fourth inning by scoring a run after a walk with the bases loaded. Senior third baseman Stephanie Toft scored on the play.That would be the final run scored of the game. IU sophomore pitcher Lora Olson held the Gators to four hits and two earned runs. Those were the lowest that Florida has registered in a game this season. In IU’s second matchup with Florida Saturday, the Gators were victorious in five innings by a score of 8-0. The Hoosiers were held hitless and the only player to reach base in the game, junior infielder Brianna Meyer, reached on a one-out walk in the first inning and also on an error in the top of the fourth. In the second game Saturday, IU fell to Georgia Southern 6-2. IU freshman first baseman CaraMia Tsirigos was responsible for both of the Hoosiers’ runs in the game. Tsirigos drove in the first run on an RBI single in the second inning and later hit a solo home run in the seventh, which was the first of her career. Sunday, the Hoosiers tied with Troy University 3-3 when the game was called due to weather conditions after nine innings. IU freshman outfielder Natalie Lalich hit 4-for-4 on the day, including one RBI. She also scored twice. Lalich said her performance on Sunday could be attributed to her changed approach when she is at the plate. “When I go up to bat I’ve learned to relax and to take the pressure off,” she said. “I’m playing like I have my whole life.”The Hoosiers scored the first run of the game in the second inning when senior infielder Shelby Gogreve singled to left field, which drove in Lalich due to a Troy error in the outfield. IU scored again in the fourth inning after sophomore catcher Kelsey Dotson drove in Lalich on a fielder’s choice. After being held scoreless for the first five innings, Troy drove in two runs in the sixth, which led to the game being sent to extra innings. After both teams failed to score in the seventh, IU scored a run in the top of the eighth inning. Lalich drove in Saucedo from third base on the play. Troy scored in the last half-inning to extend the game, but it was ruled a tie due to rain. Gardner said that, overall, she was satisfied with the team’s performance. “We played hard,” Gardner said. “I was pretty happy with our performance over the weekend.”
(02/21/14 4:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After starting the season with a record of 1-9, which includes a nine-game losing streak, the IU softball team is looking to improve in the Lipton Invitational. The Hoosiers will face off against Coastal Carolina, No. 1 Florida, Georgia Southern and Troy. IU Coach Michelle Gardner said the key for this weekend is to play solid all-around games on both offense and defense.“We need good pitching, defense and we need to score some runs,” Gardner said. “We need to put some hits together. We have been hitting OK this season, we just haven’t had timely hits.”The Hoosiers start the competition Friday against Coastal Carolina, who is off to a 5-1 start this season. Carolina averages almost six runs per game this season after averaging just more than three runs per game through the first six games last year. Junior third baseman Kory Hayden leads Coastal Carolina with five home runs this season, while sophomore outfielder Bri Chiusano has a six-game hitting streak. The Hoosiers will play Florida on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Florida is currently 12-0, which includes a 9-4 win against No. 5 Michigan.Florida’s three starting pitchers each have a 4-0 record.Haeger, who has the lowest estimated run average on the team of 0.78, also leads the teams with five home runs and is second on the team in hits with 14. Gardner said although Florida is a good team, facing the Gators is no different than playing against some of the top teams in the Big Ten. “The bottom line is that competing against Florida isn’t much different than competing against teams like Michigan,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what jersey the opposing team is wearing. We need to take care of our business. The rest will take care of itself.”IU will face Georgia Southern in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Their early season success can partially be attributed to the team’s defensive performance. Georgia Southern is allowing an opposing batting average of .189 while allowing just 15 runs.The Hoosiers wrap up the weekend against Troy University. Troy has a 4-5-1 record, including a 17-0 victory against Savannah State last weekend. IU senior infielder Breanna Saucedo, who leads the Hoosiers in hits and runs scored, said the team needs to take things an inning at a time in order to be successful this weekend. “We need to focus on our goals,” Saucedo said. “We need to win innings and individual at-bats. We need to take small victories as they come.”Follow reporter Dan Matney on Twitter @Dan_Matney
(02/17/14 1:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team traveled to Atlanta to play five games during the Panther Invitational this weekend. IU was unable to register a victory, bringing the team’s record to 1-9 and extending the losing streak to nine games. Despite the weekend’s struggles, IU Coach Michelle Gardner was encouraged by the team’s effort.“The team battled,” Gardner said. “When you aren’t seeing success it becomes difficult. We just need to keep pushing forward.”The Hoosiers began the weekend with a matchup Friday against Georgia State.In the bottom of the first inning, IU faced an early deficit after Georgia State junior first baseman Lauren Coleman hit a three-run home run to left field. The Hoosiers were unable to register a hit until sophomore infielder Kassi Farmer hit a double in the top of the fourth.Georgia State extended the lead to five runs before IU scored six runs in the top of the fifth to give them the first lead of the game. Sophomore infielder Michelle Huber put the first run of the game on the board for the Hoosiers after hitting a solo home run over the right-center wall. Huber also registered a career-high three RBIs during Friday’s game.The comeback attempt didn’t last long for IU as Georgia State drove in nine runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The game was called after the fifth and the Panthers secured a 14-6 win.During the first game of Saturday’s double-header, IU fell to Georgia State 5-1. With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Georgia Tech scored the first two runs of the game. The Yellow Jacket lead remained at two runs until sophomore infielder Maddie Lionberger hit a two-run home run to extend the lead to four runs. IU senior infielder Breanna Saucedo hit a single in the top of the sixth inning. Saucedo would score IU’s only run of the game off of an error later in the inning. Shortly after the conclusion of the Georgia Tech game, IU faced off against the University of Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks. The Hoosiers lost the third game of the weekend 7-1.The Skyhawks took an early 4-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. IU junior pitcher Lora Olson was taken out of the game after allowing five runs during 2.1 innings of work. Sophomore pitcher Brooke Boetjer came in to relieve Olson. Boetjer struck out a career-high nine batters during the 4.2 innings she pitched. Saucedo scored the team’s only run of the game off of a wild pitch.During the first game on Sunday, the Hoosiers faced Georgia State, whom they had lost to Friday. Although the rematch was closer than the first game, IU lost 4-3. The Hoosiers had an early lead, fueled by senior outfielder Jenna Abraham’s two-run home run during the second inning. The Panthers led a four-run comeback, which included a three-run home run by junior first baseman Lauren Coleman. IU wrapped up the weekend losing to East Tennessee State 6-0. Both teams failed to score during the first five innings until East Tennessee State was able to score six runs during the final two innings. Boetjer started the game and struck out five batters, giving her 30 strikeouts through the first 10 games of the season. Gardner said despite early season struggles, she is still seeing improvement in every game. “We need to believe in what we are doing,” she said. “We have to stick to the game plan. While we didn’t win this weekend, we did a lot of things a lot better. The season is way too long to get discouraged after a few tough games.”Abraham said the team has done a good job at sticking together despite the adversity they have faced early in the year.“We’ve done a good job staying together,” Abraham said. “We did a good job competing, especially on Sunday. We just need to keep playing together.”
(02/14/14 5:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After ending the season’s opening tournament with a 1-4 record, the IU softball team is looking to bounce back quickly as they travel to Atlanta for the Panther Invitational. The Hoosiers will face Georgia State Friday. Saturday, the Hoosiers will play a double-header against Georgia Tech and the University of Tennessee-Martin. The weekend will conclude Sunday as IU plays in another double-header against Georgia State and East Tennessee State University. IU Coach Michelle Gardner said though the team had solid offensive output last weekend, led by IU sophomore Kassi Farmer’s four home run weekend, pitching will be the key to IU’s success. “We need to start off the bat with good pitching,” Gardner said. “Each week we need to step up in all of the categories.”IU sophomore catcher Kelsey Dotson said the team is feeling confident heading into the second week of the season. “We have confidence in ourselves,” Dotson said. “The practice and preparation that we have had has prepared us to play.” The team IU will play twice during the weekend, the Georgia State Panthers, are opening the season hoping to improve on the 36-19 mark the team posted last season. While the Panthers are looking to replace its most productive hitter in the lineup from last year, Jessica Clifton, the pitching duo of senior Kaitlyn Medlam and sophomore Kate Worley serves as the most stable position group on the roster. That pitching combination had a 33-18 record last season and also finished with an ERA of 2.97.Georgia Tech will face IU in the first game of the Saturday double-header after being added to the schedule Thursday. The Yellow Jackets currently have a 2-1 record after defeating Missouri State in a home series in the opening weekend. In the second game Saturday, IU will take on the UT-Martin Skyhawks. The Skyhawks currently have a 1-3 record, with the lone victory coming over Houston Baptist University. Skyhawk junior third baseman and pitcher not only led the team in batting average (.359), home runs (13) and RBIs (56) last season, but she was also the team’s best pitcher. She finished the year with a team-high 20-6 record and also recorded 2.79 ERA.East Tennessee State participated in the Music City Classic last weekend and finished with a 2-2 record. One of the losses came at the hands of Butler in extra innings. IU will face a pitching staff that allowed just 10 runs in four games this year. Gardner said he hopes the batting lineup’s production this week is similar to last week’s.“We need to stay disciplined at the plate,” she said. “We need to do things similar to the way that we did them last weekend. We made some good adjustments and did a very good job.”IU sophomore pitcher Brooke Boetjer said she believes cohesiveness will be a huge factor this weekend.“We need to get everything together,” Boetjer said. “We need our hitting, pitching and defense to come together as a unit.”Follow reporter Dan Matney on Twitter @Dan_Matney
(02/10/14 1:49am)
The IU softball team opened its season over the weekend in the
Kajikawa Classic. The team finished with a 1-4 record with the lone win
coming over the Bradley Braves Friday.IU sophomore first baseman Kassi Farmer led the offensive output hitting four home runs in a five-game stretch.
(02/07/14 4:50am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the fourth consecutive season, the IU softball team will start its season in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz.The Hoosiers are set to play five games in a three-day stretch against Bradley, Portland State, Stanford, San Jose State and Cal Poly. IU faced off against Bradley, Portland State and Stanford last season, but IU Coach Michelle Gardner said she doesn’t believe the previous meetings with those opponents will necessarily provide the team with an advantage.“It’s a different year and it’s a different team,” Gardner said. “They may have some of their players from last season, but their lineups won’t be the same.”Gardner said because the season is opening this weekend, it levels the playing field.“They haven’t played games yet either,” she said. “It’s everyone’s first weekend out. I think anything can happen.”IU senior pitcher Meaghan Murphy said she thinks the team is feeling confident heading into the first set of games of the season. “We feel good,” Murphy said. “We’ve done some really good things in the preseason. We’ve been working hard and, although we haven’t been able to get outside to work as much as we’d like, we are doing some really good things on offense and defense.”The first opponent on the Hoosiers’ schedule, the Bradley Braves, finished last season with a 23-29 record and fell to the Hoosiers 15-7. Last year, IU senior infielder Breanna Saucedo led the team with three hits. Shortly after the conclusion of the game against Bradley, the Hoosiers will take on the Portland State Vikings.The Vikings finished the 2013 season with a 25-31 record, including a 7-0 loss to IU. IU junior pitcher Lora Olson pitched all seven innings for the Hoosiers and allowed seven hits in the shutout. The Hoosiers open Saturday with their second consecutive doubleheader, against the Stanford Cardinal and the San Jose State Spartans. Stanford finished last year with a 39-21 record and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. One of the Cardinal’s victories was an 8-2 victory against the Hoosiers. In that game, the Cardinal pitching duo of Kelsey Stevens and Nyree White held IU to just six hits. The team hasn’t forgotten the loss, said Murphy.“Every time we play Stanford it’s a battle,” she said. “We always play them really tough.”The Spartans, who finished last season with a 42-17 record, also made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament before losing a set of games to Arizona State and San Diego State in the opening weekend of the tournament. San Jose State’s most productive hitter in last year’s lineup, junior outfielder Michelle Cox, is set to return after finishing last season with a .363 batting average. IU concludes the Kajikawa Classic Sunday against the Cal Poly Mustangs. The Mustangs finished 2013 with a 19-34-1 record. The top three hitters from last year, junior utility player Jillian Andersen, junior infielder Kim Westlund and junior utility player Mariah Cochiolo, are all returning. IU senior infielder Shelby Gogreve said the team is anxious to start the season. “We are feeling great,” Gogreve said. “We are excited to be out in the warm weather and to actually be playing.”Follow reporter Dan Matney on Twitter @Dan_Matney
(02/04/14 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team wants to shock the world this year.Senior pitcher Meaghan Murphy said the team wants to not only win but also earn respect.“We aren’t the same team that we were last year,” she said. “We are coming back with a little bit of vengeance, and we are going to turn a lot of heads.”Murphy said the Hoosiers, who finished with an overall record of 19-35 last season, want to prove to everyone that they aren’t the same team that finished with a 3-19 mark in Big Ten play in 2013. The Hoosiers start the season in Tempe, Ariz., against the Bradley Braves in the Kajikawa Classic on Friday. After the tournament, IU will have plenty of opportunities during the season to earn national recognition. According to the USA Today preseason Top 25 poll, IU is scheduled to face five of the top-ranked teams in the nation. The first of those teams on IU’s schedule, the University of Florida, is currently No. 4 and received six first-place votes. The Hoosiers will travel to Gainesville, Fla. to square off with the Gators in the Lipton Invitational Feb. 21. Senior infielder Shelby Gogreve said she has high hopes for this year’s team.“The main goal of our team is to win the Big Ten title and to earn an NCAA tournament berth,” Gogreve said.The Big Ten boasts two of the top 10 teams in the nation, including No. 5 Michigan and No. 9 Nebraska, who IU will face on the road this season.The Hoosiers face the task of replacing former infielder Amanda Wagner, who not only led the team in hits, doubles and total bases but also had the fourth-highest batting average in the Big Ten. IU Coach Michelle Gardner said the continued improvement of the young players on the roster, including four freshmen, is going to help fill the void left by Wagner.“We’ve added more talent,” Gardner said. “Also, some of the younger players who might have struggled last year are going to produce a little better in their second seasons. We are getting better every year.”Despite losing one of the most productive hitters in the lineup, Gardner said she believes the adversity the team faced last year will ultimately lead to more team success in the future. “When you face adversity, you have to be able to overcome it,” she said. “We faced a lot of injuries, which you have to work to overcome as a team. No matter what happened, the team kept coming back.”Murphy said team unity will be a key to its success throughout the season.“A key thing that we learned last year is that staying together is vital for team success,” Murphy said. “Even when things don’t go how we want them to, in terms of winning and losing, the team needs to stay together in order to be successful.”
(05/13/13 12:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team ended its season with a 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Northwestern Wildcats Thursday in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Lincoln, Neb. The loss made 15 consecutive defeats for the team as it closed out the season.Junior pitcher Meaghan Murphy took the loss for the Hoosiers. In 2.1 innings of work, she allowed four runs, all earned, on five hits.Anna Edwards started the scoring for Northwestern with a home run in the second inning to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. Murphy got in trouble in the third inning. Olivia Duehr doubled to start the inning. After recording a strikeout, Mari Majam singled and advanced to second as Duehr scored. Marisa Bast followed that with a two-run home run to give Northwestern a 4-0 lead. Murphy was pulled after that in favor of sophomore Lora Olson. The Wildcats would tack on one more run before the inning was over.The Hoosiers’ offense could not assist Murphy or Olson on the day, either.Despite loading the bases four times, IU (19-35, 3-19) only managed to score two runs from those four opportunities.Senior third baseman Amanda Wagner reached base all four times in her last time donning the cream and crimson. She connected on two hits and was hit by a pitch twice. She recorded an RBI in the seventh inning when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.Freshman first baseman Kassi Farmer scored the Hoosiers’ first run when she led off the top of the fourth with a home run to put IU on the board.Senior second baseman Samantha Heyman singled and junior left fielder Jenna Abraham tripled to round out the Hoosiers’ five hits on the day.— Robby Howard
(05/06/13 3:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The regular season came to an end for the IU softball team Sunday in Minneapolis. IU will now turn its attention to the Big Ten Tournament.Indiana suffered two walk-off losses to Minnesota to finish the season. The team was swept in the final regular season series of the season, finishing the year on a 14-game losing streak.IU lost the last two games 1-0 and 5-4. Sunday, the Hoosiers pushed across tworuns in the seventh to take a one-run lead. But Minnesota would fight back.Minnesota’s Tyler Walker singled up the middle against IU freshman pitcher Brooke Boetjer. A fielder’s choice by senior Kari Drole advanced Walker to second. She moved up to third on a throwing error by Boetjer. Kaitlyn Richardson singled to score Walker, and the game was tied 4-4.Following a sacrifice bunt to advance Drole to third and Richardson to second, sophomore Erica Meyer singled to score Drole, and Minnesota completed its comeback with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win 5-4 and sweep the series.Saturday, IU played a double-header against Minnesota to make up for Friday’s postponed game. In the first game, IU fell 8-0 in five innings. The Hoosiers managedtwo hits compared to the Golden Gophers’ seven.In the nightcap, Murphy pitched five innings of no hit ball before allowing a hit in the sixth. Her only mistake came against Walker, who led off the bottom of the eighth with a home run to give the Gophers the 1-0 victory.The tournament starts Thursday in Lincoln, Neb.—Robby Howard
(05/03/13 3:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With one weekend left of play before the Big Ten Tournament starts, the IU softball team will travel to Minnesota trying to snap its 11-game losing streak and gain some momentum in its final three regular season games.IU Coach Michelle Gardner said despite the losing streak, she has been encouraged by her team’s play of late.IU (19-31, 3-16) lost its last two games to Wisconsin 3-0 and 5-2. Gardner liked the team’s defense and pitching in those outings.“We competed very well last weekend against Wisconsin, who is a very tough team,” Gardner said. “We just have to continue to do that and build on the things that are working. We’re playing relatively good defense and we’re finding a way to score some runs. We just have to continue to do that. We had a couple of really good pitching performances. Those are the keys.”For IU senior infielder Amanda Wagner, this weekend is especially important. She believes if the team can snap the streak this weekend, they will have more confidence going into the Big Ten Tournament Thursday in Lincoln, Neb. She does not want to end her career on a losing streak.“It’s really important,” she said. “I think it’s also going to set us up confidence-wise for the Big Ten Tournament next weekend. No one really wants to end their career on a losing skid.”Minnesota will most likely throw junior pticher Sara Moulton in the series. She has made 39 appearances for the Golden Gophers this season, including 36 starts and has a 1.61 earned run average. Opponents are batting just .203 against her this season, and she has struck out 244 batters.“We have to be patient and make sure we’re swinging at strikes and pitches we can drive,” Gardner said. “She’s been lights out most of the season. We have to be disciplined and take advantage of any mistakes she might make. We really need to work on getting up there and driving the ball.” Wagner, who leads the Hoosiers in batting average this season at .432, agreed, saying it is important to make the defense work and have confidence in the box.Defensively, the Hoosiers have to worry about two main threats from the Golden Gophers. Kaitlyn Richardson and Tyler Walker both bat above .400, but the next highest average on the team is Kayla Wenner’s .254.“We have to take care of our business and not allow those two kids to hurt us,” Gardner said. “Those are their weapons. You still have to be able to get the other kids out so they’re not able to come up and do damage by scoring runs or whatever when they come up in that situation.”Gardner echoed Wagner’s sentiment about this being important for the team’s confidence. She said the biggest goal for the team heading into the Big Ten Tournament will be to continue to grow as a team.Wagner sees the losing skid ending this weekend, as long as the team continues to have good pitching, play good defense and score runs.“If we have all three components of the game going for us, we’ll eventually get over the hump and come out on the winning side,” Wagner said.
(04/29/13 2:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite a senior day celebration this weekend at Andy Mohr Field, the IU softball team failed to capitalize on the opportunity.In a three-game series with Wisconsin (39-8, 15-5), IU (19-31, 3-16) was outscored by a combined 20-3 margin and was swept for a third consecutive series.The Hoosiers are on an 11-game losing streak, and have not won since a 4-3 victory against Penn State on April 7.On Saturday’s senior day game against the Badgers, it was junior Meaghan Murphy who came up big with a two-RBI single in the first inning to give the Hoosiers a 2-0 lead.The team maintained that lead all the way until the seventh inning, when Wisconsin scored four runs in the top half that the Hoosiers never were able to answer.On their senior day, third baseman Amanda Wagner, shortstop Samantha Heyman and left fielder Kelsey Brannon went a combined 1-for-9 in a 5-2 loss.In Friday’s doubleheader, IU lost in a mercy-ruled game by a 12-1 margin in five innings, and then followed the performance with a 3-0 loss only hours later.The team will attempt to reverse course next weekend in its final series of the season at Minnesota. The Gophers are 30-16 on the year, despite having only played three games at home this season. — Jordan Littman
(04/26/13 2:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team (19-28, 3-13 Big Ten) takes on Wisconsin (35-9, 12-5 Big Ten) this weekend in its final home Big Ten series. Game one is set for 6 p.m. Friday, followed immediately after by game two of the series. The Hoosiers will close out the series with a 1 p.m. matchup on Saturday, which will also be senior day.“We just need to stay together (this weekend),” junior outfielder Jenna Abraham said. “Obviously we’ve been struggling with some injuries, and we just need to stay as a team and keep working hard.”The Hoosiers are 6-6 in games played at Andy Mohr Field this season, while the Badgers hold a 10-6 record at away games.Wisconsin has been receiving votes in the national rankings, as one of the first three teams out in the most recent polls. The Badger offensive attack is led by the .427 batting average of junior outfielder Mary Massei, while the team posts a .308 batting average. Massei is also second in the Big Ten Conference in hits this season with 64. Senior outfielder Whitney Massey is tied with IU’s senior infielder Amanda Wagner for most doubles in the Big Ten with 15. Senior Meghan McIntosh leads off the Badger pitching squad with a 1.64 earned run average, while the team is posting a 1.85 earned run average. The Badgers have outscored their opponents 216-104 this season.Wisconsin heads into Bloomington coming off a six game winning streak, most recently taking both games in their home doubleheader with Northwestern on Wednesday.Wagner leads the IU offense with her .445 batting average, in comparison to the .243 batting average of the team as a whole.The Hoosiers have been outscored by opponents 203-167 in their 2013 campaign. Junior Meaghan Murphy leads the Hoosier pitching squad with a 2.99 earned run average, while the team is posting a 3.52 earned run average.The Hoosiers head into the weekend series off of a 5-2 loss to Ball State on Tuesday. Senior outfielder Samantha Heyman and Abraham led the offensive attack for the Hoosiers in that game with two hits apiece, while Heyman also scored a run in the matchup.“I think we all communicated really well and we stayed together as a team,” Heyman said of Tuesday’s game. “I think we just need to come together and we need to get excited for this weekend and win some ball games.”The Hoosiers had three errors on Tuesday that contributed to their loss to Ball State.“We have to be better defensively,” IU Coach Michelle Gardner said. “(This weekend we need) cleaner defense.”Wisconsin is currently third in the Big Ten Conference team standings, while IU is 11th.The Hoosiers are currently riding an eight game losing streak.Despite the team’s recent losses, Abraham said the team is going to keep pushing themselves and not quit. “We need to get a lot of sleep, even though it’s finals week, and get a lot of rest and stay together as a team and fight hard,” Abraham said.
(04/24/13 3:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite taking an early lead against Ball State (30-13, 13-1), the IU softball team lost its Tuesday evening game to the Cardinals 5-2.The matchup at Andy Mohr Field marked the Hoosiers’ final midweek regular season game.“I thought we actually did a good job,” IU Coach Michelle Gardner said. “We got runners on base. Other than the two runs, we just couldn’t really push anything across but, you know, I thought we made better adjustments at the plate and I was very happy to see that.”The Hoosiers were first to get on the scoreboard, doing so in the bottom of the second inning. Junior pitcher Meaghan Murphy started the inning with a single to the right side. A sacrifice bunt by senior outfielder Samantha Heyman allowed Murphy to move to second, and freshman catcher and first baseman Kassi Farmer reached first on an error by the Cardinals’ first baseman. Another single by junior outfielder Jenna Abraham loaded the bases for the Hoosiers, and a fielder’s choice allowed senior outfielder Kelsey Brannon to reach first and send Murphy home to take the 1-0 lead.The Cardinals responded in the top of the third with one run to tie the game at 1-1 after the Hoosiers allowed two errors in the inning. Ball State then took the 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth with a home run by sophomore shortstop Jessica Craft.Heyman opened up the bottom of the fourth for the Hoosiers with a single to left field. A sacrifice bunt by Farmer sent Heyman to second. Abraham was then walked to put players at first and second base. Brannon was struck out and senior infielder Amanda Wagner fouled out to first base, ending the inning and leaving two players stranded. A one-out home run in the top of the sixth sent in three Cardinal batters to score, giving Ball State the 5-1 lead. Heyman got things started for the Hoosiers in the bottom of the sixth with a double to center field, then advanced to third base on a passed ball. Farmer then grounded out to first to allow Heyman to head home for the unearned run. Abraham followed that up with a single to shortstop, but a final out would leave her stranded at first.Neither team scored in the seventh inning, giving Ball State the 5-2 win. Heyman and Abraham led the offensive attack for the Hoosiers, with both knotting two hits in the matchup. Farmer drove a run in to receive the only RBI for the team.“I’m just starting to focus on my short game a little more because I was struggling with hitting for power,” Abraham said. “I’m kind of focusing more on the short game, like bunting and putting the ball in play.”Sophomore Lora Olson took the loss on the evening, falling to 6-12. Olson struck out two batters and walked three while allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits.“I thought Lo threw relatively well. You know, the home runs were unfortunate, but we have to be better defensively, which tremendously would have helped, but we’re still working,” Gardner said. Despite the loss, Abraham said the team will be able to take positives away from Tuesday’s game.“We fought really hard today,” Abraham said. “We’ve just been struggling a little bit, but we’re not going to quit fighting. We just keep pushing ourselves harder and harder. We made some really good key defensive plays and key good hits so we’ve just got to focus on the positives.”
(04/22/13 11:41pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team (19-27, 3-13 Big Ten) returns to Bloomington for a 6 p.m. game today against Ball State (29-13, 13-1 MAC). The matchup marks the first of the next four games in a row the Hoosiers will play at Andy Mohr Field.The Cardinals are coming off of a split double header against Miami (Ohio) in which Miami took game one and Ball State claimed game two. The Cardinal offense is led off by the .493 batting average of junior pitcher and outfielder Jennifer Gilbert, while the team is posting a .321 batting average. Freshman Nicole Steinbach leads off the pitching squad with a 2.33 earned run average, compared with the 2.99 earned run average of the team overall. The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 290-149 on the season.The Hoosiers are riding a seven-game losing streak heading into today’s game, most recently being swept in their three-game series at Illinois. Senior infielder Amanda Wagner leads the offense with a .458 batting average, while the team has a .244 batting average overall. The pitching squad is led by junior Meaghan Murphy’s 2.99 earned run average, while the team is posting a 3.54 earned run average. “I think we just need to come together as a team and put everything together,” senior outfielder Samantha Heyman said about what the team needs for the win. Despite the Hoosiers’ record in Champaign, Ill., during the weekend, the team saw several positive things in many of the players’ performances. Freshman pitcher Brooke Boetjer saw success at the plate, driving in two runs and connecting on two doubles in the series opener. Sophomore pitcher Lora Olson held the Illini scoreless until the sixth inning in game two of the weekend, while allowing one run on five hits and striking out three. Wagner had her 15th double of the season in game two, tying her for first in the Big Ten Conference for doubles this season. The effort also tied her for the second-most doubles in a single season by any IU player, while she is just two short of tying the single-season record of 17 doubles.“I feel like we just need to get our mindset right and think positively and build on the good things we’re doing to keep the momentum going,” Boetjer said.Sophomore utility player Shannon Cawley leads the Big Ten Conference in sac flies with four on the season. Wagner’s .458 batting average puts her at fourth in the conference standings, while her .601 on-base percentage places her second in the Big Ten.Ball State leads the Mid-American Conference with its 13-1 record. The Hoosiers are currently No. 11 in the Big Ten standings.“We need to have a lot of energy and have confidence,” Heyman said of today’s matchup. “Once we do that, we’ll be the team that we want to be.”
(04/22/13 4:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Home runs were the cause of the IU softball team’s downfall in its three-game series at Illinois (14-25, 4-11) during the weekend. The Illini drove in key home runs in each matchup to defeat the Hoosiers (19-27, 3-13) in all three games. “I feel like we had our ups and downs,” freshman pitcher Brooke Boetjer said. “We did some good things and we did some bad things.”Boetjer opened up the series pitching for IU, where the team dropped the first game 5-4 in its second extra-innings contest in a row. The Illini scored first, driving in two runs in both the first and third innings. The Hoosiers remained scoreless until the fifth inning, when senior outfielder Kelsey Brannon got things started for the team by reaching first base because of a throwing error then advancing to second after senior infielder Amanda Wagner walked. Boetjer then doubled to right field to send Brannon and Wagner home. Freshman infielder Michelle Huber sent the ball flying over the left field fence to score a home run that would bring in Boetjer and tie the game at 4-4.Both teams remained scoreless through the sixth and seventh innings, sending the game into extra innings.The Hoosiers failed to score in the top of the eighth.Illinois senior infielder Jessica Davis hit a home run off of the first pitch in the bottom of the eighth to end the game and give the Illini the victory.Game two started off with neither team scoring through the first five innings. The Illini scored off of a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth by freshman utility player Remeny Perez to give them a 1-0 lead. The Hoosiers failed to score in the seventh, ending the second game with a 1-0 loss. The series finale Sunday started with a two-run home run by Illinois sophomore utility player Jess Perkins in the bottom of the first to give the Illini the early 2-0 lead. Illinois tacked on one more run in the bottom of the fourth, followed by a three-run bottom of the fifth to give them a 6-0 lead. The team added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. The Hoosiers failed to plate a run, dropping the matchup 8-0.Senior outfielder Samantha Heyman, freshman catcher and third baseman Kelsey Dotson and Boetjer led the Hoosier offense with a pair of hits each on the weekend.“For me personally, it’s just being patient and really waiting for the ball, finding pitches that are good and putting the ball in play,” Heyman said of her offensive strategy during the weekend.Junior pitcher Meaghan Murphy received the loss for game one, falling to 12-13. Sophomore pitcher Lora Olson was dealt the second and third losses of the weekend to fall to 6-11.The series marked the third time the Hoosiers have been swept by a Big Ten opponent this season.“I thought we played strong,” Heyman said. “We’re making improvements and we’re doing a lot of good things. We just need to put it all together.”
(04/19/13 2:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team (19-24, 3-10) is heading to Champaign, Ill., this weekend to take on Illinois (11-25, 1-11 Big Ten) in a three-game conference series.The first game of the series is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, followed by a 4 p.m. matchup the same day. The Hoosiers will close out the series with a 2 p.m. game Sunday.Illinois heads into the series with a nine-game losing streak, most recently being swept in its home series with Minnesota. Illinois’s offense is led by the .346 batting average of junior outfielder Alex Booker. The team is posting a .229 batting average, as well as a 4.22 earned run average.In comparison, IU will head into Champaign with a four-game losing streak, most recently losing an extra-innings matchup with No. 9 Michigan. Senior infielder Amanda Wagner leads the Hoosier offense with a .471 batting average, while also coming in at second in the Big Ten Conference. Freshman pitcher Brooke Boetjer pitched all nine innings for the Hoosiers in their game with the Wolverines, allowing 11 hits and seven runs. The Fillmore, Ind., native is posting a 4.41 earned run average, while the team holds a 3.49 earned run average.“I think we’ve just got to hit, put the ball in play, play good defense, have good pitching and I think we should be fine,” freshman infielder Michelle Huber said of the team’s game plan for the weekend series. Huber has been a hot bat for IU lately, posting two hits and one run in the team’s matchup with Michigan.“I’ve just mostly been trying to hit in the runners and just go with the pitch,” Huber said. “Looking for a good pitch mostly is my main goal and not swinging at things that I don’t want to hit at.”The Hoosiers will be on the road for the first time since March 31 after their nine-game home stand. Freshman catcher and third baseman Kelsey Dotson said being back on the road shouldn’t have an affect on the team’s performance.“I don’t think it will affect us that much,” Dotson said. “I mean, you’re kind of getting down to the end where everyone’s tired, finals, yada yada, but I don’t think it’ll really be any different. “I mean, it obviously stinks a little bit more that we’re not home and we don’t get to sleep in our own bed.”IU is currently 10th in the Big Ten Conference standings, while Illinois is currently 12th.Despite struggling in their past few games, IU Coach Michelle Gardner said the team gained a lot of confidence in its most recent game with Michigan and will take that into its upcoming games.“You know, I think at this point in the year it’s always tough,” Gardner said. “I think that we just have to continue to work and compete. We’re doing the best we can to make things happen.”
(04/17/13 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In an extra innings heartbreaker at Andy Mohr Field Tuesday, the IU softball team (19-24, 3-10 Big Ten) fell 7-4 to No. 9 Michigan (36-7, 13-0 Big Ten). A doubleheader was set on the schedule for the Hoosiers, but the second game of the evening was canceled due to severe weather.Despite the loss, IU Coach Michelle Gardner said the team gained a lot of confidence in almost taking down the top dog in the Big Ten Conference.“I am just really pleased with our performance today,” Gardner said. “I was so proud of them. They just were resilient, and they battled.”The Wolverines struck the first blow in game one with one run in the second inning followed by three runs in the third to take the early 4-0 lead. The Hoosiers came close to scoring in the fifth inning with bases loaded, but ended their half of the frame with all three runners left on base.It took the Hoosiers six innings to get on the scoreboard, but they did so in dramatic fashion, with four runs off of five hits in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 4-4. Freshman pitcher Brooke Boetjer got things started for the team with a single to shortstop. Freshman infielder Michelle Huber and freshman catcher and third baseman Kelsey Dotson followed suit with another single each to load the bases. Senior outfielder Samantha Heyman walked, bringing in the first run for the Hoosiers. Another single by senior outfielder Kelsey Brannon brought in the second IU run, and a final single by senior infielder Amanda Wagner allowed two more Hoosiers to score.Neither team brought in runs for the remainder of regulation, pushing the game into extra innings.The score remained tied at 4-4 in the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth the game was delayed for what would end up being more than an hour due to severe weather.The Wolverines came out of the delay with a three-run top of the ninth to swing the lead back in their direction, 7-4.The Hoosiers were unable to regain their momentum after the delay, and failed to drive in a run in the bottom of the ninth, dropping the game to the Wolverines.“It’s just unfortunate, the delays, because who knows what would have happened, but I sure do like our chances if we didn’t have all that delay crap going on,” Gardner said.The teams were able to get in two-and-a-half innings of the second game before play was delayed multiple times and the game eventually canceled.Dotson led the IU offense with three hits and one run in the first game of the evening.“I was just kind of more focused on finding contact, slowing it down, not trying to kill the ball, and just really focus on finding it,” Dotson said. “I have my confidence back and I’m just rolling with it.”Wagner, Brannon, and Huber each had two hits on the outing, while Wagner also drove in two RBI. Dotson said that the team will use what they learned in Tuesday’s game to help them down the road.“[We learned] That we are good enough to beat teams like Michigan,” Dotson said. “I think today was just kind of the realization of ‘wow, we really can do that.’ We’ve been down lately, and I really think that from now on we’ll take this into games that ‘hey, we can do this.’ “Michigan is undefeated, and we almost beat them right there.”
(04/16/13 12:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team is geared up for a doubleheader this afternoon with No. 12 Michigan. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m., followed by the second game at 4 p.m.The Wolverines (35-7, 12-0 Big Ten) come into Bloomington at the top of the Big Ten and riding a 17-game winning streak, most recently sweeping a doubleheader at Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich.After being swept by Purdue in their most recent Big Ten Series, IU (19-23, 3-9) is going into today’s games looking to turn its losing streak around.“We have to bounce back really fast,” senior infielder Amanda Wagner said. “We have to forget about this weekend. “I think it’s going to be more of a mental preparation that we need rather than a physical one since we have a day and a half to prepare for Michigan.”Wagner is currently first in the Big Ten in on-base percentage at .602 and second in hitting with a .469 batting average. She also has the second most doubles in the Big Ten with 13. Sophomore utility player Shannon Cawley leads the conference in sac flies with four.On the Wolverine side of the matchup, freshman shortstop Sierra Romero is second in the conference in runs scored with 46 and slugging percentage with a .889 clip. Romero is also tied for first in the Big Ten in home runs with 17. Romero’s teammate, junior outfielder Nicole Sappingfield, leads the conference in runs scored with 48. “I think the biggest challenge and our biggest focus will be controlling the controllables,” junior shortstop Shelby Gogreve said. “They have a lot of great players, and it’s our job to focus on how we can keep those players down and to focus on how to really maximize our results.”The Wolverine pitching staff is headlined by the 1.52 and 1.69 earned run averages of sophomores Haylie Wagner and Sara Driesenga, respectively. The team has a 2.02 earned run average on the season, as well as a .351 batting average. The Wolverines have outscored their opponents 320-122.In comparison, the Hoosiers head into the matchup with a 3.45 earned run average and a .251 batting average. The pitching staff is led by junior Meaghan Murphy, who is posting a 3.03 earned run average, followed by sophomore Lora Olson’s 3.26 ERA.IU Coach Michelle Gardner said the team will stick to the game plan they’ve had all season in today’s matchup.“We need to show up and play,” Gardner said. “We need to have good pitching, and we need to score some runs.”The Hoosiers are looking to improve on their 6-4 home record and are hoping to pull off the upset on the Wolverines.“The outcome is largely going to depend on what team we bring out to the field, so I think what we’re really going to be focusing on is bringing the Indiana that has a lot of communication and has a lot of energy and the Indiana that has a lot of fight,” Gogreve said. “If we can do that, then I have confidence that we can take a game or two from Michigan.”
(04/15/13 2:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After losing three consecutive games to Purdue (19-22, 6-6 Big Ten) during the weekend, the IU softball team (19-23, 3-9 Big Ten) was swept for the first time ever at Andy Mohr Field and the second time in the team’s Big Ten schedule.“I definitely think we were lacking in some areas,” senior infielder Amanda Wagner said. “We had defense show up one day and pitching not the other day, and our offense was lacking all weekend really. We were missing key components on certain days.”The Boilermakers took control of the series from the start, topping the Hoosiers 7-2 in Friday’s matchup. Taking the early lead, Purdue scored one run in the top of the second inning and followed that with four runs in the third inning and one run in the fourth. The Hoosiers responded with a run brought in by a sacrifice fly by freshman catcher and third baseman Kelsey Dotson in the fourth inning. This was followed by a run in the fifth driven in by freshman catcher and first baseman Kassi Farmer, but the effort was not enough to overcome the team’s 7-2 deficit. Junior pitcher Meaghan Murphy was dealt the loss for the Hoosiers, taking her to 12-12 on the season.Play continued on Saturday, where the Boilermakers scored early once again, driving in six runs in the top of the fourth, followed by two runs in the top of the fifth. Sophomore utility player Shannon Cawley drove in the Hoosiers’ lone run of the afternoon in the bottom of the sixth, but the Boilermakers closed out the game with one more run for the 9-1 win. Sophomore pitcher Lora Olson received the loss for the Hoosiers. After Purdue jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with runs in the first and third innings in Sunday’s game, the Hoosiers put together a three-run third inning to take the lead at 3-2. However, the lead was short lived, with the Boilermakers tallying on three runs in the fourth inning and one each in the fifth and seventh innings to help them to the 7-3 win. Wagner had her 16th multi-hit game of the season, extending her hitting streak to six games. Junior shortstop Shelby Gogreve had two hits in the matchup while driving in one run. Olson was dealt the loss, falling to 6-9 on the season. “I thought that especially (Sunday) we came out with a lot of energy and a lot of heart,” Gogreve said. “We played hard and we did a lot of good things.”Wagner led the IU offense on the weekend with five total hits. The Hoosiers posted a total of 22 hits on the weekend but were only able to make six total runs.“Our hits are kind of sporadic,” IU Coach Michelle Gardner said. “Yes, we had a lot of hits, but we had hits with nobody on, and we just aren’t really necessarily putting hits together when we need to score runs.”The weekend losses move the Hoosiers to 6-4 in games played at Andy Mohr Field.“Sometimes the game just doesn’t go your way,” Gogreve said. “But if you can come out and learn some things, you can take that into the next weekend.”
(04/12/13 3:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team takes on Purdue (16-22, 3-6 Big Ten) this weekend in its second home Big Ten series.The Hoosiers (19-20, 3-6 Big Ten) kick off the three-game series with a 6 p.m. game Friday at Andy Mohr Field. The second game of the weekend is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by the series finale 1 p.m. Sunday.“I think since we’re playing an in-state rival we’ll have a lot of energy and then (we need to) have all three components, pitching, hitting and defense, clicking and working as one together,” senior infielder Amanda Wagner said.IU is coming off of a 2-1 record in their most recent Big Ten series with Penn State. The pitching team of junior Meaghan Murphy, sophomore Lora Olson and freshman Brooke Boetjer allowed a combined nine runs on the weekend. Murphy was part of both victories in the series, while Olson was dealt the lone loss of the weekend and Boetjer earned one save in the series finale. Five different IU players scored runs while eight different players posted hits on the weekend.Purdue comes into Bloomington off of a 7-4 win against Loyola, in which four players posted multi-hit games for the Boilermakers. The team went 1-2 in their most recent Big Ten series against Michigan State.Junior outfielder Lindsey Rains leads the Boilermaker offense with a .361 batting average on the season, while the team is posting a .313 batting average overall. Sophomore pitcher Lexy Moore leads the Purdue pitching squad with a 3.41 earned run average, while the team is posting a 3.91 earned run average overall. Wagner leads the Hoosier offense with a .456 batting average, while the team is posting a .251 batting average on the season. Both Murphy and Olson lead in pitching with a 2.82 earned run average each, while the team has a 3.24 earned run average on the season.“I think we’re in a good place,” IU Coach Michelle Gardner said. “Right now it’s us continuing to grow week by week and be able to put everything together this weekend.”The Hoosiers are currently in their longest home stretch of the season, with Friday being their fifth of nine games in a row at Andy Mohr Field. The team has gone 3-1 so far in the nine game stretch, while going 6-1 at home on the season. The Hoosiers are 45-7 in games played in Bloomington since the 2011 season.“We like being at home,” Gardner said. “The kids are more comfortable, it’s just a matter of us continuing to work and grow. When we’re at home we have to take advantage of it.”Both IU and Purdue head into the weekend series tied for seventh place in the Big Ten team standings.“It’s nice to finally be in your own comfort zone and your own element,” Wagner said of the team’s current home stretch. “It’s our house, and we need to protect it.”