Softball finishes winless in Big Ten

The IU softball team concluded its season last weekend, recording three more losses in conference play against Penn State and Ohio State. The losses made the Hoosiers 0-17 in Big Ten play, the worst record in school history in conference games.\nIU's struggles baffled coach Diane Stephenson who expected more wins from this squad.\n"It is really disappointing because I think we have a really good group of kids, but we just were not able to get it done," Stephenson said. "We should have been a lot better team and we should have won a lot more games."\nPenn State (28-21, 9-8 Big Ten) downed the Hoosiers 4-1 on Friday, despite committing three errors to IU's two. Senior Brooke Monroe led the Hoosiers with a pair of doubles in four plate appearances. The Nittany Lions took an early 1-0 lead in the first, but IU tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth.\nFreshman pitcher Katie Witham threw 4 2/3 innings for IU, allowing two runs on eight hits. Penn State starter sophomore Marisa Hanson held IU to five hits and one run in four innings. Nittany Lion freshman Tina Skelly pitched three innings of one-hit ball to shut the door on the Hoosiers comeback hopes.\nAfter taking a 2-1 lead in the fifth, Penn State scored two unearned runs in the sixth on IU senior Alison Cooke to extend the lead to 4-1. Cooke and freshman second baseman Annika Ochoa each committed an error that aided the Nittany Lions. IU and Penn State were scheduled to play on Saturday, but the game was canceled due to rain.\nThe Hoosiers returned to the field against Ohio State (49-9, 15-3) for a doubleheader on Sunday, still in search of their first conference win. The Big Ten leading Buckeyes dominated the opener, winning 8-0 in five innings.\nOhio State junior Annie Dedic went 2-for-3 with three runs batted in and senior Anna Smith went 2-for-4 with a run scored to lead the Buckeyes. Ohio State sophomores Wendy Allen and Kristi DeVries teamed to limit the Hoosiers to just one hit in the game.\nIn the nightcap, IU (13-31-1, 0-17) looked to Cooke to shutdown the Buckeye offense. Cooke looked impressive early, striking out five Ohio State batters in the first three innings as the Hoosiers built a 2-0 lead going into the middle of the fourth.\nCooke said she wanted to leave it all on the field in her finale as a Hoosier.\n"I knew it was my last game and I just wanted to come out and give it everything I had," Cooke said. "I really wanted to enjoy and to have fun."\nJunior Katie Joy equaled her season total with two doubles in the first four innings. Sophomore Kristine Dugan knocked Joy home in the third and Joy's double in the fourth allowed sophomore Abby Stark to score.\nThe Buckeyes loaded the bases on three infield singles to lead off their half of the fourth. Ohio State senior Stacy Roth then hit a ground ball to IU sophomore first baseman Valerie White. White tried to get the force at home, but her throw was late and the bases stayed loaded.\nBuckeye senior Chrissy Fowler then hit a ground ball to Hoosier junior third baseman Stormy Hanson. Hanson's throw hit the Ohio State runner, Smith and trickled to the backstop. Smith and Allen both scored on the play to give the Buckeyes a 3-2 advantage. Stephenson challenged that Smith was running inside the base line, but the umpires conferred and the play stood.\nOhio State added another run in the fourth and stretched the lead to 5-2 heading into the seventh inning. White led off the seventh with a single, but was forced out at second when Joy grounded into a fielder's choice. Sophomore Dawn Ramynke then struck out, bringing Dugan to the plate.\nWith a 2-2 count, Dugan hit a high fly ball to right field that was carried out of the park by the gusting winds blowing from left to right. The homer was Dugan's third of the season and brought the Hoosiers within a run at 5-4. The next Hoosier hitter was Monroe who had been hitless in the game.\n"I really wanted to get that extra chance to get a hit," Monroe said of the opportunity to hit after Dugan's home run.\nMonroe hit a fly ball to left field that on an average day might have left the park, but with the wind blowing in from left Smith made the catch about twenty-five feet inside the fence to end the Hoosiers season.\n"That is just the way things go sometimes," Monroe said about her last at bat.\nCooke finished the game allowing only two earned runs on eight hits. She also posted seven strikeouts, just one shy of her career high.\nStephenson said the Hoosiers failed to create breaks for themselves and was disappointed they could not get a win for their seniors.\n"When you are not winning, it just seems like nothing ever goes your way," Stephenson said. "I think Alison came out and threw a good game and Brooke did a nice job of calling for her and I wish we could have won for them"