IU loses pair of heartbreakers

With only a few weeks remaining in the season before the Big Ten tournament, the IU softball team took the field this weekend for four games against the two teams directly ahead of them in the standings.\nUnfortunately for the Hoosiers, they moved the wrong direction in the standings, dropping all four of the games, including two one-run losses to Minnesota.\nFriday afternoon's first game saw the Golden Gophers strike first in the second inning, but the Hoosiers promptly scored two runs on a Janetta Deaven home run, the first of the freshman catcher's career.\n"I have definitely been seeing the ball better," Deaven said.\nOn the weekend, Deaven went five for ten with three walks and three runs batted in.\nThe score remained 2-1 until the sixth, when Minnesota tallied two more runs to give them the lead.\nIn the middle of the seventh, the game was suspended until Saturday because of a severe thunderstorm warning. The Hoosiers came to bat Saturday for their half of the seventh, but they failed to get anyone on base, giving Minnesota the 3-2 victory.\nAfter a brief intermission, IU took the field again to finish the two-game series. For six innings, the Hoosiers could not bring any runners across the plate as Minnesota jumped out to a 4-0 lead.\nIU's offense came to life in the top of the seventh as they notched three runs against Gopher starter Lyn Peyer. With the bases loaded, sophomore shortstop Christy Wahl came up to the plate with the chance to win the game for IU.\nWahl was patient at the plate, drawing a walk that brought in the tying run. Sophomore Heather Hohs then popped up to end the inning.\nIn the bottom of the seventh, Minnesota catcher Megan Higginbotham came to the plate with one out and knocked out the walk-off home run off of junior pitcher Megan Roark to give the Gophers the 5-4 win.\nIn the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against Wisconsin, IU jumped out to a 6-1 lead, but the Badger offense exploded for eight runs in their half of the sixth. The Hoosiers notched another run in the seventh on a junior second baseman Ashley Griffiths' home run, the second of the season for the senior.\nWisconsin held on for the 10-7 victory.\nThe Hoosiers fared no better in the second game of the doubleheader. Wisconsin scored first in the second inning and never looked back. The Badgers went on to the 5-0 shutout victory.\n"There are always positives," said sophomore third baseman Rachel Terry. "We did come out and hit this weekend."\nIn Friday's loss to Minnesota, Roark got her 400th career strikeout when she punched out Gopher first baseman Rene Konderik. The strikeout moved Roark into third place all-time in IU's record books.\n"I didn't even know about it until someone told me," Roark said. "I try not to think about it when I'm pitching."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Tim O'Brien at tpobrien@indiana.edu.