No psych-out needed in Roark's no-hitter

Stepping onto the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday, senior Megan Roark had no idea she was pitching for a no-hitter. But she preferred it that way.\nRoark compiled nine strikeouts and a no-hitter en route to the Hoosier's 1-0 victory over Illinois-Chicago Saturday. \nRoark thought she gave up a hit in the first inning of the game. So when she had to face the heart of Illinois-Chicago's lineup in the last inning, she thought the only thing she had to preserve was the Hoosiers' slim lead.\n"I wasn't really thinking about it," Roark said. "The team was doing well the whole weekend. It wasn't on my mind. I was glad I didn't know."\nRoark said she might have psyched herself out had she known about the no-hitter. After finishing the last out, she was congratulated by Illinois-Chicago's coaches.\nBut Roark is quick to shy away from credit for her performance. \n"I didn't think I dominated anybody," she said. "The defense had a great game. They made some spectacular plays." \nUnfortunately for Roark, the game was a preseason exhibition game, so it wasn't officially scored, and the no-hitter won't count.\nThe team was 3-1-1 during the weekend, also compiling wins against Lewis and Olivet Nazarene. In addition to Roark's nine, the team struck out 45 batters last weekend. Senior Mariangee Bogado struck out 23 batters in two games, and freshman Aubrey Hayes struck out 13. \nIU head coach Stacey Phillips was impressed with the defensive performance and said the key to future wins is scoring more runs. The team has scored only six runs in five games.\n"Offensively, with six days of practice, you're not going to go out and shell the ball," Phillips said. "We need to get a little more competitiveness in us." \nAssistant coach Michelle Puls said the team has focused on offense this week in practice.\n"We're not just hitting the ball," Puls said. "We're working on hitting a low, outside pitch down the line into right-field."\nThis weekend the Hoosiers will travel to the Indiana State Championships to face Eastern Illinois, Indiana State and Parkland College.