Grand slam rockets Hoosiers to victory

One swing of the bat from senior first baseman Tory Yamaguchi was enough for the IU softball team (7-19) to get past Evansville on Wednesday. Yamaguchi’s grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning broke a 2-2 tie to give the Hoosiers the lead for good. A late home run for the Purple Aces closed the gap, but IU won 7-4.\nBefore the grand slam, junior infielder Emily Bergeson was intentionally walked to bring up freshman third baseman Brittany Devitt, who made the Purple Aces pay with a single up the middle to score sophomore right fielder Jennifer Glueckert.\n“Something like that you take personally,” Devitt said. “I wanted to make them pay.”\nAfter Devitt’s single came Yamaguchi’s grand slam.\n“I actually did not realize the bases were loaded,” Yamaguchi said. “After seeing Devitt get a hit after Emily got intentionally walked, I just wanted to get a hit.”\nYamaguchi hit her 35th career home run, three behind IU’s all-time leader Monica Armendarez. Even though Yamaguchi is one of the most talented Hoosiers on the team, she had recently been struggling at the plate.\n“The home run helped my confidence a lot,” she said. “My swing feels a lot better.”\nIU coach Stacey Phillips agreed that Yamaguchi has struggled recently and now hopes she is back on the right track.\n“I think this is going to build her confidence,” she said. “Tory is a very gifted and talented player and sometimes the struggles come from what’s between the ears.”\nAlthough hitting home runs might be familiar to Yamaguchi, playing first base Wednesday was not. This is the first time she has played first base since she played there sporadically during her sophomore year – she typically plays catcher.\n“I had not fielded a ground ball since summer,” she said. “But whatever keeps me in the lineup, I’m for it.”\nThe change, Phillips said, shows the flexibility she has with her roster.\n“I think Tory did a great job,” she said. “The problem has been keeping bats in the lineup and putting runs on the board. It’s nice when players on the team are versatile.”\nJunior Monica Wright picked up the win for the Hoosiers, as she pitched her fifth consecutive complete game. Wright went seven innings, scattered six hits, allowed four runs, struck out three and walked three. The win comes right before the Hoosiers begin conference play at home against No. 6 Michigan on Friday. \n“Hopefully we take momentum from this game,” Phillips said. “I think with some of the offensive and defensive switches, it has rejuvenated our team and opened our eyes.”\nPlaying the top team in the conference has Devitt eager to play this weekend.\n“Michigan is very tough, but I am excited to play them,” she said. “Any given day, anyone can be beaten.”