After setting a program record for the most consecutive wins with a 17-9 victory over Ohio State on Saturday, the Hoosiers turned their attention to walking away from Andy Mohr Field on Sunday with two more victories.
“What a way to get win 19 right, a program record,” head coach Shonda Stanton said on Saturday. “The only thing that matters at this point will be win 20.”
Indiana softball got that 20th consecutive win Stanton and her team were focused on and another as Team 50 swept Sunday’s doubleheader against Ohio State by scores of 6-5 and 10-7.
With sophomore pitcher Heather Johnson starting in the circle for Indiana, Ohio State’s offense jumped on her early with a solo home run from sophomore outfielder Melina Wilkison in the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. After a scoreless second inning, senior utility player Sam Hackenbracht singled through the right side, driving in Wilkison and extending Ohio State’s advantage to 2-0.
Through the first two innings Indiana’s offense had been unable to get anything going, only totaling one hit, but the Hoosiers were once again able to string together a couple hits to get back into the game. Senior utility player Cora Bassett got the Hoosiers' first run on the board, scoring on a passed ball. A sacrifice fly from sophomore third baseman Brianna Copeland allowed senior pinch runner Tatum Hayes to score Indiana’s second run of the game.
While freshman catcher Avery Parker was at the plate, sophomore first baseman Sarah Stone took off for second base, baiting a throw from freshman catcher Hannah Church that allowed freshman pinch runner Cassidy Kettleman to score Indiana’s third run of the game. After that eventful play, Parker belted an RBI double to left center field to drive in Stone and give Indiana a 4-2 lead.
The Buckeyes were unable to respond in the fourth inning and proceeded to give up a pair of RBI singles from freshman second baseman Taryn Kern and Stone, increasing Indiana’s lead to 6-2. Ohio State was able to respond in the fifth inning, scoring via an error from sophomore outfielder Kinsey Mitchell and an RBI single from sophomore infielder Kami Kortokrax. The Hoosiers were able to shut down the Buckeye’s offense in the sixth and seventh innings en route to a close 6-5 victory.
In the second game of the twin bill, it was Indiana’s offense that opened the scoring in the first inning. Back-to-back home runs from Kern and sophomore outfielder Taylor Minnick gave the Hoosiers a 3-0 lead after the first inning. A scoreless second inning was followed by a three-run frame from Ohio State in the third as a wild pitch from Copeland allowed Wilkison to score. A two-run home run from Sam Hackenbracht leveled the score at three a piece, but Indiana had an opportunity to respond in the bottom half of the inning.
“You have hitters in front of you, you have hitters behind you and you have game- changers on the bench,” head coach Shonda Stanton said after defeating Butler University on March 28.
With the bases loaded and two outs, senior Abby Meeks stepped to the plate to pinch hit for freshman outfielder Cassidy Kettleman. With the game being tied, the Hoosiers desperately needed to take advantage of having the bases loaded. Meeks was the game changer off the bench, launching a bases-clearing double to left field to give Indiana a 6-3 lead.
After a scoreless fourth inning, each team scored two runs in the fifth to make the score 8-5. A home run from Church in the top of the sixth inning cut the score to 8-6 before Indiana added two runs in the bottom of the sixth via solo home runs from Minnick and Copeland. Ohio State attempted to make a rally in the seventh, scoring a run on an error by Stone, but freshman pitcher Sophie Kleiman closed out the game to give Indiana a 10-7 victory.
Over the three-game series against the Buckeyes, junior shortstop Brooke Benson struggled at the plate going a combined 2-9. However, Benson was near perfect at shortstop this weekend with five putouts and 19 assists with just one error.
“How about Brooke Benson defensively? She is so good and so surehanded,” Stanton said after the series. “That play she made with a bouncer where they have a green runner, to be able to do that, I was super impressed with her.”
With the three victories against the Buckeyes and the winning streak now standing at 21, Stanton preached to her team that although they have set a program record, there is still more to prove.
“We’ve gotten out and we’ve won a fast start,” Stanton explained. “We’ve won the day, we’ve won a fast start, and we are building confidence.”
Indiana, now on the longest winning streak in program history, improves to 28-9 and 8-0 in Big Ten play. Team 50 will return to play on the road against Western Kentucky University on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
