Indiana softball returned to Florida for a midweek game March 13 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Then, the Hoosiers headed to Gainesville, for the Florida Tournament over the weekend. In the Sunshine State, Team 51 went 3-2, with two losses during challenging games against No. 10 University of Florida.
Wednesday, March 13
To begin the trip, the Hoosiers took on FAU in a slow midweek matchup. Through four innings, the game was scoreless. It stayed that way until Indiana scored in the top of the fifth inning when senior shortstop Brooke Benson placed a bunt in front of home plate to set up the Hoosiers for a bases-loaded situation.
Junior pitcher and utility player Brianna Copeland followed up on the bases-loaded setup and hit a single up the middle to score two runs for the Hoosiers and give them a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Owls responded in the bottom of the fifth frame with one run, cutting their deficit in half. Once again, it was an uneventful sixth inning followed by redshirt senior utility player Cora Bassett and junior outfielder Taylor Minnick hitting an RBI single and double to give Indiana a comfortable 4-1 lead in the top of the seventh inning.
Sophomore pitcher Sophie Kleiman closed the door on the Owls when she captured the Hoosiers’ 10th win in a row.
Bassett’s RBI single marked the 200th hit of her career, occurring on the same field where she recorded her first hit in 2020 when she began her college career at Purdue.
Friday, March 15
The Hoosiers began the Florida Tournament playing against Mercer University, where the Bears took the early lead, scoring three runs in the top of the second inning to go up 3-0.
But freshman infielder Alex Cooper smashed the ball over the right field fence for a solo home run, giving the Hoosiers their first response and making it a 3-1 game in the bottom of the second inning. That was Cooper's third home run of her career as a Hoosier, showcasing her star potential Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton raved about ahead of the season.
In the bottom of the third, sophomore catcher Avery Parker hit a three-run home run to center field, putting the Hoosiers up 4-3. Parker’s home run marked her fifth of the season.
The sticks continued to make contact for Indiana as Minnick added another run to the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a single through the right side, scoring Bassett and advancing to a 5-3 lead. Mercer got back on the scoreboard with a run from a bases-loaded walk in the top of the sixth inning, making it a 5-4 game.
The Hoosiers responded in the inning after adding three more runs and extended the lead to 8-4 with Copeland and Minnick each recording RBI singles.
With Indiana’s 8-4 win, Kleiman’s record in the circle improved to 7-0.
Saturday, March 16
On the second day of the Florida Tournament, Team 51 started the day against Mercer for a rematch, then took on the tournament host, the Florida Gators.
Indiana's offense started early with junior infielder Sarah Stone's grand slam in the top of the first inning, putting the Hoosiers up 4-0. The Bears didn’t respond until the bottom of the second inning, when they scored one run off a wild pitch to make it 4-1.
In the third inning, three separate Hoosiers hit home runs. Minnick hit a two-run home run, marking her seventh home run of the season. Right after Minnick’s at-bat, Parker ripped one to left center for a solo home run. The third Hoosier to extend the lead was Stone for the second time in the game with a two-run shot. By the end of the third inning, Indiana was up 9-1.
Indiana’s defense held Mercer from making any comeback, taking a 9-2 win in its first game of the day.
Next up was a testing game for the Hoosiers against No. 10 Florida.
Florida got an early lead, going up 7-0 through the first five innings, leaving Indiana scoreless. It was only in the top of the sixth inning that the Hoosiers finally got on the board when Bassett launched a two-run home run over the left field wall to make it a 7-2 score.
They kept it going as Copeland doubled to left center, followed by Minnick hitting another home run to right field to cut the lead to 7-4.
That was until the Gators hit a home run of their own in the bottom of the sixth inning to close the door on the Hoosiers, snapping their 12-game win streak with a 10-4 win.
Sunday, March 17
In Sunday's rematch against Florida, the Hoosiers couldn’t get it going on offense and were in a situation they had not seen themselves in so far this season.
Florida led 2-0 after two innings with an RBI single and home run. In the third and fourth innings, the Gators put together two four-run innings to extend their lead to 10-0.
Indiana had three different pitchers in the circle on Sunday: Copeland, Kleiman, and junior pitcher Heather Johnson. They all failed to control the dominant Gator offense.
While Indiana had the bases loaded in the top of the fourth with two outs, it could not score, ultimately leading Florida to win 10-0 after five innings due to the run rule.
Coming off this weekend, the Hoosiers look to start a new winning streak as they begin Big Ten play next week. Indiana will next play at Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania, from Friday through Sunday.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Sam Elster (@samelster1) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
