In the bottom of the seventh, the Hoosiers looked to make magic happen and were in a challenging position. Junior pitcher and utility player Brianna Copeland got a powerful base hit straight up the field, but the offense could not execute. The loss snapped the team's eight-game win streak.
Despite enduring two weather-related postponements, the Indiana softball team finally faced Purdue on Wednesday. The weather was now a perfect backdrop with the sun beaming down on Andy Mohr Field for the doubleheaders.
The Hoosiers entered coming off a walk-off win against the University of Notre Dame on Tuesday and came out with the same energy.
In the batter's box, Indiana was fierce. It had an electric first inning, grabbing its first three runs of the day from RBIs courtesy of junior outfielder Taylor Minnick and junior infielder Sarah Stone. A double steal brought Stone home to get the third run.
The Boilermakers also started hot in the circle after an RBI single put them on the board first. However, junior pitcher and utility player Brianna Copeland quickly turned Purdue ice cold with her pitching in the circle, throwing for the entire first game, allowing two hits that came in the first inning. Copeland retired 12 of the last 13 batters. Her ERA for the season is now 2.52.
The Hoosiers' strong infield, consistently making plays, also helped Copeland. The infield — featuring two freshmen in Alex Cooper and Aly VanBrandt — displayed chemistry. Indiana sits fifth in assists in the Big Ten with 310 total thus far this season.
“It’s a heck of a defense and some elite defense,” Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton said. “Alex was money, Benny makes it look easy, Aly’s making the plays and Stone’s great on dirt. When you look at our team, we are talented, and winning is hard, and sometimes we make it look really easy.”
Two sacrifice flies in the bottom of the fourth and sixth innings brought the Hoosiers lead to a 5-1 win in the first game of the doubleheader.
The second game was neck and neck, ending dramatically with Purdue stealing home off a wild pitch to snatch the lead in the top of the seventh inning.
The Hoosiers and Boilermakers are at the top of the Big Ten in stolen bases, with Indiana having the advantage with 99 on the season. Purdue is just behind with 85. Except this time, the Boilermakers got the last laugh after the game-winning steal at home to make it a 6-5 win.
Sophomore pitcher Sophie Kleiman filled the shoes of Copeland in the second game. She began to struggle in the top of the third when Purdue put two runs on the board. Senior pitcher Macy Montgomery took over shortly after to stop the hurting. Shortly after Montgomery entered the circle, Purdue scored two more runs. Copeland entered after having a long game prior, during which she and the infield handled the Boilermakers offense.
Two Hoosiers went yard in the second game, one coming from Stone with a two-run home run while sophomore catcher Avery Parker hit a solo home run and a two-run slam to right field that put the Hoosiers up late. Parker's batting average is now .336 in the season.
Indiana sits at 31-13 on the season and 7-7 in Big Ten play.
Looking ahead for the Hoosiers is a road trip to Iowa City to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday through Sunday. The last time Indiana faced the Hawkeyes was in 2021, where it went 1-3. This time, Iowa sits under the Hoosiers in Big Ten standings, only being 4-8 in conference play and 16-18 overall while having a six-game losing streak.
“If you want to be playing in the postseason, you got to win ballgames this time of year,” Stanton said. “You got to start fast, gotta play hard in the middle, and you got to finish strong. These last ten games, we got to finish strong.”
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Sam Elster (@samelster1) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
