Last season, Indiana softball faced Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. Despite the game slipping from Indiana’s grasp — a 1-0 lead entering the bottom of the seventh vanished when Northwestern scored two runs to snatch the championship — the Hoosiers have not let that loss define them. Instead, it has fueled their determination and set the stage for a comeback this season.
“The loss against Northwestern in that Big Ten [Tournament Title] game, I'll never forget about it. That's just something that fuels you. I mean the freshmen, they understand, but they don't because they've had their own experiences,” redshirt senior utility player Cora Bassett said pre-season. “But I know the returners; we just feel like we'll never forget. We’re this close. We were one run away. I just think it's something we think about a lot — it doesn’t leave me. I'm definitely taking that into the season.”
For the last regular-season series, the Hoosiers traveled to Evanston, Illinois, to take on Northwestern, ranked No. 20 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers were coming off a series loss to Wisconsin and needed wins to boost their rankings for the Big Ten Tournament.
Team 51 came out aggressive in Game 1 on May 3 and led 3-1 through the first five innings. The Wildcats, who scored their first run in the bottom of the fourth inning, continued to score in the fifth and sixth while completing their lead with a three-run home run to make it a 6-3 game en route to the first win of the series.
Junior pitcher and utility player Brianna Copeland tossed for the Hoosiers, excelling despite the final score. She threw five strikeouts while pitching the entire game. While the Hoosiers came out fierce in the first half of the game, they could not execute in the second half in the batter’s box. After their scoring run through the first four innings, only one Hoosier recorded a hit for the rest of the game.
In Game 2 on May 4, the Hoosiers looked hungry to get their still-wanted revenge on the Wildcats. While Northwestern took the 1-0 lead early in the bottom of the first inning, the Hoosiers had a response of their own this time around.
Indiana got the bases loaded in the top of the second inning, and sophomore infielder Chloe Geijer made a connection on the first pitch of her at-bat when she was pitch-hitting for sophomore outfielder Cassidy Kettleman. The connection turned into a grand slam over the left-center field wall to make it a 4-1 game. Geijer’s home run was her third of the season.
The Hoosiers extended the lead in the top of the fourth and fifth, adding two runs. Northwestern then got two runs back in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 6-3 game and creep closer. However, Indiana added two insurance runs in the seventh inning to have a commanding lead.
Copeland entered the circle after sophomore pitcher Sophie Kleiman was struck by a hit while pitching. Kleiman exited the game and was escorted to the nearby hospital to be checked out. Prior to leaving the game, Kleiman recorded a pair of strikeouts in two pitched innings. While there is no formal update on Kleiman, she was with the team in the dugout for Sunday’s game.
But the Indiana defense controlled the Wildcats behind Copeland’s authoritative pitching and impressive infield plays.
The Hoosiers snapped Northwestern’s 38-game home winning streak on Sharon J. Drysdale Field with an 8-3 win to tie the weekend series.
Indiana started the scoring in Game 3 on Sunday with junior infielder Sarah Stone’s sac bunt to score Copeland and make it a 1-0 game. It continued into the second inning when junior outfielder Taylor Minnick recorded an RBI single to make it 2-0.
The Wildcats responded in the bottom of the second, scoring one run to shorten the lead. They didn’t stop there, though, making it a 4-2 game in the bottom of the third off a three-run home run.
Both teams hit a scoring drought through the fourth to sixth innings. Copeland returned to the circle for the third time in the series, and she recorded all three outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, striking out three Wildcat hitters. Copeland’s season strikeout count is now up to 157 after this series.
The Indiana offense threatened to score with two outs in the top of the seventh after drawing three walks to load the bases. Freshman infielder Aly VanBrandt couldn’t get it done for the Hoosiers though, as her infield grounder turned into sophomore catcher Avery Parker getting out at second base and crumbling the dreams of a Hoosier comeback.
Northwestern defeated Indiana 4-2 in the final game of the series, giving the Hoosiers a final regular season record of 37-17 and 12-11 in Big Ten play.
If the Hoosiers won Sunday’s matchup, their ranking in the Big Ten Tournament would have been the No. 5 seed. But since they lost, they fell to the No. 8 seed and will face No. 9 seed Purdue in the opening round.
Purdue and Indiana played a doubleheader earlier in the season, which the two teams split 1-1. The second game was won courtesy of the Boilermakers' game-winning steal of home. The matchup between the in-state rivals is set for noon EST on Wednesday. Iowa will host the Big Ten Tournament.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Sam Elster (@samelster1) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
