After clouds lingered for most of Friday, the sun broke through ahead of Indiana softball’s two-game weekend set against the University of Detroit Mercy at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington.
While the sun poked through the clouds, strong winds and cold weather persisted, as the Indiana state and U.S. flags whipped around in left center field.
Between half innings, Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton walked toward her team’s dugout to heat her hands. The elements, however, did not faze freshman pitcher Aubree Hooks.
Hooks delivered the Hoosiers’ first no-hitter of 2026, leading them to an 8-0 run-rule victory Friday. After allowing three runs through the first two innings Saturday, the Cream and Crimson rebounded to notch a 7-5 victory and improve to 27-7 on the season.
“I thought she did an exceptional job today, especially in the elements,” Stanton said of Hooks postgame Friday. “That’s tough to be in the wind and the cold. I know I was going over to the heater every half inning to warm up my hands, so I can’t imagine pitching.”
Hooks opened her six-inning no-hitter outing by retiring the first nine batters she faced. She walked freshman outfielder Jenna Higgins to lead off the fourth frame, but Higgins was the Titans’ only base runner of the evening. Hooks finished with two strikeouts through 79 pitches.
To help Hooks notch her first career no-hitter, Indiana’s defense stepped up. Sophomore third baseman Madalyn Strader made multiple plays along the infield, outstretching her glove to keep balls in front of her.
“It starts with great defense and a good battery, and I thought Strader was exceptional on the corner,” Stanton said.
On Monday against Oregon, Hooks allowed five earned runs and seven hits across 3.1 innings. But she followed it with a career-best performance Friday.
“Well, my defense worked great, and my catchers were great,” Hooks said. “And I worked a lot with coach (Chanda) Bell, and so it’s just a big accomplishment.”
The Hoosiers struggled to score to begin the game, tallying just one run across the first three innings. But Indiana provided Hooks with run support, headlined by a four-run fourth inning, en route to an 8-0 win.
After Hooks dominated in the circle Friday, redshirt junior Taylor Hess earned the start Saturday. Hess did not experience the same success Hooks did the evening prior, as the redshirt junior conceded five base runners and two runs in the first inning.
Junior pitcher Brooke Mannon entered in relief of Hess with one out remaining in the opening frame. Mannon notched the final out to get out of the first inning but surrendered a lead-off home run to begin the second. After giving up her fourth home run of the season, Mannon settled in with a message from Stanton.
“Yeah, I asked her (Mannon) and even the rest of the group, ‘Are you having fun playing the game?’” Stanton said. “You know, I think we get caught up in one pitch, or we get caught up in one at-bat. And sometimes out there, we just look a little tense.”
Mannon, who owns a team-low 2.18 ERA, responded. Across 5.2 innings, she accumulated a career-high eight strikeouts and did not allow another hit until the seventh, when the Hoosiers held a 7-3 lead.
But with her pitch count exceeding 100 in the final inning, Mannon’s arm grew tired. Four consecutive Titans reached base before sophomore pitcher Ella Troutt entered in relief.
Detroit Mercy pulled closer with a sacrifice flyout, bringing the score to 7-5. However, Troutt forced a groundout with the bases loaded to end the game, as Indiana claimed a 7-5 victory and swept the two-game set.
The Hoosiers are now 27-7 on the season, and travel to Easton Stadium in Los Angeles for a difficult test against UCLA –– the No. 8 team in the country heading into this weekend. The three-game series will begin at 10 p.m. EST Friday, followed by a matchup at 9 p.m. Saturday. The series will conclude at 3 p.m. Sunday, and all games will be televised on B1G+.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and @jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
