Indiana softball defeated Minnesota 2-1 in the Hoosiers’ Big Ten opening series. After two games of inconsistent offense that led Indiana to split the first two games of the set, the Hoosiers’ offense woke up in Sunday’s rubber match, leading them to a series win over the Golden Gophers.
Indiana’s offense stalled in the first game of the series. The Hoosiers did not score a single run in Friday’s 2-0 loss. Indiana’s hitters went a combined 2 for 23 from the plate, with the only hits coming from senior outfielder Ellie Goins and sophomore infielder Madalyn Strader.
The second game of the set was a better offensive performance for the Hoosiers, as Indiana bounced back and defeated Minnesota 5-0 on Saturday. The Hoosiers registered nine hits, punctuated by a two-RBI triple from sophomore infielder Josie Bird in the bottom of the sixth inning that put Indiana up 5-0 and put the game out of reach for good.
Indiana ninth-year head coach Shonda Stanton praised her team’s recovery from the disappointing offensive performance in Friday’s game. Stanton said that the team’s fundamentals and discipline at the plate were much better in the second game of the series.
“I felt we had better swing decisions today,” Stanton said Saturday. “I thought we did a better job owning one half of the plate, and I think any time that you can simplify things at the plate, it’s going to make your job a lot easier.”
The series-tying win for Indiana set up a pivotal match Sunday. Indiana rode the momentum of a five-run fifth inning to win a back-and-forth game 6-4. There was more offensive production from both programs in Sunday's game, as Indiana racked up nine hits and Minnesota tallied eight.
Indiana posted five runs in the fifth inning to take a lead it would not relinquish. It started with an RBI single from senior catcher Avery Parker to put the Hoosiers on the board. Bird hit an RBI single of her own, and then Parker came home to score because of a Minnesota error. Finally, Strader hit a two-run home run to right field to increase Indiana’s lead to 5-2.
From there, Minnesota managed to cut the deficit to one run in the top of the sixth inning with a home run from senior infielder Maggie Werner. However, Indiana added another run to its total via an RBI single from Parker, and the Golden Gophers would not score again. Sophomore pitcher Ella Troutt closed out the game for Indiana, only allowing one hit the rest of the way as the Hoosiers secured the victory.
“The goal today was to be disciplined and dominant,” Stanton said Sunday. “We were disciplined. We didn’t dominate; we had grit. Today was disciplined and gritty. And that’s welcome to the Big Ten.”
Parker also praised her teammates’ resolve and confidence at the plate, noting Strader’s home run but also the little things that each of her teammates did to help lead Indiana to the win.
“We feed off each other. It takes all 21 of us to get a win,” Parker said postgame. “Like I said, when you have people like [Madalyn] Strader who, you know, it’s not usually the big hit like that, it’s usually just the consistency that fires everyone else up.”
Following the Hoosiers’ win in their Big Ten opener, Indiana will be back in action against the University of Loyola-Chicago at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and @jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
