Indiana softball had another efficient and prolific performance from its offense, as the Hoosiers swept the University of Detroit Mercy in a two-game weekend series Friday and Saturday at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington. Indiana won Friday’s game 8-0 and Saturday’s game 7-5.
The Hoosiers had a balanced effort in the first game, as the batting order and pitching rotation were both efficient. Freshman pitcher Aubree Hooks didn’t allow a Titan hit, and Detroit Mercy only got one runner on base.
The offense complemented the pitching. Senior outfielder Cassidy Kettleman started the scoring in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI fielder’s choice that brought home sophomore infielder Madalyn Strader.
Kettleman added an RBI bunt single in the bottom of the fourth inning, and sophomore outfielder Peyton Drummond pushed the Hoosiers’ lead to 3-0 by scoring on a throwing error by the Titans. Junior utility player Aly VanBrandt hit an RBI triple down the right field line, and senior catcher Avery Parker brought VanBrandt home with an RBI sacrifice fly to center field.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, sophomore catcher/utility player Alli Gavin hit a double down the left field line to increase Indiana’s advantage to 6-0. Gavin then scored on a wild pitch, and Strader hit an RBI single in the sixth inning to cap off the Hoosiers’ day.
In Saturday’s game, Indiana dug itself into a hole early. Detroit Mercy jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to Titans junior catcher/infielder Liv Peterson hitting a two-RBI single off Indiana redshirt junior starter Taylor Hess, which were Peterson’s first RBIs of the season.
However, Indiana bounced back as sophomore infielder Josie Bird hit an RBI double to cut the deficit down to one in the bottom of the first inning. After Detroit Mercy added another run, Indiana brought home two runs thanks to two bases loaded hit by pitches to tie the game at three.
Sophomore outfielder Hannah Haberstroh helped the Hoosiers take the lead in the bottom of the third inning with her RBI single into right field. Gavin brought in another run via a fielder’s choice that brought home senior outfielder Ellie Goins.
Goins then connected on a two-RBI triple into center field in the bottom of the fourth inning that increased Indiana’s advantage to four runs. Detroit Mercy scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning and threatened to tie the game with the bases loaded, but Indiana sophomore pitcher Ella Troutt slammed the door on the Titans by allowing zero hits and zero earned runs as the Hoosiers took the 7-5 win and the series sweep.
Ninth-year Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton praised her team’s resilience and ability to secure the sweep. She commended junior pitcher Brooke Mannon and her ability to stabilize the pitching staff after Detroit Mercy took an early advantage in Saturday’s contest.
“I asked her (Mannon) and even the rest of the group, like, ‘Are you having fun playing the game?’” Stanton said. “I think we get so caught up in one pitch or we get so caught up in one at-bat, and sometimes out there, we just…are a little tense. So, I think the expectation is you’re going to come out, and you’re going to score in bunches, and it’s going to be easy. There’s nothing easy.”
Stanton emphasized winning is not about individual performances all the time, but it is about being efficient and productive as a team.
Mannon praised the efforts of both the defense and the offense throughout the series, mentioning Troutt’s play in the top of the seventh inning in Saturday's game.
“I just trust my teammates,” Mannon said. “Like, they had a couple of hits that just landed where nobody was at, and then trust Ella to come in and back me up, and it worked out.”
Indiana will be back in action against UCLA in a three-game set. The first game of the series starts at 10 p.m. Friday at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles. The second and third games of the series will be at 9 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, respectively. All three games will be streamed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and @jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
