Indiana softball improved to 28-10 with a 9-0 home win over Butler University on Wednesday, underscored by nearly perfect pitching.
The Hoosiers’ pitching throughout the game buoyed their efforts against the Bulldogs, as the offense tallied nine runs and 12 hits to secure the victory.
There was not much to speak of offensively for either team until the bottom of the second inning, when sophomore outfielder Hannah Haberstroh hit a solo home run to left-center field to put the Hoosiers up 1-0.
Haberstroh got involved again in the bottom of the third inning with a bases-clearing, three-RBI double and advanced to third base on a Butler throwing error. Haberstroh’s two early hits gave Indiana a 4-0 lead.
Later in the frame, sophomore catcher/utility player Alli Gavin connected on an RBI single into left field to increase the Hoosiers’ advantage to 5-0. Scoring lulled until the bottom of the sixth inning, when junior utility player Brooke Mannon hit an RBI single up the middle.
Senior catcher Avery Parker put the game away for good later on in the inning with a three-run home run into center field, officially clinching the 9-0 shutout win for Indiana.
While the offense did precisely what it needed to do to help secure the victory, the Hoosiers were also led by the dominance of their pitching rotation. The staff gave up just three hits to the Butler offense, led by freshman starter Aubree Hooks’ performance. She pitched four innings and struck out three Bulldog batters while only giving up one walk and three hits.
Hooks was replaced by redshirt junior Taylor Hess in the top of the fifth inning, and she picked up right where Hooks left off. Hess did not give up a single hit or run to Butler from the fifth inning onward, retiring every hitter she faced. Hess struck out one Butler batter and did not give up a walk.
It was a great performance by Indiana’s pitching rotation, who silenced a Butler offense that had entered the game first in the Big East Conference with a .310 batting average.
Butler also struggled on the mound against Indiana’s offense. The Bulldogs’ senior starter Rylyn Dyer gave up three walks and one hit, only lasting one inning before being replaced by redshirt sophomore pitcher Maren Berger.
Berger lasted two innings, and she gave up six hits along with four earned runs and five total runs. Berger was subsequently relieved by freshman pitcher Alyx Johnson. Johnson pitched two innings and only gave up one hit, but she was then relieved by fellow freshman pitcher Kate Murray.
Murray finished the game for Butler, and she gave up four hits and four earned runs in 0.1 innings pitched, including the game-sealing three-run home run to Parker.
Similarly, it was a tough performance at the plate for the Bulldogs. Their only hits came courtesy of sophomore catcher Alona Boydston and junior infielder Olivia Roberts. Butler’s best hitter, junior infielder Makena Alexander, did not manage a hit in the game, going 0 for 2.
Indiana will look to keep its momentum going as they prepare for a three-game series this weekend against in-state rival Purdue at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington. The first game tips off at 6 p.m. Friday, while the second and third games of the set will be at 2 p.m. Saturday and at 5 p.m. Sunday, respectively. The first two games will be streamed on Big Ten+, and the final game will be aired on Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and @jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
