Indiana softball bounced back from a tough weekend to post a winning record this weekend in the UNCG Greensboro Invitational. The Hoosiers went 3-2 and now stand at 6-8 overall.
The weekend competition consisted of Delaware, UNC Greensboro and UCONN. The Hoosiers started their first game off strong on Friday. The Hoosiers pushed past the Blue Hens, hitting four home runs. With a final score of 11-0, the game lasted only five innings to win the first game of the invitational. Early on, Sarah Stone hit a two-run home run to the left-center field to start the game with a 2-0 lead.
By the bottom of the first inning, the Hoosiers deepened this lead with Avery Parker driving an RBI double to right field and the Hoosiers were up 4-0. The team scored seven runs collectively on six hits in the bottom of the fourth inning. They rounded this game out with Minnick hitting a three-run home run.
On Saturday, the team carried the same energy against Delaware for their second matchup. The Blue Hens could not offensively stop the Hoosiers as Sarah Stone hit an RBI single, and Briana Copeland followed suit earning two more RBIs for the team, ending the top of the first inning 2-0. As for the defensive side of things, Indiana would keep the Blue Hens at bay holding them off with a couple of flyouts and a pop-out.
This didn’t last for long when Delaware would score three runs and take the lead. The Hoosiers battled to stay in the game by scoring three runs on top of the third to retake the lead, 5-3. Delaware making an error, Taryn Kern would hit her first career home run to deepen the lead to 6-3. The Blue Hens tried to play catch-up, scoring a final run, but it was too late. The Hoosiers were victorious for the second time in the tournament.
Later Saturday, Indiana would go on to face the UNC Greensboro team. This game ended up being a grind for the Hoosiers. Cora Basset started the Hoosiers off with a leadoff single for the team. She came around on a Stone double. Minnick continued the help by hitting a two-run single for Indiana to start strong with a 3-0 lead.
UNCG would not let this moment last. After the first two innings, the Spartans would begin to score with back-to-back home runs. Indiana’s defense tried to hold the opponent, but they continued to score when hitting an RBI single.
The competition continued for the two teams. Bassett hit her home run of the season. The game of tag continued when UNCG hit another home run as well. The fourth inning concluded with a score of 5-4. Not much action followed until the Spartans hit a home run to left field and stole the victory in the bottom of the sixth.
This hard-fought game for the Hoosiers ended in a loss but showcased Basset hitting her third home run of the season and showing great success as it was her 15th career at Indiana.
Sunday would be the last day the Hoosiers would be at Greensboro in a doubleheader against UCONN and UNCG. During the UCONN game, the Hoosiers struggled to find an offensive answer against the Huskies. UCONN would lead off the game with a home run and hit another in the third inning to lead 3-0. Indiana tried to make a comeback, having three hits but no other successes.
The game ended with a 5-0 loss against Connecticut and was a stumble for the Hoosiers at the invitational.
Indiana would regain its footing not too long after against UNCG during the final game for the weekend. Minnick started the game strong with a three-run homer to clear the bases in the first inning. They would continue to score and take ahold of the game offensively.
The Spartans tried to keep up with the Hoosiers but could not find much success. UNCG scored on a bases-loaded single. They added two runs but would not find another opportunity to score. By the top of the third, Indiana took control of the game with eight runs. An RBI double to left-center brought the score to 12-2. By the fourth inning, the Hoosiers would continue to score four more hits to take the lead and win with a staggering 17-2 against UNCG.
Indiana batted this weekend to end with a 6-8 record early on in the season. The Hoosiers will continue to bring this energy next weekend at home for the Hoosier Classic.
The team hopes to divvy more wins next weekend against Purdue-Fort Wayne, IUPUI, Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Green Bay at Andy Mohr.
