Indiana’s weekend at the USF Tournament began with a pair of run rule victories for the Hoosiers, the latest of which coming by a score of 10-1 after five innings on Saturday morning against the St. Joseph’s Hawks. The first came in an 8-0 win over Colgate on Friday.
Indiana put its best foot forward as early as the first inning, with junior Aly VanBrandt making her mark on the morning’s action in the team’s very first plate appearance by smashing a triple straight into center field. Junior Alex Cooper’s sacrifice fly drove VanBrandt in for the first run of the game, handing the Hoosiers the lead after just two plate appearances.
Indiana’s immediate and unrelenting offense persisted throughout the opening frame, as all nine members of the Hoosier lineup stepped up to the plate in the first inning. One way or another, eight of those batters reached base and five scored through a variety of methods. A mixture of quality hitting, walks, wild pitches and stolen bases put almost the entire Indiana lineup on the base paths and sent the majority of it all the way around the diamond.
The potent Indiana offense transferred from the first inning to the second inning, with the top of the order returning to the plate. VanBrandt snatched extra bases for the second time with a ground-rule double, placing her in position to be driven home by Cooper’s RBI single. The sixth run of the game at the outset of the second inning warranted what would become a worthwhile St. Joseph’s pitching change.
After pitching a complete seven innings in an 8-2 win over Boston College the day before, senior Taylor Trowbridge stepped into the circle for the Hawks to ease the onslaught. Trowbridge made an immediate impact, dropping the two batters she faced in the second inning down to 0-2 in the count and watching the subsequent hits of both find the gloves of her fellow defenders for a caught fly ball and infield double play.
Neither St. Joseph’s pitcher received much support from the Hawks lineup, though, and the team remained a safe distance away from Indiana on the scoreboard as a result. On multiple occasions in the early portion of the contest, the Hawks were punished for chasing more production than they had any business pursuing.
With two outs in the first inning, junior Julia Shearer earned a double, but was put out on her way to third base. Similarly, in the second inning, senior Riley York doubled into scoring position and the bunt from senior Meghan Sinkus that followed bumped her to third base. Freshman Alivia Heers kept up the momentum, slapping the ball between second and third base. York took off, and was thrown out on her way to home plate.
Although St. Joseph’s scored a run later in the second inning, the Hawks faced adversity on the base paths and struggled to keep up with the explosive Indiana lineup.
The offensive woes didn’t stop there for the team that hails from Philadelphia, as every one of its plate appearances in the third inning resulted in an out. Then, in the fourth inning, the one St. Joseph’s baserunner was caught stealing to end the inning. Indiana freshman Aubree Hooks pitched well throughout the morning to keep the Hawks at bay, with a sharp defense supplying support behind her.
In the meantime, the Hoosiers tacked on to their lead by taking advantage of a tiring Trowbridge. After Indiana sophomore Madalyn Strader popped out to second base, Trowbridge walked two batters. The first of those baserunners, sophomore Hannah Haberstroh, scored off of an RBI single from freshman Josie White.
Entering the fifth inning, Indiana threatened to extend the lead to eight runs, which would trigger the run rule and end the game early with an Indiana triumph. The Hoosiers ballooned their lead in the fifth frame, placing all of the pressure onto the St. Joseph’s lineup, scoring three runs generated by two triples, two singles, two walks and two stolen bases, many of which occurred with two outs on the board.
Leading 10-1, Hooks stepped into the circle for one last pitching performance and sent the three Hawks that stood before her back to the dugout in quick succession. With 10 runs scored by the lineup and five formidable innings pitched by Hooks, Indiana celebrated its win two innings earlier than scheduled.
Following Saturday’s result, Indiana is 2-0 at the USF Tournament in Tampa, Florida and 9-3 on the season as a whole. On Sunday, the Hoosiers will challenge Boston College at 10 a.m. and the host school, South Florida, at 3 p.m. Then, on Monday afternoon, Indiana will close its tournament experience in Tampa with a second opportunity against South Florida at 1:05 p.m. on ESPN+.
In Tampa and across the board, Indiana’s pitchers continue to impress and its lineup continues to deliver explosive and persistent offense while the defense soundly supplies reinforcements. So far at the USF Tournament, Indiana has exhibited quality, well-rounded softball as Big Ten competition creeps ever closer. The win over St. Joseph’s in Tampa acts as another boost in confidence for a team that treks towards a return to the NCAA tournament.
