On Sunday, Indiana completed its visit to central North Carolina, beating the UNC Greensboro Spartans 10-1 on the final day of the Elon-UNCG Tournament. The win marked Indiana’s second over the Spartans and third via run rule in an undefeated weekend away from home.
Entering The Tar Heel State, Indiana stood at 11-4, having won four of its last five games. When it returns to Bloomington, it will be 16-4, having won nine of its last 10 games, outscoring its adversaries 59-3 this past weekend.
On Sunday morning, the Hoosiers were coming off of an outstanding doubleheader Saturday, during which they beat Charleston Southern 9-0 in five innings and UNC Greensboro, on its home field, 11-0. The blistering offense and astute defense that served Indiana well in Saturday’s triumphs certainly carried over into Sunday, as the Hoosiers sprung into the lead in the very first inning, scoring six runs and sending every member of the lineup to the batter’s box at least once in the opening frame.
While Indiana’s decisive offensive explosion in its first test against UNC Greensboro on Saturday didn’t occur until the sixth inning, the Hoosiers leapt to a large lead with haste in Sunday’s game, pouncing on the Spartans early and setting the tone that would remain in place for all five innings of action. Five hits, four of which being RBI singles, caused the Hoosiers to lead 6-0 before their starting pitcher stepped into the circle.
That starting pitcher was sophomore Ella Troutt, who likely appreciated the run insurance, but may not have needed it. She pitched a quality four innings, recording two strikeouts and allowing just three hits and one run.
UNC Greensboro’s lone score occurred in the second inning, when a wild pitch allowed sophomore Hadley Gardner to scamper to second base, just in time for freshman Jazmin Meija’s double to drive her in for a run.
Troutt responded soundly, though, recording four outs in the next four Spartan at-bats, threatening with strikeouts while the rest of the defense held strong behind her. Prior to the beginning of the fifth inning, junior Brooke Mannon replaced Troutt in the circle, and recorded two strikeouts of her own to help stamp out the possibility of a Spartan rally.
While UNC Greensboro struggled to preserve the life of its innings long enough to generate runs, Indiana gradually added to its advantage. In the second inning, sophomore Josie Bird followed up an Avery Parker double with a two-run homer that brought on a Spartan pitching change. Later on, in the fourth inning, sophomore Madalyn Strader posted an RBI double to put the game in run-rule range, and then scored when senior Ellie Goins grounded out to shortstop.
Alongside quality pitching and a constantly dangerous offense, Indiana’s defense recorded zero errors and fielded with 100% accuracy, continuing to reinforce a well-rounded roster.
The win in five innings in Greensboro serves as the last opportunity for Indiana to improve and evolve ahead of conference play. Sunday’s triumphant performance suggests that the Hoosiers are firing on all cylinders as they prepare to host their first Big Ten opponent of the season.
Indiana will challenge the 7-13 Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday at 6 p.m. to begin a three-game home series. The two sides will square off again on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. as they look to start Big Ten action off on the right foot.
The Hoosiers certainly appear to be prepared to find success in conference play after a 5-0 weekend on the East Coast. In its 10-1 road win over UNC Greensboro, Indiana displayed its potent offense, quality pitching and keen defense, which it hopes to elevate even further during the Big Ten season.
