On the road on Wednesday, Indiana saw its winning streak snapped before it could reach six games, with Louisville emerging victorious, 8-7, after a 10-inning battle filled with oddities and obscurities.
Entering the contest, it was reasonable to expect a great deal of scoring, considering the overall offensive outputs of each squad so far this season. Both the Hoosiers and the Cardinals are amongst the top 25 highest scoring teams in the NCAA.
However, in this midweek clash, it took a few extra innings to reach the anticipated level of production. The two teams combined for five runs in six innings, and 10 runs in the remaining four frames.
Indiana sent five pitchers into the circle, with sophomore Ella Troutt supplying the start. Her five innings of work, in conjunction with the contributions of Brooke Mannon, Taylor Hess and Aubree Hooks, led the way in preventing the dangerous leadoff hitter Chelsea Mack from recording a hit.
Indiana’s lineup leapt to an early lead without much delay, a day after scoring 11 runs at home against Notre Dame. Junior Aly VanBrandt reached scoring position with a small ball approach, posting a single and a stolen base before sophomore Madalyn Strader drove her in with a sacrifice fly ball.
In the fourth inning and with an intact 1-0 lead, Hannah Haberstroh propelled herself into scoring position with a triple and Mannon drove her in with a sacrifice fly of her own. That fourth inning contained a fateful turn of events, though, the effects of which Indiana could never break free from.
Troutt continued to pitch well in her start and the defense behind her provided plenty of support. With a runner on second base and two outs on the board, Taylor Monroe’s pop fly appeared to be in prime position to be caught by VanBrandt near second base. However, as VanBrandt rotated towards the ball, she and an umpire made contact, knocking VanBrandt to the ground.
The ensuing review prompted both coaches to retrieve their rulebooks and pick up their cellphones in search of the next best step. Critically, Troutt had already thrown the next pitch, rendering much of the discussion irrelevant. The play was regarded as an RBI single, and Louisville cut the deficit to one as a result.
The score stayed put at 2-1 until the sixth inning, when the Cardinals added its second run to the tally with two bunts and a single. Mannon replaced Troutt in the circle in response, but continued small ball success granted Louisville the lead. Indiana replaced Mannon with Hess as the lineup card flipped over, and the last two outs of the inning occurred at home plate in swift succession.
Down 3-2 and with three outs to work with, the top of the Indiana lineup returned to the batter’s box at the perfect time. VanBrandt turned a full count into a solo home run by blasting the ball over the right field wall. The Hoosiers loaded the bases shortly after, but suffered from unfortunate luck in pivotal plate appearances, with two potential hits soaring straight to infield defenders.
The seventh inning wasn’t Indiana’s only opportunity to stake its claim to victory, but it certainly served as a chance to pin down a desirable outcome. In extra innings, the lineup ramped up the pressure on the Cardinals, but Louisville responded to every call.
In the eighth inning, Cassidy Kettleman provided a clutch RBI single and later scored on Josie Bird’s RBI single, with Mannon notably thrown out at home in between. Indiana’s lead evaporated in the bottom half of the frame. Monroe posted an RBI double and later scored the tying run when VanBrandt couldn’t quite corral Mack’s bouncing ground ball with two outs on the board.
In the 10th inning, Bird supplied another clutch RBI single, with this one scoring two runs in a meaningful moment. Monroe was equally clutch later in the inning with an RBI single of her own. Indiana returned the ball to Troutt a second stint in the circle as the bases loaded up, but Easton Lotus hit a single down the left field line that served as the walk off. Two runs scored, and Indiana’s trip to Louisville ended with a loss.
The Hoosiers will seek redemption as early as this weekend in a conference series on the road against Iowa. The first pitch of game one is set for 7 p.m. on Friday.
