Indiana turned a tightly contested midweek game into a runaway in a single inning, erupting for eight runs in the fourth behind a blend of small ball, aggressive baserunning and timely power to defeat Notre Dame 11-1 in five innings Tuesday night in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers set the tone early in the first inning playing small ball, and without an extra base hit, was able to manufacture a run. Aly VanBrandt drew a walk, and Avery Parker reached on an infield single to put pressure on the defense. Jada Ellison entered as a pinch runner and immediately stole a base, helping set up Josie Bird’s sacrifice fly to give Indiana a 1-0 lead.
Notre Dame responded in the second inning to briefly tie the game, but Indiana’s aggressive style quickly began to tilt the field. Brooke Mannon singled and stole second, and Cassidy Kettleman laid down a picture perfect bunt that turned into chaos for the Irish defense turning into a series of errors on the play allowing Mannon to score and Kettleman to take advantage of the breakdown and reach second, helping Indiana reclaim control at 3-1.
Then came the fourth, where Indiana’s approach came fully into focus.
Head coach Shonda Stanton has preached the importance of the “big inning” all season long, and credited her team's ability to mix approaches at the plate and make it happen.
“We had small ball and base running, three stolen bases, we did a little bit of everything—bang the fences, clutch hit, small ball, good pitching, good defense,” Stanton said. “And that’s what we’ve been chasing, is the big inning.”
Indiana opened the fourth by taking advantage of Notre Dame pitching miscues which ended up stacking traffic on the bases for Indiana, with Madalyn Strader, Ellie Goins and Hannah Haberstroh reaching to load the bases. Mannon drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in a run, and Josie White was hit by a pitch to force in another. From there, the floodgates opened.
Alex Cooper had delivered a walk-off grand slam against Notre Dame two seasons ago, and once again found herself producing a defining power swing against the Irish.
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Cooper stepped up into the box with nothing but confidence, something that was contagious throughout the Hoosier lineup. Without hesitation she gave everyone a flashback moment as she leaned back and crushed a ball to deep center field for a grand slam, blowing the game wide open and pushing Indiana out front with that “big inning.”
When asked about it after, Cooper brushed off the comparison, but acknowledged the past five games, all against in-state opponents.
“I didn’t really think about it,” Cooper said. “But it’s fun. We own this state – it’s just a fun thing to do.”
But Indiana wasn’t done after the grand slam. Following Cooper, Parker singled, Bird reached on an error, setting up Goins who delivered a two-RBI double to the left-center gap to extend the lead even further as the Hoosiers piled it on the Irish in a very one-sided fourth.
The fourth inning encapsulated Stanton’s emphasis on versatility – the ability to bunt, steal, walk and hit for power in the same stretch.
“You can either bang the fences or you can drop it down,” Stanton said. “It keeps the defense on their toes and puts pressure on them when they know we can do both.”
While the offense stole much of the spotlight, Indiana’s pitching staff and defense quietly controlled the entire game, anchored by another dominant outing in the circle from Ella Troutt.
Troutt was perfect in relief, not allowing a single base runner after entering, and extending her streak to 16 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. Her ability to completely shut down Notre Dame preserved momentum and ensured the game stayed firmly in Indiana’s control after the second inning.
Notre Dame went quietly in the fifth, with Indiana’s defense closing the door. Strader and Kettleman both made standout plays to secure the run-rule victory.
After the game, third baseman Strader and shortstop Cooper emphasized the trust and chemistry and confidence across Indiana’s infield defense.
“Left side, strong side – nothing gets through, nothing gets by us,” Strader said.
Stanton has been pleased with how her team has been playing as of recent, but isn’t ready to let off the gas anytime soon.
“We’re playing our best ball right now,” Stanton said. “We’ve got to keep it rolling.”
The Hoosiers are going to need to carry that momentum into Wednesday’s matchup as they head down south to face off against the No. 25 ranked Louisville Cardinals.
The matchup features two of the most aggressive base running teams in the country as both squads rank in the top 10 nationally in stolen bases per game. Indiana has been able to put pressure on its opponents on the basepaths this season, but Wednesday’s matchup will show whether IU can handle the pressure as well. The first pitch is at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Ulmer Stadium in Louisville.
