On March 5, Team 50 found itself sitting at a 7-9 record after a 12-1 loss to Big Ten opponent Wisconsin at home. Now, the Hoosiers are sitting 10 games over .500 with a 19-9 record after a great weekend in Memphis, Tennessee.
Friday afternoon began the first doubleheader for the Hoosiers as they took on Northwestern State and earned a 4-2 victory over the Demons.
Brianna Copeland started in the circle for Indiana and was rewarded with the victory making her 8-0 on the season. Copeland was able to notch four strikeouts in the defensive battle as Heather Johnson filled in for the final two innings adding another two Ks.
In the bottom of the second, Brooke Benson sent a double through the left field gap allowing Avery Parker to get home, earning an RBI, and putting the Hoosiers on the board. Taryn Kern was the highlight (not only of this game), as she went yard in the fourth adding three more runs for Indiana as IU comfortably led 4-2.
The Demons began to have some offense, adding a run in both the top of the fifth and seventh but the comeback was halted with three quick outs to earn IU’s first victory of the weekend.
Indiana took on the Memphis Tigers in the second game on Friday as the Hoosiers took no prisoners, winning 16-2 in five innings.
Heather Johnson earned her sixth win on the year (6-6) while allowing only two hits. Kern once again sent one over the fences as she also contributed with four RBI’s on three at bats.
Saturday saw a doubleheader rematch as Indiana once again took care of business in the first game, taking down Northwestern State for a second time with a score of 11-6.
Copeland recorded another victory in the circle all while not allowing a run in the four innings that she pitched.
Kern once again was a human highlight reel tallying two home runs with one coming at her first at-bat and the second coming at her last at-bat. Overall the Hoosiers were able to ride a steady offense by taking a 10-0 lead heading to the bottom of the fifth.
Abby Meeks had herself a great game with three RBIs on two hits as the Hoosiers were able to sweep the Demons for the weekend.
The final game on Saturday was the Hoosiers’ second win over Memphis. Macy Montgomery pitched a complete game. Montgomery struck out seven batters as the Hoosiers won 6-1.
Copeland got things done early with a bomb to take a 1-0 lead in the second as Indiana took a slow progression to gain a 6-0 lead. Taylor Minnick, Kern and Sarah Stone all added to the scoring load as the Hoosiers ended the weekend 4-0.
Highlighting some of the Hoosiers’ season so far starts with Kern, as she is hitting .418 and now up to nine home runs. Minnick and Stone have each tallied 20 or more RBIs with 27 from Minnick and 21 from Stone. The Swiss Army Knife of Copeland leads the team with 64 strikeouts while hitting .338 with 20 RBIs.
Indiana has gone 10-0 in the state of Tennessee this season as the Hoosiers are set to return home for the first time in three weeks.
Team 50 will have its first Big Ten series of the season as IU hosts the Maryland Terrapins from March 24-26. The Terrapins have been on fire this season with wins over No. 20 Oregon and No. 2 Oklahoma State.
This certainly will pose a tough challenge for Indiana as IU is 0-5 against Top 25 opponents this season. Look out for Amelia Lech who has nine home runs on the year while batting .318.
The 19-9 Indiana squad still has a lot to prove with the Big Ten season looming.
