FARMVILLE Va. - The IUPUI softball team is coming back from the Lancer Lead-Off with a .500 record after defeating Army 9-8 and losing to Longwood 11-3.
Game 1
Box Score
IUPUI staged a four-run seventh inning rally to take a 9-8 decision against Army at the Lancer Lead-Off on Sunday.
The Jaguars (4-3) were the beneficiary of five walks and a hit batsman by Army pitcher Shawna Bleyl.
Bleyl's seventh inning was a nightmare, to say the least. Amy Raker walked to start the inning. Alicia Brewer walked, then Jessica Lam Walked to load the bases with one out. Nikki Thomas' infield single made the game 8-6. Julie Love and Leah Prewitt walked which forced in two runs.
The nightmare continued for Bleyl, who hit Chelsie Hale to force in the winning run. Starting pitcher Haley Pypes was reinserted to stop the damage.
Samantha Bumbaugh closed the game out for IUPUI, picking up her second win of the season.
IUPUI's comeback followed quite the effort by the Black Knights to get back in the game and take the lead. Army's four-run fifth knotted the game at five and Marina Northup's two-run triple in the bottom of the sixth inning gave the Black Knights the lead. Johnson's single made it a three-run deficit.
Army's comeback spoiled a hard-fought performance in the circle by freshman Nikki Thomas. The freshman went four plus innings giving up just two earned runs while striking out four. She was able to mask several Jaguars' defensive mistakes as IUPUI committed five errors in the game.
But, Thomas couldn't last through the fifth. After a double and two straight singles to start the inning, coach Maggie Calcaterra went with Jocelyn Oppenhuis to attempt to put a halt to the damage.
With the score at 5-3, Oppenhuis walked Angela Deger walked to load the bases with no one out. Rachael Duval reached on a fielder's choice on a play where the Jaguars got no one out. That got the Black Knights within one.
With the bases still loaded it looked like Oppenhuis may escape with the lead. Oppenhuis got Johnson to strike out swinging and AuBuchon to pop out. But, the defense let the Jaguars down again when a fielding error allowed the tying run to score.
IUPUI established its four-run lead with three runs in the fourth inning. Croucher walked and stole second. She advanced to third on a foulout by Brewer. Lam walked and ran to second base. Croucher scored on the throw trying to get Lam. Thomas singled to drive home Lam to make it 4-1.
A Love walk prompted a Black Knights' pitching change. The Jaguars treated Northup just as rudely as Pypes. Hale's infield single loaded the bases for Brandi Lawson, who delivered a single giving the Jaguars a 5-1 lead.
IUPUI got on the board first in the top of the second inning. Prewitt got things started with a walk and advanced to second on Hale's groundout. Lawson continued her hot hitting with an RBI-single. Brewer's sacrifice fly put the Jaguars up 2-0.
Thomas had three hits for the Jaguars while Lawson had two.
Game 2
Box Score
Longwood got the best of IUPUI again on Sunday 11-3. The loss gives IUPUI a 2-2 finish on the weekend with both losses coming at the hands of the Lancers.
Croucher's two-run home run was the highlight for the Jaguars, who managed just three hits in the game. Amy Raker's single set the table for Croucher.
It took until two outs in the fifth inning for the Jaguars to put a notch in the hit column. Lam drove home Tori Magner with a two-out double to right-center field.
The Longwood pitching staff held an IUPUI offense that had been stinging the ball, at bay. Starting pitcher Briana Wells threw a complete game giving up just three runs.
Bumbaugh (2-2) struggled in the circle and took the loss for the Jaguars (4-4). The junior went 2.1 innings giving up four earned runs. A home run from Longwood's Nichole Simmons chased her from the game.
The Jaguars will take the field next on Friday at noon against Tennessee Tech. The game is part of a tournament hosted by Tennessee-Chattanooga and will run from February 25-27.
