Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box | Maggie Calcaterra Postgame

INDIANAPOLIS – Playing in front of its home crowd for the first time this season, the IUPUI softball team overcame a 4-1 loss in its first game of a doubleheader by rebounding with an 8-6 win over Western Illinois to salvage a split Saturday at the IUPUI Softball Complex.

The split moved the Jaguars record to 6-11 on the season and evened their record at 1-1 in Summit League play.

“We were more disciplined in the second game compared to the first game at the plate,” said head coach Maggie Calcaterra. “We made a lot of great defense plays throughout the first game and the second game and it was our defense that kept us in both games.”

Coming off a 4-1 loss in the opening game, Western Illinois jumped in front with a run in the top of the first inning in Game 2 putting IUPUI in an early 1-0 deficit.

After both teams failed to score in their next at-bats, the Jags struck in the bottom of the second to take their first lead of the day.

Following a one-out hit by Jenny Royse, Ashley Seering delivered a one-out single before Julie Love was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Two batters later, Aundria Basquez brought home a run when she took a fastball off her back allowing Royse to touch home while keeping the bases loaded with two outs. During the next at-bat, Nicole Checkie came through with a double to left-center field plating two runs upping the Jaguars lead to 3-1.

In the bottom of the third, IUPUI continued to swing the bats well leading to another three-spot. Eryn Dillon led the inning off with a solo home run to left field, marking her first career round-tripper. Later in the inning with two runners in scoring position, Love delivered a two-RBI single widening the Jags advantage to 6-1.

Following a Western Illinois solo home run in the fourth, the Jaguars got that run back in their half of the fourth courtesy of a two-RBI single from Leah Prewitt, before a dropped fly ball with the bases loaded in the fifth helped IUPUI bring another run home as their lead expanded to 8-3.

Things got tight in the final frame with WIU using a three-run home run to cut its deficit to 8-6, before threatening to take the lead with the bases loaded and one out. However, Nikki Thomas forced a fly out and a line out to end the threat and secure the 8-6 win for the Jags.

In Game 1, IUPUI struggled to string together hits while the Leathernecks managed to belt three solo home runs in the midst of tallying 13 base knocks leading to the 4-1 victory.

Checkie and Love each recorded multi-hit and multi-RBI games in the second game of the double header to lead IUPUI to the victory, while Checkie led the Jags on the day with three combined hits.

In the circle, Jocelyn Oppenhuis earned the victory in the second game giving up six hits and six runs, while striking out five in six innings of work. After pitching just 2.1 innings in the opener, Thomas came in to close out the second game resulting in her second save of the season.

The Jags and Leathernecks play the rubber match of their three-game set on Sunday, March 11, when they meet at the IUPUI Softball Complex at Noon.