Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 INDIANAPOLIS – Playing for the first time under interim head coach Jana Fields, the IUPUI softball team used to a complete game from Jocelyn Oppenhuis to earn a split against Indiana State Thursday evening at the IUPUI Softball Complex.

With the split, the Jags record moved to 9-21 overall, while Indiana State’s record adjusted to 12-15.

Game 1 – Box Score (.pdf) | Box Score

The Jags struck first in the bottom of the first and it all began when Nicole Checkie led things off by reaching first thanks to catcher’s interference. After Checkie stole second, she moved to third on a ground out before scoring on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Ashley Seering to place the Jags on top, 1-0.

Over the next five innings, Oppenhuis gave up just one hit while striking out eight, giving her offense a chance to tack on some insurance runs.

IUPUI did just that in the fifth as Nikki Thomas started things off by reaching first base due to a wild pitch on a swinging strike out. Following a stolen base and a one-out single from Kelsey Rupert that moved Thomas to third base, Seering delivered a sacrifice fly scoring Thomas and upping the Jags lead to 2-0.

That insurance run proved to be important as Indiana State struck in the seventh with a two-out solo home run to cut its lead in half, but a soft line out to Oppenhuis ended the game clinching the 2-1 win for the Jags.

Rupert led the squad with two of the team’s four hits, while Seering drove in both runs.

Oppenhuis gave up just two hits while going the distance, and struck out a season-high nine batters en route to improving her record to 4-8.

Game 2 – Box Score (.pdf) | Box Score

The Jags avoided trouble in the first three innings, but could not in the fourth as one ISU hit and one IUPUI error led to three runs for the Sycamores as they took their first lead of the day, 3-0, entering the bottom of the fourth.

IUPUI struggled to get anything going offensively and in the top of the sixth, a three-run homer for Indiana State doubled its lead to 6-0.

Trailing by six entering the seventh, the Jags made a last ditched effort to rally. With two on and one out, Aundria Basquez brought the team to life with a two-run double to left-center field cutting the Jaguars deficit to 6-2. Unfortunately for IUPUI, it could not get any more runs to cross as it dropped Game 2, 6-2.

IUPUI is back in action on Saturday, March 31, when it heads to Chicago, Ill., to take on the UIC Flames in a non-conference doubleheader. The first game of the doubleheader is set to begin at 1 p.m. ET.