NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The IUPUI softball used some late-game heroics from
Eryn Dillon to rally for a 3-2 win over Belmont in its season-opener Friday evening at the 2015 Music City Classic.
Trailing 1-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Dillon blasted a one-out, solo home run to keep the Jaguars alive. In extra innings, IUPUI put two runs across the plate and that would be enough to hold on to a one-run victory as it improved to 1-0 on the season.
In her first start as a Jaguar,
Brooke Boetjer went all eight innings giving up four hits and two runs while striking out five to earn the victory. Boetjer also led the way at the plate posting two hits along with
Sarah Lawrence.
"We got off to a little bit of a slow start, but a win is a win and today was a good start for us," head coach
Amanda Rivera said. "With this being our first game, there are things we need to improve on, but it was great to see Brooke get a win for us and Eryn had a great at-bat in the seventh to extend the game."
IUPUI put runners on in each of the first three innings, but it couldn't get a run on the board. Meanwhile, Boetjer allowed just one runner to reach base through the first three Bruins at-bats leaving the game scoreless heading into the fourth.
After the Jaguars were retired in order in their half of the fourth, a two-out walk came back to hurt the Jags in the bottom of the frame. Following the walk, a double scored a run putting IUPUI behind, 1-0.
Belmont escaped a two on, nobody out jam in the sixth to keep its one-run lead intact, but in the seventh it was Dillon's home run to center field with one out that evened the score and put all the momentum in the IUPUI dugout.
After Boetjer set down the Bruins in the seventh to send the game to extra innings, it was the IUPUI offense that came through again in the eighth. To start extra innings,
Morgan Schlobohm was placed on second base and she quickly moved to third base on a lead-off single from
Ali Mosier. Mosier's heads-up base running on the throw from the outfield to try and pick off Schlobohm allowed Mosier to move up to second and that would prove to be vital later in the frame. Following Mosier's single, Lawrence brought home Schlobohm on a sacrifice fly, and Mosier moved to third on the sacrifice.
Roni Patterson then lifted a sacrifice fly of her own to score Mosier, and that insurance run would prove to be the difference.
In the bottom of the eighth, Belmont scored one run, but Boetjer forced a game-ending ground out to secure the come-from-behind win.
Up next for the Jaguars is a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 7, against Ball State and Lipscomb. Both games will be played at Lipscomb's Draper Diamond at 10 a.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET.
