INDIANAPOLIS – Enjoying the fruits of a seven-game winning streak, the IUPUI softball team (13-17, 3-0) will look to extend its winning ways Tuesday (March 28) in a single game matchup with crosstown foe Butler (12-17, 1-1) at the IUPUI softball field at 5 p.m. EST. The contest marks the first of three-straight single game meetings with non-conference opponents.
After it seemed the Jags had ignited in Florida at the Battle at the Beach Tournament after a 4-1 showing, IUPUI opened up Summit League play by sweeping South Dakota State in three games Friday and Saturday (March 24-25).
Nickole Finch was a cornerstone in the success of the Jags, as the junior pitcher went 3-0 from the circle, throwing 17 innings while giving up just three earned runs with 12 strikeouts.
Roni Patterson also had a great weekend, going 6-for-10 with a homerun and four RBIs.
On the season, Finch has led the Jags and the entire Summit League with nine wins on the year, going 9-7 with a 4.38 ERA. In the Jaguars' last eight games, she's lowered her ERA to 1.70 with a 5-1 record. On the season, she's posted 108.2 innings of work on 15 starts while making 24 appearances.
Maggie Good remains the leader in homeruns in the Summit League with eight on the season, swinging a team best .341 with a team-high 29 RBIs. Patterson has surged to a .333 batting average with five homeruns and 20 RBIs, while
Taylor Chitwood is at a .326 clip with three round-trippers and 17 runs knocked across.
Alyssa Matson rounds out the senior squad, as all the fourth-year Jaguars are hitting above .300 (Matson - .321). Out of the leadoff spot, she leads the team with four stolen bases and has a .330 on-base percentage.
As a team, the Jags are hitting .269, but have seen that average climb to .280 in their last eight games. The Jags .332 combined on-base percentage over that stretch has helped key the team's success, in addition to the pitching staff's 1.78 ERA. The lineup has combined for 21 homers on the season with 105 RBIs in 30 games, as the Jags have continued to minimize their risks on the base paths with just nine stolen bases in 10 attempts. The defense has also shown dramatic improvement from the beginning of the year, as the Jags have just seven errors in their last eight games while posting a .970 fielding percentage.
The Bulldogs were able to snap a six-game losing streak by taking the second game in a Big East series with DePaul. The three-game scheduled bout was cut short due to weather this past weekend, as the Bulldogs were able to play two out of the three games. Butler is hitting .279 as a team through 29 games, hitting just six homeruns while surrendering 19 to opponents. The pitching staff has put together a 4.28 ERA, striking out 84 batters through 184.2 innings.
Live stats for the game will be unavailable until further notice.
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