INDIANAPOLIS – A cold, grey and blustery morning set the stage for a bitter day for the Jaguars, as the IUPUI softball team (16-26, 6-5) saw a gigantic offensive effort drowned out in a doubleheader sweep at the hands of South Dakota (17-25, 8-6) Saturday (April 22), losing the games 9-17 and 6-9. The 17 runs surrendered in the first game is the most in program history, a record that muddles the huge production by the Jags in other aspects of the game.
Despite what felt like an onslaught at times, the Jags enjoyed some outstanding offensive performances from the likes of
Maggie Good and
Roni Patterson. Good returned to her power-hitting ways, as the senior first baseman clubbed three homeruns in a 5-for-6 combined effort, scoring six RBIs on 15 total bases to claim the Summit League lead in both long balls and runs knocked in. Patterson went 5-for-8 with four doubles and a homerun, scoring three RBIs in the process. Her outpour earned her the all-time program record for most RBIs in a career, as she now stands alone at 134.
Fellow seniors
Alyssa Matson and
Taylor Chitwood also had fine afternoons at the plate, as the duo combined for a 7-for-15 performance in the top-two spots in the lineup. Matson had four hits with a run scored while Chitwood socked a homerun while bringing home six batters. Collectively, IUPUI hit .422 across two games with five homeruns and 14 RBIs on a day in which the Jags slugged .766.
Standing in stark contrast to the offense was the collective day turned in by both the defense and the pitching. Seven combined errors on a team .881 fielding percentage soured the day, as the pitching staff was buried with a cumulative 9.69 ERA on a .484 batting average against. The Coyotes were able to work out two homeruns and six doubles, scoring 26 RBIs, 18 of which were earned runs.
An ugly the record the Jags actually tied earlier in the season, the most runs previously surrendered by IUPUI in a single game was 15, taking place during the 2014 season against Central Michigan. Earlier this year, the Jags gave up 15 runs to Indiana State in a bewildering game in which the Sycamores bunted, chopped and ran their way to a 15-8 victory.
The offense of the Jaguars is now up to a season total .279 average, as both Good and Patterson have combined to knock 20 homeruns this year, and 67 since coming together their freshman season. The duo rank second and third in IUPUI lore, as Patterson is just two homeruns shy of tying the program record. Other stats being given chase by the Jaguar backstop include the all-time hits record, as Patterson is just six hits shy at 202.
Other big performances on the day came all throughout the lineup, as
McKenzie Loge continued to rip the cover off the ball against Summit League opponents. The freshman outfielder went 3-for-6 with two RBIs, improving to a .469 average in 11 games against league foes.
Maggie Armstrong and
Maddy Griffin each had two hits, while
Delilah Wright and
Delaney Thompson each collected a solo knock. Impressively, the Jags four best hitters went 17-for-28 combined with no strikeouts on the afternoon.
IUPUI will have an opportunity to bounce back and salvage the series Sunday (April 23), as the Jags will play one against the Coyotes at 11 a.m. EST at the IUPUI Softball Complex. Admission is free and weather conditions are expected to be substantially improved from the previous day.
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