WESTFIELD, Ind. – An impressive show of force on both sides of the ball, the IUPUI softball team (19-26, 9-5) was dominant in the team's doubleheader sweep of Omaha (13-28, 4-7) Sunday afternoon (April 30), run-ruling the Mavericks 9-1 in five innings before closing out a strong 7-3 second game. The win puts the Jags just half a game back of a current two-way tie for first-place and guarantees them a spot in the Summit League Tournament.
Displaced and delayed because of an excess of rain, the Jags took the matchup north to Grand Park in Westfield, where the team got a quick start by beginning their scheduled doubleheader at 9:45 a.m. EST in anticipation of bad weather. The early start had no ill effects on the Jags, as the team swung a collective .385 batting average over two games, posting 15 RBIs with 16 runs scored.
Maggie Good added to her league leading numbers with a 3-for-6 day, swatting a double with an RBI. Fellow seniors
Taylor Chitwood,
Roni Patterson, and
Alyssa Matson all finished with two hits each, as all three earned two RBIs a piece.
Delilah Wright delighted with a 3-for-5 performance, picking up two RBIs with two runs all while handling a big role in an extended center field that stretched beyond the IUPUI Softball Field dimensions.
Perhaps the biggest contribution the Jags received came from
Nickole Finch in the circle, as the leftie started both games and finished in complete game fashion, tossing 12 innings while giving up just four earned runs. She struck out 11 batters while surrendering 11 hits with three walks, limited the Mavericks to a .250 batting average against her. She improved to 12-10 on the season.
The entirety of the IUPUI offense all came in the bottom of the third inning in game one, as the Jags offense went ballistic in responding to a single run by the Mavs in the top half.
Mandy Dallas started the frame by tripling to right center field, and stayed there despite Wright singling to the pitcher on the next at-bat.
McKenzie Loge came up and uncorked a single through the right side, picking up her 12th RBI of the season and maintaining a hot-handed .475 batting average against league opponents. Matson then ripped a single through the middle to plate Wright, her eighth RBI against league teams. Chitwood kept the merry-go-round in action, singling to score two runs and bust the game wide open. After Patterson reached on a fielder's choice and Good singled,
Maggie Armstrong rocked a single through the left side, to bring home her three-time All-Summit League teammate.
Delaney Thompson then tip-toed through the tulips and made her way to home plate, as she knocked a single to center field to score another run. After a pitching change by the Mavericks, Dallas got her second hit of the innings by hitting a single down the left field line and scoring Armstrong for her fifth RBI of the year. A wild pitch and a single from Wright that brought home two more runs forced the Mavs to make their second pitching change of the evening, as they were finally able to escape the nightmare with a pair of groundouts.
Finch handled the rest of the action, as she gave up just one earned run on three hits while striking out six. The Jags kept the game in check and eventually cashed in on their big inning, ending the game in a run-rule in five innings.
In game two, the top-four hitters in the IUPUI lineup combined to go 6-for-13, as the seniors hammered their way to a victory. Matson, Patterson and Good combined for four RBIs on five hits, as the team enjoyed another strong outing from Finch. The Jags pitcher fought off fatigue and went the distance in a seven-inning performance, giving up eight hits and three earned runs with five strikeouts. The Jags batted. 333 for the game.
The afternoon concluded with the four IUPUI seniors being honored following their final home games of their collegiate careers. The quad will look to lead the Jags into the Summit League Tournament with a full head of steam, as IUPUI looks win its first-ever tournament.
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