The Indiana Hoosiers (18-5, 2-1) finally solved the riddle of Minnesota Golden Gopher pitcher Sydney Schwartz this weekend in a 6-4 rubber game win on Sunday. Schwartz pitched 11.1 scoreless innings before being tagged for five earned runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Gophers and Hoosiers looked like they were locked in another pitching duel on Sunday after splitting a pair of shutouts already this weekend. The game was scoreless going into the fifth as Aubree Hooks and Schwartz were brilliant in four innings.
Minnesota put runners on first and third to start the fifth inning thanks to a single by Maggie Werner, who would advance to second on a wild pitch, and Cassie Johnson. The Gophers scored when Brooklyn Jones’ hard ground ball went off of Alex Cooper’s glove and into right field for a fielder’s choice RBI and an error. With no outs and runners at second and third IU turned to Saturday’s winning pitcher Ella Troutt.
Minnesota would add another run off Troutt with a Lucy Hooper RBI ground out to the pitcher after a strike out. However, Indiana would limit the damage to just two runs as Troutt got Tara Wolocko to line out to third base.
The Hoosiers entered the bottom of the fifth down 2-0 and facing a pitcher they had not dented the plate against in 11 innings this weekend. Indiana’s luck changed as Cassidy Kettleman drew a lead off walk. Kettleman was erased on an Aly VanBrandt fielder’s choice, but VanBrandt would go to second on a wild pitch. Alex Cooper walked to bring up IU’s best hitter Avery Parker with two on and one out.
Parker singled up the middle to knock in VanBrant as Cooper advanced to third. Josie Bird followed with an RBI single to right field to tie the score at two and set the Hoosiers up with runners on the corners and one out. Jada Ellison pinch ran for Bird and immediately impacted the game with a stolen base that would score Parker on a throwing error from the catcher.
Madalyn Strader capped off the five-run fifth inning with a two-run homer run over the right field fence to push IU’s lead to 5-2. It was Strader’s first career home run and it could not have come at a better time.
What looked to be a pitcher’s duel turned into a slugfest as the Gophers responded with a two-run home run by Werner off of Brooke Mannon to close the gap to 5-4. The Hoosiers would get an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Parker knocked in a run with her second RBI single of the afternoon.
Ella Troutt came back in to get the final three outs in the top of the seventh. The win clinched the series with Minnesota and moves the Hoosiers to 18-5 (2-1) on the season. IU will be back at Andy Mohr Field on Tuesday, March 10th to face Loyola-Chicago.