The Indiana Hoosiers (23-6, 5-2) rallied late to beat two foes on Friday afternoon with an 8-5 win over the Maryland Terrapins just as the rain started coming down in College Park. IU scored all eight of their runs in the fifth inning and beyond using power and good base running to start the weekend series off right.
What started as a pitching duel through 3 1/2 innings turned into a big hit bonanza later in the game. Taylor Hess and Maryland starter Caitlin Olensky were locked in a battle, but Maryland took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a Caroline Fox RBI single. Hess settled in until the bottom of the fourth when Bailey Murphy crushed a two-out double with the bases loaded to extend the Terrapins lead to 4-0. Brooke Mannon would come in relief to get the final out.
With storm clouds gathering over the ballpark, the Hoosiers bats thundered to life in the top of the fifth. Allie Gavin got the Hoosiers on the board with a two-run home run that got caught in the jet stream out to center.
Olensky got the next two outs but an Alex Cooper triple and an Avery Parker hit by pitch allowed the Hoosiers to set up a double steal situation. The play put Maryland in a bind and a poor throw to second allowed Cooper to score and Parker to slide in safely at second to make the score 4-3. IU would tie the score when Josie Bird laced a double to right center.
The Hoosiers would take a 5-4 lead when freshman Josie White drew a walk. A wild pitch on ball four allowed Hannah Haberstro to score from third base as White hustled down to second.
Maryland would tie the score in the bottom of the sixth with a long home run from Zayda Rocke and the Hoosiers escaped further trouble when Caitlyn Cornwell lined into a double play.
Rain began falling in the seventh inning with the score tied at five. Keira Bucher who came in the circle for Maryland in the sixth was back for the seventh. The momentum Maryland took back in the sixth was immediately wiped out by an Alex Cooper solo home run to lead off the inning. Bucher would get Parker to pop out, but Bird reached on an error and Madalyn Strader launched a two-run home run over the score board in right center field to put the Hoosiers up 8-5.
Mannon would close out the game getting Anna McGowan to ground into a double play. The throw was just in time to beat the Maryland base runner and the impending rain that moved the game up a couple hours.
Notables
• Three Hoosiers hit a home run today, including Alex Cooper, Madalyn Strader and Alli Gavin.
• Brooke Mannon picked up the win to improve her season record to 4-0 after pitching 3.1 innings and only allowing two hits and one run while striking out two.
• Indiana has won eight straight games over the Terrapins dating back to 2021.
• Six of Indiana’s seven hits were extra base hits.
• Indiana outhit Maryland, 7-6.