April 26, 2009
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
- Iowa Softball wallpaper
- SoftBlog
BLOOMINGTON, IN – The No. 24 University of Iowa softball team dominated Indiana, 12-1 in five innings Sunday at the IU Softball Field. The Hawkeyes move to 38-11 overall and 9-5 in Big Ten play, while the Hoosiers fall to 9-34 and 3-11 in conference play.
Senior Colleen McGlaughlin led the Hawkeye offense, going 3-for-5 with career-highs in RBI (5) and runs scored (3). The Morton, IL, native blasted two home runs and also added a double in the win.
“We kept our bats rolling today,” Head Coach Gayle Blevins said. “Our offense continued to put pressure on Indiana the entire afternoon. Some of our athletes are really seeing the ball well, and Colleen (McGlaughlin) had a very impressive day at the plate.”
Junior Katie Brown also had a productive day at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, while senior Sam Heinzman went a perfect 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Iowa took an early 2-0 lead in its first at-bat. Sophomore Chelsey Carmody singled to start the game, and moved to third on a double by McGlaughlin. One batter later, Brown lifted a fly ball to foul territory in deep right field that was caught, allowing Carmody to score. On the play, McGlaughlin hustled to third, and later scored on a wild pitch.
McGlaughlin extended Iowa’s lead to 5-0 in the second inning. Senior Erin Riemersma drew a leadoff walk, and Heinzman singled later in the inning to put two runners on base with one out. McGlaughlin cleared the bases with a line-drive, three-run home run to left-center field for the 5-0 Hawkeye advantage.
Another three-spot, this time in the third, gave the Hawkeyes an 8-0 lead. Brown took the first pitch of the inning and blasted it over the right field fence for a 6-0 score. Freshman Missy Mazur then walked, and was replaced at first by pinch-runner Rachel West, who stole second base. Junior Lindsey Digmann was up next, and dropped a perfect bunt in front of the plate, reaching first. The attempted throw after Digmann crossed the bag was dropped, allowing West to score and Digmann to move to second. Freshman Katie Keim drove in Digmann with an RBI single up the middle for the final run of the frame.
Indiana managed to score its first run of the weekend in the fourth, but Iowa got that run back and more in the fifth for a 12-1 score. Senior Quinn Morelock singled to start the inning, and Riemersma followed with a sacrifice bunt attempt. The Hoosier infield elected to take the throw to second, but Morelock beat the throw. Keim moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt, and an infield single by Heinzman plated Morelock. Carmody then grounded out to second, but drove in Riemersma for the second run of the frame. McGlaughlin continued to swing a hot bat, hitting a towering, two-run home run to left.
Iowa returns to action Wednesday when it hosts intra-state rival Drake at 5 p.m. Iowa has already knocked off intra-state foes Iowa State and Northern Iowa this season.