The Indiana State Sycamore softball team hosted their second fall tournament this past weekend when they invited nine teams to compete in the Sycamore Fall Classic. Indiana State went 2-2-1 in the round-robin tournament.
On Saturday in their first game, the Sycamores took on Division I Big Ten opponent Indiana University. The Hoosiers had a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning before the game was called due to an hour and a half drop-dead time limit rule.
In their second game, Indiana State took a 2-0 victory from IUPUI. Head Coach Brenda Coldren noted the play of Sycamore pitcher Katie Armour. “She did a great job pitching,” said Coldren. “She threw a really nice game and the defense made some good plays to help her out.”
St. Joseph's College was the third opponent of the day for the Sycamores. The game went into extra innings, but neither team was able to get a runner across the plate so it went down as a 0-0 tie. The Sycamores ended the first day of the tournament with a 1-1-1 showing.
Indiana State battled with Butler University in their first matchup on Sunday and came away with a 6-1 win. The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning from the result of a wild pitch by the Sycamores, but that was the only run they'd get. Indiana State's Meredith Simpson had a triple and a homerun to score 3 RBI for the Sycamores.
In their second game on Sunday and final game of the tournament, the Sycamores went head to head against the University of Indianapolis. ISU was ahead 4-0 in the top of the third until the Greyhounds stormed back and tied the ballgame in the bottom of the third inning at four runs a piece. The Greyhounds tallied three more runs by the end of the hour and a half time limit to defeat the Sycamores 7-4.
Coldren was very happy with the outcome of the tournament and is looking forward to the start of the 2008 spring season. “I am very pleased with how our fall season ended up,” said Coldren. “We saw a lot of different combinations and I feel like we have many options, both offensively and defensively. I am very excited for the spring season, especially with all of the talent we have.”
