INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. ? The Indiana State softball team has been one of the hottest teams in the Missouri Valley Conference as of late and brought an eight-game winning streak into Monday's showdown with in-state rival IUPUI. Unfortunately for the Sycamores (19-22-1), that streak came to an abrupt halt as the Jaguars (9-24) picked wins in both games of the non-conference doubleheader between the two teams at the IUPUI Softball Complex.
In game one, Indiana State jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but could not hold on as the Jaguars scored two runs in the fourth inning and four in the fifth to secure a 6-4 victory. That loss snapped the eight-game winning streak for the Sycamores, with Meagan McCurdy (11-10) suffering the loss after giving up six runs, five of which were earned, on 10 hits while walking six and striking out seven batters in six innings of work.
After a scoreless first inning for both squads, the Sycamores tallied the first runs of the game in the top half of the second inning. Sam Markowski led off the inning with a single and Britt Boyer was then hit by an Amy Raker pitch to give ISU a couple of base runners. Following a Leslie Fakes sacrifice bunt that moved the runners to second and third, Reva LeDune smacked the first home run of her career over the wall in center field to put the Sycamores up 3-0.
The Jaguars then answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the ISU lead to 3-2. ISU was held scoreless in the top of the fifth inning, before IUPUI scored four runs on five hits in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-3 lead. Indiana State came right back and answered with a run in the top of the sixth on a RBI single by LeDune to cut the deficit to 6-4. However, that would be as close as ISU would get as Raker and the Jaguars closed out ISU in the top of the seventh for the game-one win.
LeDune led the way for the Sycamores, finishing the day 2-for-4 with the homerun, four RBI and a run scored and Christina Myers also chipped in two hits in the game.
In the second game of the afternoon, ISU fell behind 2-0 after five innings of play and could not muster one of their recent trademark comebacks to fall by a score of 2-1 to the Jaguars. Stephanie Jonson (0-2) suffered the loss for ISU, despite holding IUPUI to just six hits while walking only two and striking out eight batters in six innings in the circle.
The Jaguars turned the tables on ISU and put the first run of the game on the scoreboard on a two-out RBI single from Raker in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 1-0. IUPUI then added another run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Mia Ettl scored on a wild pitch by Johnson to widen the lead to 2-0. Katie Armour then led off the top of the sixth inning with a home run to right field, her third of the season, to cut the lead to 2-1 for the Sycamores.
ISU tried to get something going in the top of the seventh inning after a lead-off single by pinch hitter Katie Iocoangeli, but she was doubled-off at first base on a liner off the bat of Lindsey Starwalt to end the threat for the Sycamores.
The Sycamores return to action on Wednesday, April 23, when they travel to Normal, Ill., to take on Missouri Valley Conference foe Illinois State. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET at the Redbird Softball Complex.
