HOUSTON, Texas – Indiana State Softball falls in season-opener double header. The Sycamores played in two games on Friday evening to open up their weekend at the Houston Invite Tournament.
Game One: Houston 13, Indiana State 1 (5 inn.)
Indiana State was unable to keep pace with host Houston in the first game of the 2024 season as the Sycamores fell to the Cougars, 13-1, on Friday afternoon.
Houston broke open a 1-1 game in the bottom of the second with a nine-run inning to take control of the game and hand ISU its first loss of the year.
Randi Jo Pryor highlighted the offense for Indiana State with a solo home run in the second inning, while Abi Chipps, Kennedy Shade, and Abby Robakowski all singled in the loss.
Cassi Newbanks (0-1) took the loss in the circle in her first start of the season. The junior pitcher went the first 2.0 innings allowing five hits and four runs before turning the ball over to Hailey Griffin and Annie Waggoner to close out the game.
Lair Beautae, Turiya Coleman, and Kennedy Thomas all homered for Houston as the Cougars connected on eight extra-base hits in the win. Shelby Smith (1-0) went the first 4.0 innings in taking the win, while Nicole Bodeux went the final 1.0 inning to close out the five-inning victory.
News & Notes
- Randi Jo Pryor's solo home run in the second inning marked her first collegiate home run at Indiana State.
- Annie Waggoner posted her first collegiate strikeout in relief going the final 1.1 innings inside the circle.
Game Two: Rutgers 14, Indiana State 5
Indiana State battled hard, but fell to Rutgers 14-5 to wrap up Friday night's double header.
Abi Chipps led the team with 3 hits and went 2-2 on stolen base attempts and was able to score in the first inning on an RBI by Isabella Henning.
Lauren Sackett (0-1) took the loss in the second game of the evening. The junior pitcher went the first 3.0 innings of the game, allowing five hits and seven runs. Morgan Asher and Annie Waggoner closed out the game throwing 2.0 innings each while striking out one batter apiece.
The Sycamores got their bats going in the fourth inning where they scored three runs. Randi Jo Pryor started the scoring with an infield RBI single, while Lauren Kapelka added a single to left field, scoring Kennedy Shade to cut the Rutgers lead down to 9-3. Kenzie Cornwell drove in the final run of the frame with an RBI sacrifice fly scoring Lauren Marsicek to end the rally.
Indiana State kept the game alive in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out rally. Kennedy Shade started the stretch with a single to left and stole second base to move into scoring position. Abby Robakowski moved her to third with a base hit, before Ana Macha's single to center scored Shade to make it an 11-5 game.
The Scarlet Knights closed out the contest with three runs in the top of the seventh to provide the final 14-5 margin.
Katie Wingert started off the game for Rutgers with a two-run home run and Kyleigh Sand advanced Rutgers lead in the second inning with a three-run home run. Morgan Smith (1-0) went the first 4.0 innings in the circle taking the win, while Georgia Ingle (S, 1) closed out the final 3.0 innings to record the save.
Up Next
Play will continue tomorrow for the Sycamores at 11 a.m. ET. beginning with a matchup against Colgate and they will turn around to play Houston at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Softball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. YoInu can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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