TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Sycamores are headed to Knoxville, Tenn., this weekend to compete in the UTenn Tournament, where they will take on UT Martin, tournament host Tennessee, and Delaware State.
Indiana State will open the UTenn Tournament on Friday, facing UT Martin at 12:30 p.m. before a matchup against Tennessee at 5 p.m. The Sycamores will return to action Saturday morning against Delaware State at 10 a.m., with their seeding for the afternoon games to be determined based on results. The 1 vs. 4 seed game is set for 3 p.m., followed by the 2 vs. 3 seed matchup at 5:30 p.m. On Sunday, Indiana State will either compete in the consolation game at 10:30 a.m. or battle for the tournament championship at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out:
Indiana State Softball went 2-2 at the Frost Classic, securing wins over Illinois State (2-0) and IU Indy (8-1) while falling to SEMO (3-2) and Lamar (7-5).
Hailey Griffin shined in the opener, pitching a one-hit shutout in the 2-0 win against Illinois State, backed by strong performances from freshmen Madison Poulson, Abby Widmar, and Brailey Mills.
Against SEMO, Indiana State battled but fell 3-2 despite cutting the deficit late. Lauren Sackett pitched a complete game, allowing three runs.
In a high-scoring game versus Lamar, the Sycamores rallied from a 4-0 deficit to briefly lead 5-4 before ultimately losing 7-5. Abby Widmar led the offense with a three-RBI double.
Indiana State closed the weekend with an 8-1 victory over IU Indy, highlighted by home runs from Widmar and Wischmeier. Cassi Newbanks earned her first win of the season with a complete-game effort.
Sycamore Standouts:
Brailey Mills is off to a strong start leading the Sycamores offensively, hitting .348 through 12 games. She has eight hits, seven runs, two RBIs, and a .516 on-base percentage.
Madison Poulson is hitting .324 through 12 starts, collecting 12 hits, six runs, and two RBIs. She has a .419 on-base percentage with six walks and two stolen bases.
Freshman Abby Widmar leads the Sycamores with two home runs this season—one in the 15-6 loss to UAB and another in the 8-1 win over IU Indy. Whitley Wischmeier has also contributed with a home run in the IU Indy victory.
Hannah Welch leads Indiana State in stolen bases this season, going a perfect 4-4.
Hailey Griffin (2-3) leads the Sycamore pitching staff with a 2.15 ERA through 29.1 innings this season, with 24 strikeouts and a .185 opponent batting average. She has appeared in six games, starting five, and has allowed 20 hits and nine earned runs.
Cassi Newbanks earned her first victory in the circle this season for the Sycamores against IU Indy last weekend in Chattanooga, allowing five hits, one run, two walks, and striking out six.
Scouting Opponents:
UT Martin (5-7) went 1-3 last weekend at the Aces Tournament in Evansville, losing to Evansville twice in five innings (14-2 and 9-0). They also split games with Western Michigan, losing 3-2 before bouncing back with a 10-0 win in five innings.
Kennedy Brown is hitting .303 with 12 starts this season, which includes eight hits, three runs, and three RBIs in 33 at-bats. She has also recorded eight stolen bases in eight attempts.
Ashtyn Green (3-0) has a 2.10 ERA through 26.2 innings this season, with 19 strikeouts. She has allowed 30 hits and 8 earned runs, with 5 walks.
Tennessee enters this weekend with a 13-3 record, having gone 4-2 in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. They lost to Oregon 1-0 in 8 innings and to UCLA 4-3, but secured victories over Oregon State (10-0), Rutgers (10-1), and Minnesota (9-1).
Taylor Pannell is batting .490 through 16 games started, with 25 hits, 15 runs, seven home runs, and 29 RBIs.
Karlyn Pickens (4-2) has a 0.91 ERA through 38.1 innings this season, with 61 strikeouts. She has allowed 22 hits and five earned runs, with 10 walks.
Delaware State has a 3-2 record, with four of their first games of the season postponed. They won 12-0 and 13-3 over Virginia Union University in 5 innings, then secured a 2-1 victory over Bucknell University in 10 innings. They later fell to Bucknell 5-1 and 5-0.
Emma Crowe is leading the team with a .545 batting average through 4 games, totaling six hits, two runs, one home run, and three RBIs in 11 at-bats.
Allyson Fonollosa has a 3.00 ERA through 6.0 innings this season, with three strikeouts. She has allowed five hits, two runs, and one walk in three appearances.
Up Next: The Sycamores will play their first midweek game of the season as they head to Indianapolis to compete against Butler at 4 p.m.
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