Indiana softball outfielder Sarah Thompson reached base on an infield single to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning. Then, catcher Bella Norton laid down a sacrifice bunt, and infielder Juli Strange fielded and threw to second for the force out. But her throw landed in center field for an error.
The mistake led to Maryland’s downfall for the second time in the series. On Friday, a seventh-inning error led to the winning run in a 2-1 defeat. On Sunday, outfielder Rebecca Blitz launched a single over the head of left fielder Sarah Calta — playing shallow to allow for a play at the plate — to bring home the winning run from third.
The Hoosiers swept the Terps with Sunday’s 2-1 win. Maryland (9-33-1, 2-13 Big Ten) managed four hits while Indiana racked up nine. Pitcher Madison Martin forced the Hoosiers to strand 13 baserunners, but she couldn’t hold on after two runners reached base with no outs in the eighth.
Indiana (22-25, 8-9) took the lead in the first inning after outfielder Gabbi Jenkins singled and infielder Taylor Uden drove her in with a single into right field.
Infielder Anna Kufta led off the second with a single, and without another hit in the inning, she came around to level the score. Outfielder Kassidy Cross laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Kufta to second. Pitcher Tara Trainer then threw two wild pitches, allowing Kufta to come home.
But after early runs, both pitchers settled in. Trainer allowed just four hits. Martin had to tightrope out of the fourth and sixth innings but escaped unscathed.
In the eighth, after a leadoff single, Strange’s error led to both runners being safe.
In the sixth inning, the redshirt senior successfully fielded a bunt and threw to second for the force play, but in the eighth, the ball ended up in center. After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners to second and third, Blitz’s single sealed the Hoosiers’ series sweep.
