The IUS softball team played in a doubleheader at home against St. Catharine College on Friday, March 4.

The Grenadiers defeated St. Catharine, 3-2, in the first game of the doubleheader and 5-0 in the second game.

During the first game, Kayla Duke, junior pitcher, helped the team attain a 3-2 victory over St. Catharine.

“I thought Kayla Duke and Jenna Swain both did a fantastic job,” Buckingham said. “Our two pitchers were the reason we won these games.”

During the second game, the team got off to a good start in the bottom of the first inning with bases loaded and scoring two runs that would go unanswered by St. Catharine.

“We knew coming in that they would be a tough team to beat,” Amber Eckstein, freshman pitcher, said, “but, during the second game, we smashed their spirit.”

Although the players were faced with a morning full of rain, they did not let the weather set them back.

“I think it really tests their mental toughness,” IUS head coach Todd Buckingham said. “One thing we always preach is ‘Control the controllable.’ You can’t control the weather, but you can control how you react to it.”

The rain kept coming down, but the players kept their spirits up. As each player went up to bat, the team cheered her on doing several different cheers.

The team would go on to score two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, making the final score 5-0.

“Wins are wins, and we’ll take ’em,” Buckingham said. “I do think our pitching was fantastic today, and that’s the reason we were able to keep a very good hitting team off the scoreboard.”

Kate Toney, junior first baseman, said the team’s hitting had a lot to do with the wins for them.

“We all hit really good,” Toney said. “Everybody had contact with the ball [during the first game.]”

Despite their current record of 5-7, the team has a positive outlook for the season ahead.

Buckingham said his team has played a tough competition early on, and it has showed them what they need to work on.

He said he hopes for his team to win the conference and play at the national championships in May.

“We have a tough schedule and a young team,” Eckstein said, “but when were all playing together — the right way — we’ll do really well.”

The Grenadiers will play a doubleheader on March 16 against Marian University starting at 2 p.m.

By ASHLEY AGNEW

Staff

aeagnew@umail.iu.edu