The Grenadiers lost to the Madonna University Crusaders, 2-1, in the first game of their doubleheader on March 17.
Madonna University scored a run in the first inning, and Anne Fowler, junior catcher, grabbed one in the second.
Madonna came back in the third inning to score their second run of the game.
That would be the last run they would need in order to defeat the Grenadiers.
“I was proud of the way we competed with this team,” Todd Buckingham, IUS softball head coach, said, “and we kind of came out and proved that wasn’t going to intimidate us — that we weren’t going to back down.”
Buckingham said Kayla Duke, junior pitcher, performed well while on the mound during the game.
“And Kayla Duke – this is one of the best games I’ve seen her pitch in a long time,” Buckingham said.
Amber Eckstein, freshman pitcher, also said how she felt about Duke’s performance during the game.
“She’s a really good pitcher,” Eckstein said. “She had a lot of good pitches.”
However, the Grenadiers were kept from getting past second base from the third inning through the end of the game by Jess Irwin, Madonna’s senior pitcher.
As a result, a total of three Grenadiers were left on base by the end of the game — Duke, Megan Sutherland, sophomore second baseman, and Nicole Mills, junior shortstop.
The Grenadiers ended up with a total of two hits and a walk, and the Crusaders finished the game with five hits and two walks.
The main issue of the day seemed to be how the Grenadiers had difficulty adjusting to Madonna’s offense.
“We had trouble adjusting,” Eckstein said. We had good hits, we had good defense, but our only problem is we don’t know how to adjust soon enough to get it together.”
Buckingham said he wasn’t disappointed about the Grenadiers’ performance.
“That team is a huge offensive team,” he said, “and you would’ve known watching that game. I’m not disappointed.
“I thought we could beat them,” Buckingham said. “That’s all you could ask at this level, this early this season. It just depends on how we play at the end.”
At the end of the game, the Grenadiers weren’t able to get the hit they needed in order to score a run.
“I think we played a good game,” Duke said.
“We just didn’t get it together, and we didn’t get the one run at the end that we needed.”
By JENNIFER
HARRINGTON
Staff
jeharrin@umail.iu.edu