OliviaPope40

Box Score       TUCSON, Ariz. – The Indiana softball team cranked out a season-high 12 hits en route to an 8-5 win over UT-Arlington this afternoon in the Hoosiers’ opening game at the Wildcat Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. The victory improves Indiana’s record to 2-12-1, while UTA drops to 10-8 on the year. Natalie Lalich led the way at the plate for Indiana, driving in six of the Hoosiers’ eight runs in the contest. Not only is it a career-high for the redshirt-freshman, but it ties the second-most RBI in a game by an IU player, matching Emily Bergeson’s six against Illinois on April 26, 2006. Lalich also becomes one of three Hoosiers to tally six-or-more RBI in a single contest in program history. Four of Lalich’s RBI resulted from her first career homerun – a grand slam to right-center field – to make her one of three active IU players with a grand slam and the second player on this year’s roster to connect on one this season. In addition to Lalich’s 2-for-4 day, three other Hoosiers’ recorded multiple-hit performances against the Mavericks. Kassi Farmer was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and run scored, while Breanna Saucedo struck for three singles and scored three times this afternoon. Erin Lehman collected her second career multi-hit game in a 2-for-3 outing where she also scored twice and tied a season-high five assists from second base. CaraMia Tsirigos and Shelby Gogreve rounded out the offense with a base knock each.   Lora Olson started the first 5.2 innings in the circle where she gave up three earned runs on nine hits and struck out a season-high five batters.   Brooke Boetjer became the pitcher of record after entering the game at a 4-4 tie in the sixth. She closed out the final 1.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts to improve to 2-2 on the year. Indiana’s first run occurred in the bottom of the second inning on a two-out, RBI-single by Gogreve. The run erased a 1-0 deficit ultimately caused by an IU throwing error in the top of the opening frame. A solo homerun from UTA’s Britnea Barilli reclaimed the Maverick’s lead, but again the Hoosiers answered on a UTA fielding error that allowed Saucedo to score from second base in the third. The Mavericks touched for an RBI-double in the top of the fourth to once again take a one-run lead over Indiana, and again the Hoosiers lineup responded in their next at bat thanks to a pair of runs pushed across with two outs. A single from Lehman ignited that two-out rally to award IU with a base runner on first. A UT-Arlington error and a walk loaded the bases with two outs for Indiana, sending Lalich to the plate. The Greenwood, Ind. native pulled a 2-2 offering down the left field line for a standup double handing Indiana its first lead of the ballgame at 4-3. In the sixth inning, the Mavericks used a one-out solo homerun to tie it at four, prompting a pitching change in the circle. Boetjer entered the game with a pair of runners aboard, but the sophomore closed the door with a strikeout to send it into the bottom of the sixth. Lehman and Saucedo led off the frame with back-to-back singles. Jenna Abraham stepped to the plate and laid down a sacrifice bunt; however, an errant throw to get Lehman at third loaded the bases for the Lalich once more. Lalich again put the ball in play, but this time it exited the ballpark via the right-center field fence helping Indiana to an 8-4 lead. The Mavericks scraped a run across in the top of the seventh, but Boetjer eventually closed out the game with her second strikeout to end the contest at an 8-5 final. The Hoosiers continue action at the Wildcat Invite tomorrow with a games against Longwood and Valparaiso. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. ET and 1 p.m. ET, respectively.  

http://www.nba.com/video/games/spurs/2014/02/28/0021300871-cha-sas-play1.nba 

I hate how ESPN lets him do his on the court side show no one cares.

I wasn't in New Orleans, but my All-Star Weekend was pretty eventful, to say the least. We had played a game in Brooklyn the Wednesday before the break and everyone on our team knew our flights would be canceled out of Charlotte on Thursday because it was storming and the south doesn't handle snow very well. But this is our only break of the entire year, our one chance to briefly escape the NBA grind, and I really didn't want to be stranded in Charlotte for the entire weekend. Luckily, my teammate Josh McRoberts, who is also from Indiana, was trying to go exactly where I wanted to go: Indianapolis. When we landed back in Charlotte, Josh said, "Why don't we drive?" It was pretty snowy outside, but we didn't want to wait until Friday and risk having the same thing happen at the airport, so we took off. In the middle of the night. The roads were pretty bad. We took it really slow the first three hours. In all, it ended up taking us about 10 hours to get from Charlotte to Indianapolis and we arrived at 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon. We drove all the way through the night and the roads were empty. Josh handled the wheel the entire time, but I tried to stay awake and entertain him. It was kind of fun to chit-chat with him and just talk about everything. We usually sit next to each other on the planes so we know each other pretty well. I let him handle the music on the road trip since he was driving, it was only fair. Ironically, my brother Tyler (who plays for the Cavaliers), was trying to get to Charlotte while we were leaving because his fiance lives nearby, but his flight out of Cleveland was canceled too. After that, he decided to try and come to Bloomington, Ind. where my other brother Luke and I were going for the weekend, but he got rear-ended about halfway into the trip and decided to turn around. People have no idea how to drive in the snow. Right after the All-Star break came the trade deadline. It was pretty wild hearing of all the possibilities of trades, especially when they involve your team. A lot of guys don't know what city they are going to be living in tomorrow, but that's just how it is in this profession. There are so many last-second deals on the table, so many names flying around, so many combinations. We ended up trading away two guys (Ramon Sessions and Jeff Adrien) and bringing two new guys in (Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour). Obviously in high school and college you lose players to graduation, but that's at the end of the year. For us to lose two guys and add two new ones 55 games into a season is completely different. You see the same guys every day all year, and then they're gone. It's pretty weird. The players knew the front office was working on a couple of different possibilities at the deadline. We're definitely aware of that stuff. But we actually had the day off the day of the trade deadline. I came in and worked out in the morning, and so did most of the team, but I was home by 12:30 p.m. or so and the deadline wasn't until 3 p.m. So I was trying to stay on top of the news. Believe it or not, my mom was the first one to tell me the Bobcats made a trade. She called me and said she was just checking in, but then added, "Sounds like you've got two new teammates." That's right. My mom knows more about my team than I do. Since both me and Tyler are in the NBA, she was refreshing Twitter over and over again. The trade deadline is a stressful time for everybody. Our team has been having a lot of success lately -- we've won four straight and are really coming together. I think games 20-30 were the hardest for me this season. At the beginning of the year I was excited to play but still figuring things out. Games 30-40 you can see the All-Star break at the end of the tunnel. And now it's the second half and we're making a big playoff push and every game really matters. The level of urgency has definitely turned up a notch. Lots of guys, including myself, have never been in the playoffs before and we're hungry. People are accepting their roles and no one is trying to do something they can't. I'm trying to bring energy on both sides of the floor. Trying to defend or get one our shooters open for a shot. Running the fast break. Crashing the glass. Anything I can do to spark the second unit. Our next four games are against the four best teams in the NBA -- the Spurs, Thunder, Heat and Pacers. It'll be a tough stretch, but you've got to be prepared to compete with anyone when you're in a playoff hunt. That's just the nature of the NBA. Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20140227/nba-cody-zeller-rookie-diary-all-star-break-trade-deadline/#ixzz2uaeJgZST

Southport should have no trouble.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The Indiana softball team ended in a 3-3 tie with Troy (5-8-2) this afternoon after lightning and rain washed away the Hoosiers' hopes of a win over the Trojans. The Hoosiers (1-12-1) ended the game with runners on the corners and no outs in the top of the ninth inning. IU's game with Coastal Carolina slated to follow the Troy contest was cancelled with no makeup date scheduled. The deadlocked final is the first tie game for Indiana since the 2006 season when IU had to settle for an 11-11 decision with No. 10 Oklahoma due to freezing temperatures that crept in late that evening at the OU/Nike Classic. Indiana finished the game with six hits highlighted by a career-high performance from Natalie Lalich. Lalich connected in all four of her plate appearances including an RBI-single, a double and two runs scored. Shelby Gogreve tallied the Hoosiers' other two hits and drove in the go-ahead with an RBI-single. Lora Olson got the start and tossed 6.0 innings. She struck out four and allowed two earned runs on seven hits. Meaghan Murphy finished the final 2.0 innings where she surrendered one run on a hit in the eighth. A pair of errors would help the Hoosiers get on the board in the second inning. Lalich led off the frame on a blooper that landed in shallow right field and advanced to second on a ground ball by CaraMia Tsirigos. Dotson followed with a hard chopper to the shortstop that would be mishandled and award Dotson first base. Gogreve plated Lalich on the following play with a single to left to give Indiana a 1-0 lead.       Troy made some noise in the bottom of two with a runner on second and one away. Troy's Taylor Smartt drove a deep fly ball to right field that easily would have been extra bases; however, Lalich hustled to make the catch over her shoulder. She quickly turned and fired in to Saucedo at second base to double-up Rachel Rigney for an inning-ending double play.   Lalich started the top of the fourth with her second hit of the game, this time a ball to deep right field for a standup double. Tsirigos moved her over with a ground ball, sending Dotson to the plate with one away and Lalich on third. Dotson executed the squeeze bunt to successfully bring Lalich in for an Indiana 2-0 lead.  The Trojans used a pinch-hit single to knot the game at two runs a piece in the bottom of the sixth which eventually sent the contest into extra innings. Saucedo was placed on second base to start the top of the eighth. After Kayla Mathewson and Jenna Abrahamcould not move Saucedo 60 feet in their respective at bats, Saucedo used her speed to steal third, giving Lalich an opportunity to drive her in with two outs. With a full-count, Lalich found some green in right, sending Saucedo home to give IU a 3-2 advantage. Tsirigos then stepped to the plate and blasted what looked to be a homerun over the left field fence which would increase the Hoosiers' lead to two, but the third base umpire ruled it foul and sent her back into the batter's box where an eventual fly ball ended the inning. Troy punched a run across in the bottom of the eighth, pushing the game into the ninth inning. Farmer checked in to run for Tsirigos who was oringially placed on second base.  A sacrifice bunt moved Farmer to third before a walk placed Malmen on second. As Alyssa Rosati trotted out to replace Malmen on the base paths, lightning was detected in the area and the game was forced into a weather delay. Lightning strikes continued to hit near KSP Stadium to which eventually forced both teams to end in a tie. The Hoosiers' 10:45 a.m. game with Coastal Carolina will not be played and no makeup date will be scheduled.   http://www.iuhoosiers.com/sports/w-softbl/recaps/022314aad.html

My apologies Reb.

Not a problem JS it will be updated through out the season and I won't create multiple threads.

Hoosiers in Pro Ball ‏@ProBallHoosiers 7 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block in 17 minutes for @CodyZeller as @bobcats keep winning. #iubb From the game yesterday against Memphis.

Indiana Softball ‏@IUSoftball Today's game with Troy will end in a 3-3 tie due to inclement weather. The game with Coastal Carolina has been cancelled.

Indiana Softball ‏@IUSoftball Dealing with more lightning strikes in the area. Stay tuned for further updates.

Indiana Softball ‏@IUSoftball We have lightning delay. Game will be temporarily suspended for appox. 30 min pending no further incliment weather.

Game is tied 3-3 in the top of the 9th inning.

Indiana Softball ‏@IUSoftball  Hoosiers get the final out to send this one into the ninth. Farmer will run for Tsirigos who was placed on second base. Dotson the batter.

THE LIPTON INVITATIONAL The Indiana softball will travel to Gainesville, Fla. to participate in the Lipton Invitational hosted by the University of Florida. The Hoosiers are slated for five games including a pair with the Gators. IU will also compete with Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern and Troy over the weekend.   A LOOK COASTAL CAROLINA Indiana opens the weekend with Coastal Carolina and plays the Chanticleers for just the second time in program history. These two squads previously met during the 2002 campaign where Indiana fell in a 1-0 decision. Coastal Carolina is 5-1 on the season and heads to Gainesville after posting a 3-1 mark in their Kickin' Chicken Classic last weekend. The Chanticleers are hitting .265 as a team, while the CCU pitching staff has totaled a 2.10 earned run average. SCOUTING THE GATORS The Florida Gators enter the weekend ranked No. 1 in the country after going undeafeated through their first 12 games of the season. Indiana will face the top-ranked team in the country for the first time since seeing No. 1 Georgia on March 4, 2011. The Hoosiers meet with the Gators twice this weekend and trail UF 4-0 in the all time series. The two teams have not met since the 2011 campaign where Florida defeated Indiana, 7-0. Florida is currently hitting .340 as a team and is outscoring opponents 99-19 on the season. The Gator's pitching staff owns a 1.68 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .158 batting average.  MEETING WITH GEORGIA SOUTHERN Indiana will face Georgia Southern for the first time in program history. The Eagles own a 6-3 mark on the year after coming off of a 3-2 outing at the FIU Classic last weekend. The Eagles lineup features six hitters batting over .300 to push the team to a .316 clip. Georgia Southern's pitching staff has tossed 54.2 innings with a 1.79 staff ERA and has limited opponents to a .189 average.  A LOOK AT TROY Indiana and Troy meet for the first time since 2006, with the Hoosiers leading the all-time series, 2-1. Troy is 4-5-1 on the year and recently posted a 2-3 outing at the North Florida Invitational in Jacksonville. The Trojans picked up wins over Southern Illinois and Savannah State that weekend. Troy is averaging .233 at the plate, led by Erica Davis' .423 clip through 10 games. The Trojans' pitching staff owns a 2.09 ERA and have held opponents to a .221 batting average. GET ON BASE CaraMia Tsirigos has been off to a great start in her freshman campaign at Indiana. The Atlanta, Ga. native has reached base in nine of the Hoosiers 10 contests, including the first nine straight games of the season. In that nine-game span, Tsirigos hit safely in five contests and drew a walk in six different games. Kassi Farmer has also worked her way on base as of late. The sophomore has successfully reached base at least once in each of the last seven contests. GOING STREAKING After missing nearly all of the 2013 season due to injury, redshirt senior Breanna Saucedo has quickly made an impact in the Hoosiers' lineup in her return this spring. Saucedo has tallied a hit in all but one contest so far in 2014 and is currently riding a six-game hit streak that dates back to Indiana's Feb. 8 matchup with San Jose State at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. LOAD `EM UP A pair of Hoosier hitters have found success with bases loaded this season. Both Michelle Huber and Kayla Mathewson have been perfect at the plate with runners on every base.  LET'S COMPARE The Indiana pitching staff has given up fewer walks per game that its opponents this spring, issuing just 2.20 free passes per contest compared to opposing teams' 3.76 walks/game. IU hurlers have also posted an average of 6.60 strikeouts per game while opponents have averaged 5.01. http://www.iuhoosiers.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/022014aac.html

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Indiana softball team dropped both its contests this afternoon in the Hoosiers’ second day at the Lipton Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. IU opened the afternoon with an 8-0 loss in five innings to No. 1 Florida before falling 6-2 to Georgia Southern later in the day. The pair of setbacks dropped the Hoosiers to 1-12 on the year. No. 1 FLORIDA 8, INDIANA 0 (5 INNINGS) Indiana was shutout in game one of today’s action, falling to top-ranked Florida 8-0 in five innings in the Hoosiers’ second day of the Lipton Invitational. Meaghan Murphy tossed 5.0 innings and gave up four earned runs on six hits while striking out three UF batters. The Hoosiers failed to put a hit on the board and had just one IU player reach base in the contest. Brianna Meyer reached in the opening frame on a one-out walk and later reached on a Florida error in the top of the fourth. Hannah Rogers improved to 6-0 on the year after tossing a no-hitter in 4.0 innings with six strikeouts. The Gators placed its first runner on base with a two-out walk in the bottom of the second. Briana Little drove in that runner with a two-run homer to left to set the Hoosiers back 2-0. Florida pushed its lead to four in the bottom of the third. A single sent the Gators’ third run across with one away before a sacrifice fly to left sent in UF’s fourth run of the ballgame. Indiana’s deficit doubled in the bottom of the fourth resulting from an RBI-single and a three-run shot to right-center gave the Gators an 8-0 lead. The Hoosiers needed a run to extend the game, but a pair of strikeouts and a fly ball out would give Florida an 8-0 win in five.       GEORGIA SOUTHERN 6, INDIANA 2   The Hoosiers suffered a 6-2 loss to the Eagles in their final game of the day. Indiana totaled five hits with Jenna Abraham and CaraMia Tsirigos adding two hits apiece. Abraham picked up a pair of doubles and stole a single-game high two stolen bases. CaraMia Tsirigos drove in all of the Hoosiers’ runs on an RBI-single in the second and a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh. Brooke Boetjer falls to 1-2 on the year after allowing three runs on five hits in 2.0 innings in the circle. Lora Olson finished the final 5.0 innings and she gave up five hits for three runs. The Eagles touched for three runs in the top of the third behind a two-run homerun and a two-out RBI-double. The Hoosiers answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Abraham started the frame with an infield single to shortstop and eventually made her way to third with two away. A line drive off the bat of Tsirigos landed in centerfield for a base hit to drive in Abraham to bring it to 3-1. Heading into the final inning with a 6-1 deficit, the Hoosiers jumped on the board with some late offense in the seventh. Tsirigos led off the rally with her first career homerun - a ball that left in a hurry down the leftfield line – to bring the Hoosiers within four. A GSU throwing error gave Shelby Gogreve the chance to wheel out a two-base error, setting up a single from Lehman to place runners on the corners with one away. The Hoosiers would put the ball in play, but both were recorded as outs to end the game. Indiana will return in its final day of the Lipton Invitational tomorrow with an 8:30 a.m. ET game with Troy before closing the weekend with Coastal Carolina at 10:45 a.m. ET. http://www.iuhoosiers.com/sports/w-softbl/recaps/022214aae.html

I covered this on the old board. It is one of my favorite sports other than basketball and I feel like since we are covering baseball why not cover other spring sports.

We could also use this thread for prayers for Peter and his family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzSVOcgKq04

Hoosiers in Pro Ball ‏@ProBallHoosiers New career high in points (13) for @CodyZeller as @bobcats beat @TheofficialEG10 (14 pts) and @PelicansNBA by 3 points tonight. #iubb

http://www.nba.com/video/games/bobcats/2014/02/19/0021300801-det-cha-play3.nba

Many questioned whether or not Cody Zeller was strong enough for the NBA after leaving IU following his sophomore season. Zeller has had a rough rookie season (that's putting it nicely). The former IndyStar Mr. Basketball is averaging 5.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg, while shooting 37.5 percent from the field. Zeller has four double-digit scoring games (out of 54 games) and hasn't reached double figures in rebounding in a game all season. So was Zeller strong enough for the pro game after two seasons in Bloomington? Cody, meet Greg Monroe, then the floor. Ouch. On the bright side, Cody is making $3.85 million this year rather than sitting in J420: Advanced Case Analytics and Effective Consulting at the Kelley School of Business. http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2014/02/19/indysportsday-cody-zeller-pat-mcafee-nick-goepper-tom-arnold/5602303/

More like the other way around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcBq7j9h2PU I think I will go take a walk :o

Is it time yet to question Cody Zeller’s NBA potential? Back in the preseason, Clifford said the Bobcats couldn’t meet their potential this season unless rookie Zeller had a big role. That never materialized. Zeller, the No. 4 overall pick, averages about five points and four rebounds in nearly 17 minutes per game. He shoots just 38 percent from the field and struggles to guard NBA big men. But to say that makes him unique in the 2013 draft class, or that his future is already decided, is myopic. Three of the other top five – first pick Anthony Bennett, third pick Otto Porter and fifth pick Alex Len – have done the same or less so far. Zeller needs a lot of weight training – what Clifford calls “functional strength” – to hold up physically against NBA big men. He has misgivings about undermining quickness, but he can’t continue to be outmuscled like this. Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/15/4697564/12-questions-where-the-charlotte.html#.UwD3mUJdUi4#storylink=cpy http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/15/4697564/12-questions-where-the-charlotte.html#.UwD3mUJdUi4 Anything right now is fair game.