LEESBURG, Fla. – Rutgers softball forced extra innings by tying Sunday's contest with Indiana in the top of the seventh, however, it was the Hoosiers heading home with the win, 6-5, in 11 innings.

Indiana 6, Rutgers 5 (11)

STANDOUT STATS

• Sophomore Payton Lincavage continued her hitting streak going 2-for-5 with an RBI and scoring the game-tying run in the seventh. The Scarlet Knight has hit safely in the last nine contests.
• Freshman Leilani Chavez went 1-for-4 with an RBI and scored a pair of runs.
• Sophomore right-hander Ashley Hitchcock went the distance inside the circle throwing in all 11 innings and striking out six Hoosiers.

THE RUNDOWN

• Indiana took a 2-0 lead in its first appearance at the plate. Hannah Davis used an RBI single down the right side. Juvia Davis took over running at first and worked her way to third on stolen bases before coming on a sac fly to left by Norton.
• Rutgers not only got onto the scoreboard in the top of the fifth, but took the lead with a trio of runs. Leilani Chavez used a bases-loaded single to center and an error at short allowed Anyssa Iliopoulos to score followed to tie the game at 2-2.  Kobie Hura was denied the chance to put the Scarlet Knights ahead as the Hoosiers caught the freshman at the plate off Gabrielle Callaway's grounder to second. The bases remained loaded, however, for Kiersten Withstandley to walk to put RU up 3-2.
• The Hoosiers regained the lead with two in the bottom of the inning. Bella Norton laid down the bunt to bring in Taylor Lambert and a wild pitch scored Davis.
• The Scarlet Knights tied the game up in the seventh at 4-4 and forced extra innings. With two outs, Payton Lincavage reached on with a double to left and came home on an Indiana error at short. Taylor Lane attempted to score the winning run off Kiana Workman's base hit to center two batters later, but was caught at the plate on the throw in from the outfield.
• Both squads tallied runs in the 10^th to continue extra innings. Lincavage knocked in Chavez with a hit to center to give Rutgers the 5-4 edge at the top of the inning. The game continued, however, as Gabbi Jenkins stole home with two outs for Indiana.
• With Grace Lorsung on second with the tie break rule, Brooke Benson led off the bottom of the 11^th with a double down the left-field line for the game-winning hit.

UP NEXT

Big Ten softball is back on campus for the remainder of the schedule. The Scarlet Knights will have a week off before heading to East Lansing, Michigan for a four-game series with Michigan State beginning Friday, Mar. 26.

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