BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Rutgers softball posted a pair of home runs in the top of the sixth to pull within a pair of runs in the finale against Indiana on Sunday, but the host Hoosiers went on to take game three, 11-6.

Rutgers dropped to 23-18 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten. Indiana improved to 22-10 overall and 5-4 in conference.
 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Gabrielle Callaway hit two two-run home runs, her seventh and eighth respectively of the season.
• Taylor Fawcett was 2-for-3 with a double and an inside-the-park home run, RU's first since Brittney Lindley against Texas Southern in a 9-1 victory back on February 26, 2011. The junior has scored a pair of runs.
• Katie Wingert went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
• Jaden Vickers took the loss tossing 3.1 innings allowing four hits while striking out three Hoosiers. Ashley Hitchcock was inside the circle for the final 2.2 collecting five strikeouts.

THE RUNDOWN

• A double caused trouble in Indiana's first at-bat with Taylor Minnick's extra-base hit putting the Hoosiers up 1-0. Jaden Vickers proceeded to catch the next two batters swinging and Taylor Lane and Katie Wingert teamed up following an error at first to deny another run from scoring.
• After throwing five consecutive balls to open the game, Hoosier hurler Brianna Copeland struck out the next four Scarlet Knights. Taylor Fawcett broke the streak in the second with aggressive base running to get in a double to right-center. Another double, this time from the bat of Katie Wingert, scored Fawcett to tie the game at 1-1.
• Rutgers took the lead the next inning. Gabrielle Callaway launched the ball over the fence in left for a two-run shot and a 3-1 Scarlet Knight advantage.
• The Hoosiers cut their deficit to one on a solo home run in the bottom of the inning from Cora Bassett.
• Indiana took back the lead in the fourth. The Hoosiers loaded the bases allowing a Brooke Benson double to bring in a pair of runs for the lead. Indiana then added on with an RBI single by Basset and a trio of errors scoring three more to go ahead 8-3.
• Rutgers had a pair of home runs to narrow the gap in the sixth – one traditional and one untraditional. Callaway captured her second two-run blast of the afternoon and Fawcett managed to drop the ball deep into left-center where neither Hoosier outfielder was able to catch or control the ball allowing the Scarlet Knight to round the bases for an inside the park home run. The three-run inning had RU down by two, 8-6.
• The Hoosiers gave themselves some cushion with a trio of doubles in the sixth. Grayson Radcliffe had a two-RBI extra-base hit and Brittany Ford went to the wall just inside the foul line in right to add another score and an 11-6 Indiana edge.

UP NEXT

The Rutgers softball team returns home to the Rutgers Softball Complex to host Seton Hall in a midweek nonconference contest on Tuesday, April 12 at 4 p.m. and welcomes Illinois for a three-game Big Ten series beginning on Friday, April 15. All games will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.

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