The Iowa softball team battled back from the weather and broken lighting to close out the Judi Garman Classic with an upset against No. 8 Baylor.
The Hawkeyes went 1-2 on the weekend in a five-game schedule. March 2’s game against Cal State-Fullerton was canceled after two innings because of weather. The next night, an outfield light went out in a game against No. 17 Louisiana-Lafayette, cutting another potential upset short; Iowa was leading after four innings.
“It seemed like every time we got on a roll, the rain would hit or a light would go out,” head coach Marla Looper said. “It’s frustrating.”
After falling in its first two games of the weekend, 3-2, against Stanford and Cal Poly, Iowa needed a bounce back against a top-10 team.
Hawkeyes ace Allison Doocy got the ball for the 11 a.m. start against Baylor. She allowed a run in the first inning, creating an early hole for her team.
In the fourth inning, freshman Aralee Bogar continued her recent success for Iowa by scoring on a game-tying double by senior Allie Wood.
The teams remained tied until the seventh inning, when sophomore McKenzie Schneider stepped up to the plate. With only one career home run and a runner on base, the right fielder — who didn’t start the game — sent a ball over the fence to put the Hawkeyes up, 3-1.
All Iowa had to do was collect three more outs, and it did, marking the program’s first win over a top-10 team since 2015.
Doocy collected 8 strikeouts in the game. Two of which came against Baylor’s three-hole hitter Carlee Wallace, who previously had only struck out two times in 30 at bats.
“Anytime Doocy steps on the field, she gives us a chance to win,” Looper said. “She’s done a nice job of getting ahead in counts, so she can be a little freer with pitches towards the end of the at-bat. I personally feel she’s one of the Big Ten’s best pitchers and she should rank up there nationally.”
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Iowa had 7 hits and no errors on the game.
To lose to top-10 Texas A&M because of errors and then to beat another highly ranked team in Baylor proves that errors can make or break the score.
Now, the Hawkeyes have the confidence that they can be successful for the rest of the season.
“[The players] believe they deserve to be on the field with the top teams in the country,” Looper said. “I believe there is some respect out there now for our team. They don’t give up, and they have this fiery spirit. It’s nice for people outside this team to see that now.”