Pitching was key in Iowa softball’s trip to Atlanta for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. It either made or broke the Hawkeyes, who went 3-1 at the event.

In the first game Feb. 14 against Boston College, it was all senior pitcher Allison Doocy. In the 4-0 victory, Doocy pitched the entire game while throwing 12 strikeouts and giving up one hit. She started off the game by striking out the side in the first inning.

Other impressive innings from Doocy were a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth and having two strikeouts in the seventh, as well as walking four batters. Doocy’s toughest inning was in the sixth when she had runners on first and second with one out, but she managed an infield fly and a strikeout to end the inning. This was her second win of the season.

At the plate, the Hawkeyes scored the game-winning run in the second when freshman outfielder Nia Carter hit a single to bring home senior first baseman DoniRae Mayhew. Carter had a great day offensively, going 3-for-3.

Sophomore catcher Kit Rocco recorded the first RBI of her Hawkeye career in the next inning when she singled to left field, scoring junior second baseman Aralee Bogar.

“It was one of our better softball games,” Iowa head coach Renee Gillispie said in a release. “Doocy was strong on the mound with her 12 strikeouts, and we had eight hits in the game. We scored in four of the seven innings. Nia (Carter) was amazing today, going 3-for-3 and giving us a big advantage on offense.”

On Feb. 15, it was junior pitcher Lauren Shaw that stole the show. Also versus the Eagles, she threw a complete game with eight strikeouts. It was her fourth win of the season with a score of 4-1. Another highlight from her was a 1-2-3 inning in the first, and she was backed up by some great defense from Bogar and junior shortstop Mia Ruther.

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After giving up an unearned run in the third, the Hawkeyes scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Rocco notched her second RBI of the series in the fifth inning, this time off a double.

The night game Feb. 15 against Georgia Tech was a struggle for Doocy and the Hawkeyes. Though she did have five strikeouts, she gave up a three-run homerun in the third inning. She was relieved after 2.1 innings, and Mayhew came in for two innings. She gave up four runs, three of which were earned. Junior Emma Olejniczak gave up a run in a third of an inning as the Hawkeyes lost, 8-0.

Burns recorded the only hit of the night for the Hawkeyes.

Sunday afternoon was better since the Hawkeyes won, 5-0, over the Yellow Jackets. This game included a strong performance from Shaw, who threw a complete game with a career high 10 strikeouts for fifth win of the season.

The game winning run was batted in by Rocco, who scored Bogar in the first inning.

“Georgia Tech is a good team, and they showed it,” Shaw said in a release. “We didn’t come out as strong as we could have, and we knew that. Today we came out with strong energy. [Aralee] Bogar started us off with a double on the first pitch, and our energy picked up and never let off the whole game.”

The Hawkeyes will head to Hawaii next weekend for the Hawaiian Invitational.