INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 2 UIndy softball team notched a crucial victory Wednesday evening, downing 21st-ranked Trevecca in the NCAA DII Midwest Super Regional opener, 4-0. With ace
Kenzee Smith excelling in the circle, the Greyhounds scored all four runs in the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three matchup.
The series concludes tomorrow with game two scheduled for 10 a.m. ET and the if-necessary game three immediately following.
INS & OUTS
UIndy broke it open in the fourth with a lethal four-run rally.
Braxton Downs led off the frame by blasting a full-count offering to straight-away center for the first run of the of the game. The Louisville, Ky., native is now slugging a team-high 1.200 in the Hounds' four NCAA Tournament contests.
More base hits followed, with
Dominique Proctor's gapper—her second hit of the day—plating Smith and increasing the lead.
Jocelyn Calvin's two-run single bookended the rally to give Smith all the support she needed.
The Trojans managed multiple base runners in the first, second and fourth innings, but Smith escaped each time. But after the UIndy's offensive fireworks, she allowed just one base runner the rest of the way, including 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth frames.
Smith also found success at the plate, earning a pair of opposite-field singles. Calvin finished with three hits and two runs, while
Sydnee Perry added a single and a run.
INSIDE THE BOX
- UIndy upped its program-record win total to 57.
- The Greyhounds are now 3-1 in NCAA regional play versus Trevecca all-time.
- The game actually started some 26 hours earlier, as weather caused multiple delays across two days before play resumed for good at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
- Smith pitched around a season-high six walks—three of which came in the brief-yet-soggy start to the contest on Tuesday. Nevertheless, she finished with eight Ks on the way to her 21st shutout on the year.
