As most of Bloomington wrapped up its Little 500 festivities Sunday, Amanda Wagner and the rest of the Indiana Hoosiers softball team gave the town something to continue celebrating about.
Wagner hit a clutch grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning to give IU a 6-3 win against the visiting Wisconsin Badgers (22-17, 2-6 Big Ten). The Hoosiers (27-15, 8-2 Big Ten) ran their win streak to seven.
The Hoosiers began the seventh inning one run behind, but back to the top of the lineup. Breanna Saucedo hit a single and the Badgers called time. Their pitcher, Meghan McIntosh, looked frustrated after freshman Ashley Warren bunted and was called safe at first.
The Badgers called time again and Cassandra Darrah relieved McIntosh, but had no better luck against the Hoosiers after walking Sara Olsen to load the bases.
Designated player Wagner walked up to the plate, and the fans in the crowded stands stomped their feet.
Both dugouts were silent.
The count was 2-2 when Darrah threw her final pitch. Wagner swung – hit! – and the ball soared over left field. The crowd waited until sure it went over the fence.
The ball hit the grass and the spectators came alive. Wagner had hit her first walk-off grand slam.
Saucedo, Warren, Olsen, and Wagner ran their victory lap around the bases while their teammates and coaches waited at home plate to celebrate. After a few hugs and high-fives the Hoosiers turned to the crowd to sing the Indiana fight song.
Morgan Melloh (22-14) pitched the entirety of the game, holding the Badgers to three runs. Melloh did not give up a single hit after the third inning. By the bottom of the sixth, Melloh had 10 strikeouts, ending the game with 12.
The Hoosiers put their first point on the board in the bottom of the first inning after a few Badger errors. They then went scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when Melloh hit a single allowing Warren to score after a Wisconsin error at third base.
Indiana won the game with six runs, seven hits and one error while Wisconsin had three runs, five hits and four errors. Two of Indiana’s runs resulted from Wisconsin errors.
One of Indiana’s power hitters, Olsen, walked in all her plate appearances during the game. To date, she is hitting .610.
The Hoosiers host Ball State Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
