Iowa softball sweeps Indiana behind dominant pitching and freshmen power surge
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – This sort of felt like the good old days under Gayle Blevins when the Iowa softball team would use dominate pitching, solid defense and timely hitting mixed in with some power to defeat opponents.
Iowa used that formula for success to sweep Indiana on Saturday by scores of 8-0 and 1-0 at Pearl Field.
The sweep came barely 24 hours after Iowa had lost to the Hoosiers in gut-wrenching fashion, falling 4-1 in nine innings.
Iowa head coach Renee Gillispie told her players before Saturday’s doubleheader to play with pride in front of the fans and her message was heard.
“I was real proud of how they stepped up and took care of being at home again,” Gillispie said.
From the pitching of Allison Doocy and Lauren Shaw to the three home runs hit by three freshmen to the top-notch defense, Gillispie had reason to be proud of her team, which improved top 12-7 with the sweep.
Instead of sulking over Friday’s loss, the Iowa players used it as motivation.
“Our team just never gives up and we always bounce back,” said freshman Denali Loecker. “Today you could see it during warmups. We had the grit in our eyes that we just wanted to this win (these games) and it worked.”
Loecker was the first of Iowa’s three freshmen to hit a home run on Saturday as she belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning in the first game.

Freshman catcher Lindy Milkowski then smacked another 2-run home run in the fifth inning to give Iowa a 7-0 lead. The Hawkeyes added one more run in the fifth inning to end the game by the 8-run mercy rule.
In the second game, freshman Marissa Peek hit a solo blast in the fifth inning and that was all the runs that Iowa needed as Shaw held Indiana scoreless through six innings.
Doocy then entered the game in relief in the seventh inning with no outs and a runner on first base and would go on to squash any potential rally.
“Our pitchers just came out ready to throw and our defense was right behind them,” Loecker said. “The pitchers were just throwing very well and the defense also had their back very well. “So we just had confidence all around.”
All three of Iowa’s pitchers were solid in the first three games of the four-game series as former Iowa City Regina standout Sarah Lehman went the distance on Friday, allowing just seven hits over nine innings.
“The pitching right now, you talk about (Doocy) in that first game, she was under 100 pitches and did a great job of being able to get up on the counts and doing what she needed to do to give us that chance,” Gillispie said. “And Shaw came in that second game and I was just real proud of how she came out and rally worked here changeup in there and kept them off balance the entire time.
“We can’t do this without the three pitchers that we have. I thought Lehman yesterday did a great job. We just didn’t get the bats in for her. But they’re working as a unit and I’m really proud of where they are.”
Gillispie is in her third season as the Iowa head coach and she’s in the process of rebuilding a program that fell on hard times after Gayle Blevins retired in 2010.
Blevins won 40 or more games in 13 of her 23 seasons as the Iowa head coach, while also leading Iowa to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, four College World Series appearances, five Big Ten regular-season titles and two Big Ten Tournament titles.
Iowa has a 29-12 record since the start of the 2020 season. The Hawkeyes were 17-5 last season when it was canceled due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
So the program is clearly moving in the right direction under Gillispie, and Saturday’s sweep was a significant step forward.
And to have three freshmen hit home runs also sends a message.
“Let’s hope that says we’re doing a good job recruiting,” Gillispie said. “These are Midwest kids. These are kids that are blue collar and know how to work. They know how to take care of business.”
Peek’s solo blast in the second game helped to energize her team.
“All of our freshman are just trying to find our place here and I feel that we’re all taking advantage of the opportunities that are given to us,” said Peek, who is from Wentzville, Mo.
Loecker, a native of Ogden, came to Iowa after a spectacular high school career in which she set school records for home runs, doubles and RBI. She is now showing signs of being a power hitter for the Hawkeyes.
“She’s just an incredible athlete,” Gillispie said of Loecker. “You know what you’re getting from Ogden, small town and being able to have that kind of player on our team means everything for Iowa.”
Loecker credited the Iowa fans for helping to provide a winning atmosphere.
Iowa is allowing 50 percent capacity for spring sports, and the stands seemed at least half full for Saturday’s doubleheader.
“There is nothing like it, to play at home and have these fans behind us,” Loecker said. “You could tell they were very excited and loud and supportive. So it was just awesome to play in front of them.”
The teams will close out the four-game series on Sunday with the first pitch coming at 2 p.m. at Pearl Field.