Washington won in walk-off fashion over Indiana softball on Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Columbia Regional at Missouri Softball Stadium. 

The Hoosiers were down to their last out in the seventh, but tied the game on a RBI double from Avery Parker only to give up the lead in the bottom of inning — freshman Giselle Alvarez hit a double on a 3-2 count and two outs — with Sophie Kleiman taking the loss in relief. 

Indiana (40-19) lost 8-7 to a Huskies team that had lost four straight games coming into the NCAA tournament and six of their last seven. The loss sets up an elimination game for the Hoosiers on Saturday against the loser of the game between Missouri and Omaha on Friday night. 

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Indiana softball can’t hold onto the lead

Indiana pounced on Washington ace Ruby Meylan when she entered the game in the fifth inning.

The Hoosiers limited two-time first-team All-Pac 12 pitcher to the shortest appearance of her career (she only recorded two outs) to take their first lead of the game with four runs in the inning.

Meylan entered the game in the fifth with her team leading 4-1 and the bottom of the order coming up. 

Cora Bassett and Brooke Benson led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Washington allowed Bassett to score on a miscue in the infield when catcher Sydney Stewart tried to throw to second base and Meylan thought she was throwing back to the mound. 

The ball bounced off Meylan’s glove and the Hoosiers cut the lead to 4-2. Taylor Minnick followed that up with an RBI double.

Meylan exited the game after getting only two outs. It’s the first time in her career she didn’t pitch at least a full inning. 

Lopez re-entered the game and Stone crushed a two-run home run on the first pitch she saw to give Indiana a 5-4 lead. Freshman Alex Cooper hit a home run in the top of the sixth inning off the top of the center field wall. 

Washington rallied in the sixth inning. 

Olivia Johnson knocked in two runs with a shallow single to right field to tie the game 6-6. The Huskies scored the go-ahead run on what looked like a sure out at second base.  

The Hoosiers tried to get the lead runner when Brooklyn Carter sent a softly hit ball to first base, but the throw bounced off Brooke Benson’s glove at second and Johnson just kept on running as the shortstop held onto the ball in the outfield. 

Indiana was credited with two fielding errors on the play. 

Indiana softball falls behind early 

Washington went up 2-0 in the bottom of the second. 

Huskies first baseman Brooke Nelson worked a leadoff walk off starting pitcher Brianna Copelan and scored on a double from Alana Johnson. Johnson reached third on a throwing error on the play and scored on Kinsey Fiedler’s sacrifice fly to center. 

Indiana got on the board in the top of the fourth when Stone crushed the second pitch she saw off the fence in center field for her first triple of the season (fourth of her career). Aly VanBrandt laid down a perfect suicide squeeze in front of the plate that scored pinch runner Cassidy Kettleman.

The momentum was short-lived. 

Washington led off the bottom of the inning with three straight hits that scored a pair of runs. Johnson led off the inning with another double and scored on an RBI triple from Fielder that landed just outside of the outstretched glove of Kettleman in center. 

Indiana made a pitching change after Sydney Stewart hit an RBI single with Sophie Kleiman replacing Copeland. Copeland gave up six hits (three extra-base hits) and a walk in three innings. 

Kleiman worked out of the jam thanks in part to a nice catch in foul territory on the first base line from Stone. 

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.