Big Ten softball tournament enters rain delay, Northwestern-Indiana quarterfinal halted in 5th inning
The first of four quarterfinals at the Big Ten softball tournament on Thursday entered a rain delay in the fifth inning with No. 8 seed Indiana leading top-seeded Northwestern, 3-1. The tournament is being held in Iowa City, Iowa, on the Iowa campus.
The delay came at the end of the top of the 5th inning, with Northwestern coming off the field on defense. A replay review on a close play on the base paths preceded the delay, as rain began to intensify as officials tried to sort out the ruling.
The ruling was confirmed for the third out, but despite Indiana players taking their defensive positions, the officials decided the rain had gotten too intense to keep playing.
Because of the delay to the first quarterfinal, the remaining three games will be delayed, at least slightly. Currently, the second quarterfinal between No. 4 seed Nebraska and No. 5 seed Minnesota is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. ET.
After that, No. 2 seed Michigan is set to face No. 10 seed Maryland before No. 11 seed Wisconsin faces No. 3 seed Rutgers in the nightcap.
Given that Iowa has a turf field, there shouldn’t be a long wait to continue playing after the rain relents, whenever that may be.
After more than an hour of delay, play resumed in Iowa City at 2:45 p.m. ET. Northwestern came up to bat to begin the bottom of the fifth inning.
However, the weather remains a factor as the day progresses into the evening, with more potential for delays on the horizon.
As of the middle of the afternoon on Thursday, all remaining games were slated to be played and completed on Thursday, keeping the semifinal schedule on track for Friday. The first semifinal is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on Friday.
The Big Ten isn’t the only league dealing with rain delays at its softball tournament
Just after 1 p.m. CT, the SEC announced that the first quarterfinal between LSU and Tennessee will begin at 5:02 p.m. CT, while the second quarterfinal between Missouri and Arkansas will begin approximately 35 minutes after that game concludes.
Meanwhile, the next two quarterfinal matchups have been moved to Friday morning. Florida and Georgia will begin at 9 a.m. CT with the Texas A&M vs. South Carolina game beginning 35 minutes after the end of that one. Plus, the SEC notes that the ballpark will open at 8:30 a.m. CT. Friday morning.