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.
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