Ball State University
Marshall
Softball Suffers Close Losses In Seventh Innings
February 21, 2009 | Softball
ATHENS, Ga. ? The Ball State softball team lost 5-4 11 a.m. Saturday against Marshall, continuing in the Georgia Softball Classic. The team took on Tennessee State at 3 p.m., but was unable to hold on late in the game.
GAME 1 RECAP
Ball State opened the day with a line drive down the third base line by sophomore outfielder Lisa Rozanski (Tampa, Fla./Alonso) for a single. She would later be caught in a pickle between third and home. The Cardinals' defense denied Marshall from scoring in the first inning as well. A home run over the right field wall by junior first baseman Jen Reifschneider (Wichita, Kan./Maize) put the Cardinals' first run on the board in the second inning. A sacrifice fly allowed Marshall to tie the game a 1-1 the next inning. Ball State answered to that with a triple by Rozanski, knocking in sophomore pinch hitter Jen Moore (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) for the Cardinals to take the lead. Senior outfielder Allie Pennock (Waterloo, Ill. /Gibault Catholic) then singled into center brining home another run for Ball State, putting the score at 3-1. Sophomore shortstop Alicia Barkley (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City) added a stolen base.
The lead changed again when the Thundering Herd hit a double and three singles to score three more runs. A double play by Ball State ended the fifth inning. On a last attempt for a comeback, Reifschneider bombed her second solo homerun of the day, over the center field wall to tie the game at four a piece. Junior right handed pitcher Elizabeth Milian (Grand Blanc, Mich. /Grand Blanc) advanced to second base off a double into left field, but the Cardinals were unable to bring her home.
The game remained tied in the bottom of the seventh. But the Cardinals could not hold on when a throwing error to first base allowed Marshall to rally in the winning run.
Milian delivered five strikeouts in her second complete game of the weekend. Her record stands at 1-1.
The Cardinals led with 7 hits to the Thundering Herd's 6.
GAME 2 RECAP
The Cardinals faced Tennessee State (5-1) in the second game of the day, but were defeated 4-3. Neither team scored until the fourth inning when the Tigers logged three runs off Jalisa Bradley's triple. Ball State battled back in the fifth inning with three runs of the team's own. Senior second baseman Kamilah Holle (Granger, Ind. /Penn) led off the inning with a double into left field. Barkley followed with a triple into deep right center, sending Holle and Pennock in for two runs. Sophomore outfielder Alyssa Collins (Fortville, Ind. /Mt. Vernon) laid a suicide squeeze to tie the game at 3-3. The next inning remained tied.
Senior right handed pitcher Tiffany Garofano (Alamogordo, N.M. /Alamogordo) (0-1) pitched a complete game which consisted of 11 strikeouts; however, Tennessee State would score the winning run on a wild pitch, allowing the Tigers to win 4-3.
Ball State had twice as many hits as the Tigers with 8-4 hits. Pennock and Collins each had a stolen base in the game.
The Cardinals (1-3 overall) conclude the Georgia Softball Classic against IUPUI (4-10 overall) 11 a.m. Sunday.
