Ball State University
IPFW
Softball Narrowly Defeated By IPFW Tuesday
April 06, 2010 | Softball
Going into the game, the IPFW batters had claimed 27 home runs this season to Ball State's 13. This batting power and wind gusts, which were reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, proved to be a lethal combination for the Cardinals' defense. The Mastodons' Stacey Swinford showed Ball State just how lethal when she sent the ball sailing over the fence for a two RBI home run in the first inning.
Swinford's homer followed runs posted by Rachel Staschuk and Kristina Karpun who both crossed the plate when Cassie Wolfe's single to left field was mishandled by Ball State's Amanda Carpenter (Santee, Calif./Santana). The error, Carpenter's first this season, advanced Wolfe to second base and allowed IPFW to post its first two points of the game.
The Cardinals were unable to answer until the second inning when Carpenter hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield that drove in Jessie Ware (Phoenix, Ariz./Hamilton) who was on third after hitting her eighth triple of the season.
Then, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Alicia Barkley (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City) and Ware each singled to set things in motion for Ball State to score. Following Ware, Carpenter singled and advanced to second on an error by Swinford. The centerfielder's error allowed Barkley to score and advanced Ware to third base. The motion ended, however, when Jen Reifschneder (Wichita, Kan./Maize) was struck out by Courtney Cronin.
Cronin struck out nine batters in the game.
The Cardinals defense held IPFW to four runs until the sixth inning when Cassie Wolfe slugged her fourth home run of the season and the Mastodon's 29th. This was the ninth home run given up this season by Ball State's Audra Sanders (Lynnville, Ind./Tecumseh) who was charged with the loss and is now 5-4 in the circle.
In the bottom of the sixth, Ware, who was a perfect three-for-three at bat, put a play into motion for the Cardinals with a triple to centerfield. Ware advanced to home on the play as the second baseman overthrew the ball to third. This is Ware's ninth triple of the season and she is now tied with Cindy Sands (1987) as the single season leader in the Ball State record books.
Sanders and the Ball State defense were able to keep the Mastodons from scoring in the seventh, so the Cardinals trailed by two heading into the final inning.
The first Cardinal to take the plate, Kate Wilczynski (Tucson, Ariz./Canyon Del Oro), who was at bat for Reifschneider, slugged a home run over the centerfield fence to decrease the Mastodons' lead by one. Following the home run, IPFW exchanged Amanda Olender for Cronin on the mound.
Alyssa Freiling (Bixby, Okla./Sequoyah) caught a piece of Olender's pitch, but the Mastodons were kept safe by their leftfielder, Swanson. Then, Jen Moore (Canton, Ohio/Jackson), pinch hitting for Sadie Robertson (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit), was struck out swinging. Needing one run to tie the game and faced with two outs, Lisa Rozanski (Tampa, Fla./Alonso) stepped up to bat. Rozanski kept the Cardinals' drive alive by singling up the middle. The game ended on the next play, however, as Alyssa Collins (Fortville, Ind./Mt. Vernon) grounded out to Olender who was credited with the save.
Now 2-1 at home, the Cardinals will host two conference opponents this weekend at the BSU Softball Complex. On Friday, beginning at 1p.m., Ball State will play the current Mid-American Conference leader, Central Michigan, in a doubleheader. After playing the Chippewas, the Cardinals host Eastern Michigan at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
