Ball State University Athletics
Softball Continues Play at Phyllis Rafter Memorial
February 24, 2011 | Softball
MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State Softball returns to the field this weekend as the Cardinals head to the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament in Woodstock, Ga. The squad enters weekend play after tallying a 2-2 record during the Austin Peay Spring Tournament.
Ball State begins at 3:30 p.m. Friday against host Kennesaw State, followed by contests versus Tennessee State at 10:30 a.m. and Mercer at 1 p.m Saturday. Ball State will complete its play in the tournament Sunday against Bowling Green at 10:30 a.m. and Georgia State at 1 p.m.
FROM THE WEEKEND: Saturday in Ball State's season opener versus Belmont, the Cardinals shutout the Bruins, 8-0, in an early morning contest at Lady Govs Field. The squad outhit its Music City foe, 9-3, and went only one inning without a run. Freshman Audrey Bickel (Munster, Ind./Andrean) and senior outfielder Alyssa Collins (Fortville, Ind./Mt. Vernon) led the Cardinals at the plate, as the duo combined for four hits in five at-bats, in addition to five RBI, while sophomore outfielder Amanda Carpenter (Santee, Calif./Santana) tallied the Cardinals' only stolen base. In just her first appearance inside the circle for the Cardinals, junior hurler Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Wickenburg) gave up just three hits, collected two strikeouts and allowed two walks over five innings.
Ball State later fell 1-0 to Cleveland State as senior Kate Wilczynski (Tucson, Ariz./Canyon Del Oro) posted two hits in three at-bats while sophomore pitcher Audra Sanders (Lynnville, Ind./Tecumseh) took a no-hitter until the fourth inning. She allowed for five hits, two walks, and one run, in addition to recording a career-high 12 strikeouts on the day.
In Sunday's 3-2 loss to UMKC, senior outfielder Lisa Rozanski (Tampa, Fla./Daytona Beach CC) scored the first of Ball State's runs in the top of the sixth inning after an error on in the Roos' rightfield. Wilczynski also drove in Carpenter in the top of the seventh inning to score the Cardinals' second and final run of the contest. Sanders allowed ten hits and three runs and fanned seven UMKC batters in six innings.
Ball State closed the tournament with a 9-2 victory versus host Austin Peay, in which the Cardinals outhit the Lady Govs, 11-5. Senior shortstop Alicia Barkley (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City) collected two hits in four at-bats, Carpenter went 3-for-4 and senior first baseman Kristy Stratton (Paw Paw, Mich./Paw Paw) went 2-for-3 at the plate. Bickel also hit a home run in the sixth inning to score four runs and seal the win for Ball State.
Junior hurler Kim Mazzapica (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake), Workman and Sanders combined for six innings. Mazzapica allowed three hits and one run, Workman scattered two hits and collected two strikeouts, while Sanders earned the save with two strikeouts in the final innings.
SCOUTING KENNESAW STATE: Friday's game marks the third time Ball State and Kennesaw State have met, as the Cardinals and Owls are deadlocked at 1-1 all-time. Last season during the Phyllis Rafter Memorial, the Cardinals shutout the Owls, 1-0. Kennesaw State enters weekend play with a 7-3 record after defeating Georgia Tech on Wednesday, 4-1. Sophomore Sharon Swanson, a native of Canton, Ga., leads Kennesaw State's charge, batting 13-for-33 at the plate, including two doubles and four home runs. Already in the young season, Swanson has accumulated a .394 batting average and a .818 slugging percentage, in addition to 23 RBI.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Saturday's contest versus Tennessee State marks the third time the two squads have met, as the Tigers own the 2-0 series advantage against the Cardinals. The two squads last met during the 2009 season as Tennessee State defeated Ball State, 2-1, at the Georgia Softball Classic in Athens, Ga. The Tigers enter the tournament with a 5-6 record after recording a split against Belmont on Wednesday.
SCOUTING MERCER: Ball State will face Mercer for the second-consecutive season, as the Bears defeated the Cardinals, 9-1, at the 2010 Phyllis Rafter Memorial. The Bears enter weekend play with an 8-4 overall record after defeating both Oakland and Savannah State in doubleheader action on Monday and Tuesday. Junior Sara Stukes paces the Bears from the plate, as the Powder Springs, Ga. native stands at 14-for-32, with five doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI, in addition to a .438 batting average and a .781 slugging percentage.
SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN: Sunday's contest with Bowling Green stands as the 79th contest between the MAC foes, as the Falcons own the 47-31 series advantage. Last season, Ball State defeated Bowling Green in a doubleheader at the BSU Softball Complex, by scores of 17-4 and 12-3. Heading into the Phyllis Rafter Memorial, the Falcons own a 0-5 record after falling to Louisiana Tech, LSU and Purdue in the LSU Tiger Classic.
SCOUTING GEORGIA STATE: Sunday's contest with Georgia State marks the fifth time the two teams have met, as the Panthers hold the 3-1 series advantage against the Cardinals. Georgia State enters the weekend with a 5-6 overall record, after falling to Auburn, 4-2, on Wednesday. Freshman Jessica Clifton leads the Panthers' offensive charge, as the Locust Grove, Ga. native has amassed a .346 batting average, a .500 slugging percentage and nine hits, including two doubles, a triple, and two RBI on the young season.
Live stats will be provided for all games on BallStateSports.com and updates can be found by following @BallStSoftball on Twitter.
Head coach Craig Nicholson and the team open the home portion of the 2011 season in a doubleheader versus Dayton at the BSU Softball Complex, beginning at 3 p.m. on March 24.
