Ball State University Athletics
Softball Plays at Under Armour Showcase This Weekend
March 11, 2011 | Softball
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Ball State softball team returns to action this weekend at the Under Armour Showcase at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. The Cardinals enter the weekend after recording a 3-2 mark during the Under Armour Invitational, good for an 11-5 overall tally on the season.
Ball State begins with matchups Friday against Long Island and Connecticut at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively, followed by games versus Quinnipiac and Florida at 12:30 pm and 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Ball State will complete its play in the tournament Sunday against St. Joseph's at noon.
FROM THE WEEKEND: On the opening day of the Under Armour Invitational, the Cardinals defeated Arkansas, 3-2, but fell to host USF, 8-2, at the USF Softball Field. Freshman Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) paced the Cardinals at the plate, going 1-for-3, in addition to recording her home run. Freshman Audrey Bickel (Munster, Ind./Andrean) tallied two hits in three appearances while senior shortstop Alicia Barkley (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City), senior center fielder Lisa Rozanski (Tampa, Fla./Daytona Beach CC), sophomore left fielder Amanda Carpenter (Santee, Calif./Santana) and sophomore Hannah Zimmerman (Indianapolis, Ind./Scecina Memorial) all recorded a stolen base each.
Pitchers Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Wickenburg) and Audra Sanders (Lynnville, Ind./Tecumseh) combined for seven innings in the circle. Workman allowed for seven hits and walked eight, in addition to striking out a career-high 11 batters. In the final moments of the contest, Sanders struck out Arkansas' right fielder junior Tori Mort to help seal the victory for Ball State.
Versus USF, Gilbert was a standout at the plate, as she went 2-for-3, in addition to driving in Barkley on two occasions. Sanders and junior hurler Kim Mazzapica (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake) combined for nearly six innings. Sanders allowed for 10 hits, while walking two and fanning three Bulls batters and Mazzapica scattered three hits, walked two and tallied one strikeout.
Saturday, Ball State shutout Villanova, 5-0, at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla., but fell to Michigan, 8-3. Ball State outhit Villanova, 11-2, and completed the contest with no errors. Carpenter had a standout day, going 1-for-2 and driving in two runs, Barkley tallied three hits in four appearances, while Sanders dished up seven innings of two-hit pitching. The pre-medicine major also allowed only three walks and tallied one strikeout on the way to registering a 4-3 record on the season.
Michigan outhit Ball State, however the Cardinals committed one error compared to the Wolverines' three. Workman and Mazzapica combined for just over six innings in the circle, as the duo allowed for 10 hits, while walking 13 and fanning one.
On the final day of tournament action, Ball State blanked East Tennessee State, 5-0. Ball State outhit ETSU, 9-4, and committed no errors in the contest compared to the Lady Buccaneers' one. Senior right fielder Alyssa Collins (Fortville, Ind./Mt. Vernon) went 2-for-4 on the day while Sanders pitched all seven innings, allowing four hits, two walks and striking out six.
SCOUTING LONG ISLAND: Friday's game marks the second time Ball State and Long Island will meet, as the Cardinals own the 1-0 series advantage. The two squads last met in 2008 at Speedline Tournament in Tampa, Fla. as Ball State shutout Long Island, 1-0. The Blackbirds enter the tournament with a 3-16 record after falling to No. 17 Louisiana-Lafayette, 4-0, Sunday in the Diamond ESPN Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla. Sophomore Emily Kakuska, a native of Fontana, Calif., leads Long Island's charge, batting 16-for-53, including two doubles, one home runs and six RBI.
SCOUTING CONNECTICUT: The contest between Ball State and Connecticut stands as the first meeting between the two squads. The Huskies enter the weekend with a 5-6 record after recording a split against Mercer Monday in Macon, Ga.
SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC: Saturday's matchup with Quinnipiac marks the first meeting between the two teams. The Bobcats enter the Under Armour Showcase with a perfect 7-6 overall record after going 3-2 during the Under Armour Invitational, defeating Loyola Marymount, Florida International and Maine, but falling to Western Michigan and Central Michigan. Junior Ashley Heiberger paces Quinnipiac after recording 11 hits in 31 appearances, two doubles, one triple and two RBI on the season
SCOUTING FLORIDA: The game between Ball State and Florida stands as the second meeting between the two squads as the Gators own the 1-0 series advantage. Florida earned a No. 2 ranking in the latest USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll Tuesday. The Gators enter the tournament with a perfect 21-0 overall record after defeating LSU, 8-1 and 5-0, in a midweek double-header in Baton Rouge, La.
SCOUTING ST. JOSEPH'S: Sunday's contest marks the second time Ball State and St. Joseph's will meet, as the Hawks own the 1-0 series advantage after defeating the Cardinals, 2-1, in 2010 at the Under Armour Invitational. Heading into the Under Armour Showcase, St. Joseph's owns a 10-6 overall record after falling to St. John's, 3-0, earlier today.
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.
