Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Eastern Michigan (DH)
Softball Splits Friday DH with Eastern Michigan
April 15, 2011 | Softball
YPSILANTI, Mich. - The Ball State University softball team owns a 26-15 overall record and 6-2 mark in Mid-American Conference play after splitting a doubleheader versus Eastern Michigan (21-9, 7-3) Friday afternoon at Varsity Field.
The Cardinals fell to the Eagles, 5-3, in the first game and then went on to defeat their opponent, 2-1, in the second contest.
After two scoreless innings to start, freshman first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) led the Cardinals after she doubled to left field and brought home senior shortstop Alicia Barkley (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City), who reached on a fielder's choice, and senior center fielder Lisa Rozanski (Tampa, Fla./Daytona Beach CC), who singled to short, off a double to left field.
Before the end of the third inning, Eastern Michigan evened the score after a Stacie Skodinski double to left center field drove in Lauren Delapaz, followed by Sarah Gerber's single to score Skodinski.
In the bottom of the fourth, Delapaz knocked a two-run homer to left field off Ball State sophomore pitcher Audra Sanders (Lynnville, Ind./Tecumseh) and Skodinski singled to left field to get on base and stole second. Then, Gerber scored off an error to put the Eagles up, 5-2.
The Cardinals had two outs in the top of the sixth when senior third baseman Kate Wilczynski (Tucson, Ariz./Canyon Del Oro) hit a solo shot to left field.
Sanders suffered the loss on the mound after 6.0 innings of work. The pre-medicine major gave up five runs while striking out four batters, falling to 13-9 on the season.
In the second game in the top of the first, Barkley led Ball State after she singled to left field to get on base and stole second with junior catcher Amanda Montalto's (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde) at bat, a pop-up to second base.
Then, Barkley advanced to third on a wild pitch and Rager's base-hit through the right side sent Barkley home to give the Cardinals an early 1-0 advantage against the Eagles.
Eastern Michigan put the tying run on the board in the bottom of the first after Delapaz's single up the middle scored Jessica Richards, but Ball State junior pitcher Kim Mazzapica (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake) got the Cardinals out of the inning by striking out the last batter.
Ball State added the final run in the top of the seventh after freshman Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) drew a walk off of Eastern Michigan's Jaclyn Caro with the bases loaded to score sophomore Hannah Zimmerman (Indianapolis, Ind./Scecina Memorial).
Mazzapica (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake) recorded the win for the Cardinals after 7.0 innings of work, allowing just two hits and striking out four Eagles batters to improve to 5-1 on the season. Caro suffered the loss for Eastern Michigan in the circle after 1.1 innings of work.
Ball State continues with MAC play Saturday and Sunday versus Central Michigan at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. Then, the squad heads to Bloomington, Ind. for a midweek contest with Indiana at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
