Softball Sweeps Buffalo in Saturday Doubleheader

Saturday, April 23

Muncie, Ind.

2:00 p.m.

Ball State University

29-17, 0

Buffalo (DH)

10-28, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Buffalo	0	0	2	0	2	0	0	4	12	0
Ball State	2	1	0	0	2	2	X	7	9	0

Softball Defeats Dutch National Team in Exhibition

April 23, 2011 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Ball State Athletics

MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State Softball improved to 30-17 overall and 10-3 in the Mid-American Conference after taking both games of the doubleheader against Buffalo (11-15, 5-7 MAC) Saturday afternoon at the BSU Softball Complex.

The Cardinals won the first game, 7-4, then went on to defeat the Bulls, 9-1, in five innings in the second contest.

In the first game, senior right fielder Alyssa Collins (Fortville, Ind./Mt. Vernon) led the Cardinals in the bottom of the first as she doubled to center field to get on base. The Cardinals has one out when junior catcher Amanda Montalto (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde) drove Collins home off a double to left center field.

Freshman designated hitter Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) then brought Montalto back home on a base-hit to right field to give Ball State the early 2-0 lead.

The Cardinals added another run in the bottom of the second inning as Collins' base hit to third scored senior center fielder Lisa Rozanski (Tampa, Fla./Daytona Beach CC), who got on base after tripling to right center field.

The Bulls put two runs on the board in the top of the third after a two RBI-double from Waldron. Buffalo then came back in the top of the fifth as Waldron's home run to center field scored Ashley Bertot.

Down 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Gilbert sent a home run sailing over the right center field fence to score sophomore Hannah Zimmerman (Indianapolis, Ind./Scecina Memorial). Zimmerman came in to pinch run for freshman first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern), who got on base after drawing a walk off Buffalo's Holly Johnson.

Returning in the bottom of the sixth, freshman pinch hitter Audrey Bickel (Munster, Ind./Andrean) was patient at the plate to reach first base. Senior shortstop Alicia Barkley (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City) would then hit an inside-the-park home run to score Rozanski and end the inning, making it a 7-4 ball game. The home run marked Barkley's second on the season and in her career.

Junior hurler Kim Mazzapica (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake) improved to 6-1 on the season with the win for the Cardinals. After 3.1 innings of work, Mazzapica gave up two runs off seven hits, while striking out four batters.

In the second game, BSU added two more in the first after Montalto doubled to center field, bringing home Collins, who got on base due to a single to center at the start of the inning. Rager then drew a walk off Johnson before back-to-doubles from Gilbert and sophomore left fielder Amanda Carpenter (Santee, Calif./Santana) put the Cardinals up 4-0.

The Cardinals added a run in the second inning as Gilbert singled down the right field line to score Rager, who got on base after doubling to left center field with two outs on the board.

Then in the bottom of the third, junior second baseman Alison Mercado (Perris, Calif./Arizona Western) hit a triple to center field, her first on the season, to drive home Rozanski.

Buffalo answered back in the top of the fourth as Jessica Griffin was tagged out at first and Ashley Bertot scored on the play for the Bulls' lone run of the contest.

Ball State's hot bats kept coming in the fifth after Mercado tripled to right center field and scored after Collins' single to right field brought her home. Then, a two-run homer from Rager drove in Barkley, who reached on a fielder's choice, to secure the run rule and resulted in the Cardinals' taking a 9-1 advantage versus their opponent.

Sophomore pitcher Audra Sanders (Lynnville, Ind./Tecumseh) recorded the win for BSU after dishing up five innings of three-hit pitching, while striking out six batters and improving to 16-10 on the season. Johnson suffered the loss for Buffalo on the mound after 0.1 innings of work.

Head coach Craig Nicholson and the team return to play Friday as the Cardinals head east to Toledo for a doubleheader with the Rockets, starting at 1 p.m. from the Scott Park Softball Complex. From there, Ball State continues to Bowling Green for weekend matchups at Meserve Softball Field.