Softball Tops Nicholls St., Plays Two Games Sunday

Saturday, February 18

Troy, Alabama

8:30 a.m. (CT)

Ball State University

2-1

Nicholls State

1-6

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Nicholls State	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	8	1
Ball State	2	0	0	1	0	0	X	3	7	2

February 18, 2012 | Softball

Box Score

By: Ball State Athletics

TROY, Ala. - - In a race against wet weather, the Ball State softball team picked up an early morning 3-1 victory over Nicholls State Saturday on the second day of the 2012 Quality Inn Classic hosted by Troy University.

With rain forecasted for much of the day, the Cardinals and Colonels kicked off an 8:30 a.m. (CT) contest at the Troy Sportsplex. The game was originally scheduled to be played at the Troy Softball Complex, but the tournament schedule was reworked to two sites in an effort to get in a full day of games.

Unfortunately, the weather caught up with the Cardinals prior to the start of Saturday's game versus tournament host Troy, which has now been postponed to 8:30 a.m. (CT) Sunday at the Troy Softball Complex. Ball State will close out the Quality Inn Classic with a 12:30 p.m. (CT) contest versus Eastern Kentucky at the Troy Sportsplex.

In the game versus the Colonels, sophomore first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) provided all the offense the Cardinals would need in the bottom of the first, when she belted her first home run of the season over the left field wall. The blast, the eighth of her career, also drove in freshman right fielder Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) who led off the inning with a walk and later stole second.

Nicholls State would post a tally on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth, thanks to an RBI single from Rachael Hugghins, cutting the BSU advantage to 2-1.

However, the Cardinals answered in the bottom half of the inning when sophomore third baseman Audrey Bickel (Munster, Ind./Andrean) reached on an error and later came around to score on a sacrifice bunt from junior catcher Sadie Robertson (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit).

With a 3-1 lead, senior pitcher Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Wickenburg) closed out the game and earned her first victory of the year after suffering the loss yesterday afternoon despite a solid performance against No. 5/6 Missouri. In a complete-game effort, Workman (1-1) limited Nicholls State to one runs and seven hits, while striking out a season-high seven batters over seven innings.

Nicholls State's Katie Moulder (1-2) suffered the loss on the mound, allowing three runs (two earned) and seven hits over 5.0 innings of work.

Rager finished the game going 2-for-2 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored. In the three games so far at the Quality Inn Classic, Rager is 5-for-9 with two walks, three RBI and two runs scored.

Also collecting hits for the Cardinals in the contest were Cihlar, senior designated player Amanda Montalto (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde), Bickel, Robertson and freshman second baseman Taylor Cox (Carden Grove, Calif./Pacifica).