Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
4-3
Cleveland State
1-6
Softball Shuts Down Cleveland State, 3-0
February 25, 2012 | Softball
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - - The Ball State softball team opened the second day of the 2012 Frost Classic Inspired by Memorial with a 3-0 victory over Cleveland State Saturday at UT-Chattanooga's Warner Park.
Senior pitcher Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Wickenburg) recorded her third career complete game shutout, her first of the season, by limiting the Vikings (1-6) to just five hits over the seven innings and striking out six batters.
Freshman shortstop Jessica Craft (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) recorded her first career hit in the victory, which helped score BSU's first two runs. She finished the game 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Sophomore left fielder Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) blasted her third home run of the tournament in the bottom of the fifth, giving BSU its 3-0 margin of victory.
Sophomore third baseman Audrey Bickel (Munster, Ind./Andrean) collected a pair of doubles in the contest, while sophomore first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) tallied one. Senior second baseman Alison Mercado (Perris, Calif./Arizona Western) also posted a hit.
After a scoreless inning and a half, the Cardinals pushed the first runs across in the bottom of the second. Bickel led off the inning with her first double, and after a pair of pop-ups to short, Craft came to the plate. Craft would drive in Bickel with her first career hit, a single to right field, and would circle the bags herself thank to a fielding error by the right fielder and a throwing error on the relay by the second baseman.
Gilbert made the score 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth with her 18th career home run. Workman and the BSU defense shut down the Cleveland State offense the rest of the game, including a double play to end a bases loaded threat in the top of the sixth.
The Ball State softball team returns to action later this afternoon with a 3:30 p.m. first pitch versus Dayton.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Workman, Audrey (2-3)
L: Megan Bashak (1-4)
Batting:
2B: Nena Doran 1 ; Cynthia Woodard 1
Base Running:
SB: Cynthia Woodard 1
HBP: Dara Toman 1 ; Megan Bashak 1
Batting:
2B: Rager, Taylor 1 ; Bickel, Audrey 2
HR: Gilbert, Jenny 1
RBI: Gilbert, Jenny 1 ; Craft, Jessica 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gilbert, Jenny 1 ; Bickel, Audrey 1 ; Craft, Jessica 1
CS: Mercado, Alison 1
