Tennessee Tech Slips Past Softball In Final At Bat

Sunday, February 26

Chattanooga, Tenn.

1:15 p.m.

Ball State University

5-4

Tennessee Tech

6-8

Ball State

Tennessee Tech

Softball Slams Its Way Past Michigan State, 7-2

February 26, 2012 | Softball

Box Score

By: Ball State Athletics

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - - The Ball State softball team suffered a hard-fought 2-1 setback to Tennessee Tech Sunday in its final game of the Frost Classic Inspired by Memorial which was hosted by UT-Chattanooga.

Ball State finished the three-day tournament with a 3-2 record, to improve to 5-4 on the year. Tennessee Tech moves to 6-8 after defeating the Cardinals.

After falling behind 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, a clutch two-out RBI single from junior center fielder Amanda Carpenter (Santee, Calif./Santana) tied the score in the top of the seventh. Unfortunately, the Cardinals could not hold on as the Golden Eagles tallied a game-winning run in the bottom of the frame.

Carpenter finished the day 1-for-4 with an RBI. Freshman right fielder Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) led the Cardinals at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Despite suffering the loss on the mound, senior pitcher Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Wickenburg) turned in a strong outing, limiting TTU to just six hits and two runs (one earned) over 6.2 innings. For the third time this season, she also tallied seven strikeouts a game.

Holly Thomas picked up the win for Tennessee Tech, limiting BSU to six hits and one run over seven innings. She also struck out eight batters to improve to 4-4 on the year.

After five and a half scoreless innings, the Golden Eagles collected the first run of the contest thanks to a bases-loaded sacrifice fly from Chanelle Spalding. Workman would strike out the next batter, while sophomore left fielder Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) tracked down a smash from Whitney Cummings near the left-center wall to limit Tennessee Tech to just one run.

Cihlar led off the seventh with a single to left center, and advanced to second on a groundout from freshman second baseman Taylor Cox (Garden Grove, Calif./Pacifica). After a fly-out for the second out, Carpenter smashed the ball up the middle to drive in the game-tying run.

Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles were able to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and push across the game-winning run on a RBI single from Brooke Basten.

The Ball State softball team returns to action next Friday, when it plays South Alabama (10 a.m.) and Temple (2:30 p.m.) on the opening day of the Citrus Classic which will be played in Kissimmee, Fla., at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.