Ball State University
15-7
Loyola-Chicago
4-10
Softball Ends Miami Invitational With Pair Of Wins
March 18, 2012 | Softball
OXFORD, Ohio - - The Ball State softball team concluded play at the Miami Invitational with a pair of Sunday wins, topping both Loyola-Chicago (9-2) and Niagara (14-0 in five innings) at Miami University's Softball Stadium.
With the two wins, the Cardinals end the tournament with a 3-1 record and improve to 16-7 on the year. Ball State out-scored its opponents 33-7 over its two days at the Miami Invitational.
Junior center fielder Amanda Carpenter (Santee, Calif./Santana) led the Cardinals at the Miami Invitational with a .467 (7-for-15) batting average, including two home runs, five RBI and six runs scored.
Senior catcher/designated player Amanda Montalto (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde) and sophomore first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) also posted a pair of home runs each in the event.
Montalto improve her school-record career home run total to 28 with the two blasts, while Rager and Bickel both moved to fourth in BSU annals with 14 career long balls each.
On the mound, senior pitcher Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Wickenburg) picked up a pair of wins by surrendering just eight hits and two runs (one earned) in 14.0 innings of work. She also struck out 13 batters in her two appearances.
The Ball State softball team returns to action next Friday, when it played both UNLV (12:30 p.m. PST) and Cal Poly (5:30 p.m. PST) on the opening day of the Mustang Classic hosted by Cal Poly.
GAME TWO RECAP: Ball State 14 - Niagara 0
OXFORD, Ohio - - The Ball State softball team ended play at the Miami Invitational with a 14-0 (5) win over Niagara in its second game Sunday afternoon at the Miami University Softball Stadium.
In the win, the Cardinals (16-7) racked up 10 hits and capitalized on four Purple Eagles (4-14) errors to earn its biggest victory of the season.
BSU's bombers continued their home run barrage, adding two more long balls to their weekend total thanks to the bats of senior catcher Amanda Montalto (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde) and sophomore first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern).
Montalto would finish the game 2-for-4 with a team-leading four RBI and two runs scored. Rager went 1-for-1 with two walks, two RBI and two runs scored.
Junior center fielder Amanda Carpenter (Santee, Calif./Santana) continued her solid hitting at the Miami Invitational, going 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.
Senior pitcher Kim Mazzapica (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake) earned the win in the circle, limiting Niagara to one hit over five innings of work, while striking out three batters.
The Cardinals capitalized on three Niagara errors in the bottom of the first to score four runs. Sophomore left fielder Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) opened the game with a walk and advanced to third when freshman designated player Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) reached second on a fielding error by the right fielder.
Montalto followed with an RBI groundout to push across the first run. A pair of walks to Rager and sophomore third baseman Audrey Bickel (Munster, Ind./Andrean) loaded the bases, before a pair of infield throwing errors brought in three more runs.
BSU added five more runs in the top of the second, this time striking for five hits. Gilbert led off the frame with a double and scored on a Montalto triple to center. Rager would follow with a two-run blast over the right-center field wall, making the score 7-0.
Bickel would then draw her second walk of the game, while a double to left-center from Carpenter put runners at second and third. Freshman right fielder Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) took advantage of the situation with a RBI single to left, while freshman second baseman Taylor Cox (Garden Grove, Calif./Pacifica) grounded out to first base to bring home BSU's final run of the third frame.
Stuedemann walked to open the bottom of the third for the Cardinals, and came home to score thanks to a two-run shot from Montatlo in the next at bat. Rager followed with a walk, and was replaced by pinch runner Lauren Schroeder (Greenfield, Ind./New Palestine), while Carpenter singled to put runners at first and second.
A groundout advanced the runners, while an infield single from Cox and a throwing error plated both the runners. Senior shortstop Alison Mercado (Perris, Calif./Arizona Western) followed with a single, while Gilbert blasted her second double of the game to make the final score 14-0.
Kim Bryson (1-8) suffered the loss for the Purple Eagles, surrendering 12 runs (eight earned) and six hits over 2.0 innings. Bri Allen also threw for Niagara, going 2.0 innings and allowing two runs and four hits.
GAME ONE RECAP: Ball State 9, Loyola 2
OXFORD, Ohio - - The Cardinals blasted a pair of two-run home runs in the top of the first and cruised to a 9-2 victory over Loyola-Chicago in its Sunday opener at the Miami Invitational.
Junior center fielder Amanda Carpenter (Santee, Calif./Santana) led the Ball State offense, going 3-for-5 at the plate, including her 14th career home run, which was a two-run blast to left field. She also added an RBI single in the sixth to finish the game with three RBI and two runs scored.
Senior designated player Amanda Montalto (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde) opened the scoring with her school-record 27th career home run, and finished the game 1-for-3 with two walks, two RBI and two runs scored.
Senior pitcher Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Wickenburg) picked up her second win of the weekend in the circle, improving to 8-5 on the year, by limiting the Ramblers to five hits and two runs (one earned) over seven innings. Workman would also strike out five batters in the game.
Ball State's bats came alive in the top of the first, with a pair of two-run home runs. Sophomore left fielder Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) opened the game with a double over the left fielder's head, and came around to score two batters later on Montalto's 27th career home run. Sophomore first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) followed with a walk, while Carpenter came through with her second long ball of the tournament to make the score 4-0.
Loyola broke onto the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the second, as two walks and a hit batter ended up haunting the Cardinals thanks to a two-out RBI infield single from Olivia Bell. However, an inning-ending fielder's choice helped limit the damage to just the one run.
The Cardinals tacked on a pair of run in the top of the fifth, thanks to a pair of pinch hit singles. Sophomore third baseman Audrey Bickel (Munster, Ind./Andrean) opened the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a Carpenter single. After a foul fly, sophomore pinch hitter Lauren Schroeder (Greenfield, Ind./New Palestine) and freshman pinch hitter Haley Smith (Baytown, Texas/Lee) each dropped in RBI singles to short center field to push the score to 6-1. The RBI single was Smith's first career hit for the Cardinals.
Ball State capitalized on a pair of leadoff walks in the top of the sixth to make the score 8-1. Freshman outfielder Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan), who was replaced by freshman Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North), and Montalto led off the inning with walks. After a strikeout, Bickel dropped the ball into left center to bring home the first run, while Carpenter followed by placing the ball on the left field line to plate the second.
Loyola added its final run in the bottom of the sixth, when Lauren Zaworski reached base on an error and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch.
Gilbert came around to score the Cardinals' final run in the top of the seventh, by drawing a walk and eventually crossing the plate after two more BSU walks and a wild pitch.
Brittany Gardner suffered the loss on the hill for Loyola, surrendering 10 hits and nine runs in 4.2 innings of work to fall to 2-4 on the year. She would strikeout five batters, but gave up 10 walks in the process.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Workman, Audrey (8-5)
L: Gardner, Brittany (2-4)
Batting:
2B: Gilbert, Jenny 1
HR: Montalto, Amanda 1 ; Carpenter, Amanda 1
RBI: Montalto, Amanda 2 ; Bickel, Audrey 1 ; Carpenter, Amanda 3 ; Schroeder, Lauren 1 ; Smith, Haley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gilbert, Jenny 2 ; Cihlar, Loren 1 ; Montalto, Amanda 2 ; Rager, Taylor 1 ; Bickel, Audrey 1 ; Carpenter, Amanda 2
SB: Robertson, Sadie 1
Batting:
2B: Andresen, Brooke 1
RBI: Bell, Olivia 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Shaffer, Tarran 1 ; Zaworski, Lauren 1
SB: Moore, Lauren 1 ; Andresen, Brooke 1
CS: Balzano, Jessica 1
HBP: Korth, Annie 2
