Softball Falls To Northern Illinois In MAC Opener

Saturday, March 31

DeKalb, Ill.

2 p.m. (CT)

Ball State University

19-10, 0-1

Northern Illinois

13-18, 1-2

Ball State

Northern Illinois

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March 31, 2012 | Softball

Box Score

By: Ball State Athletics

DEKALB, Ill. - - The Ball State softball team opened Mid-American Conference play with a 12-5 setback at Northern Illinois' Mary M. Bell Field Saturday afternoon.

Three Cardinals (19-10 / 0-1 MAC) tallied a pair hits in the contest, including sophomore left fielder Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) who led of the game with a single and recorded her league-leading 11^th double of the year in the third.

Also recording a pair of hits were sophomore first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) and senior shortstop Alison Mercado (Perris, Calif./Arizona Western).

Senior designated player Amanda Montalto (Las Vegas, Nevada/Palo Verde) also blasted a home run for the Cardinals, giving her six for the season and 29 for her career.

The Cardinals jumped on the board quickly in the top of the first, thanks to a leadoff single from Gilbert and a two-out RBI single to right from Rager.

The Huskies (13-18 /1-2 MAC) responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame and added four more in the second to pull ahead 6-1.

BSU got three of the runs back in the top of the third, as a Mercado led off the inning with a single, followed by Gilbert's double. Freshman right fielder Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) then placed an RBI single into left-center field to drive in the first run. After a flyout, singles from Rager and sophomore third baseman Audrey Bickel (Munster, Ind./Andrean) each plated a run for BSU.

NIU picked up another run in the bottom of the third, thanks to a solo blast from Amanda Sheppard. However, Ball State retaliated in the top of the fifth with Montalto's solo shot making the score 7-5.

Unfortunately, Northern Illinois tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth and three in the sixth to make the final score 12-5.

Senior pitcher Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Wickenburg) suffered the loss in the circle, falling to 10-7 on the year by allowing 11 runs (eight earned) on eight hits. She would also strikeout a pair of batters in five innings of work.

NIU's Jessica Strum earned the win, moving to 4-4, after holding Ball State to nine hits and five runs over seven innings.

The Ball State softball team looks to rebound Sunday, when it closes the weekend series at Northern Illinois with a 1 p.m. (CT) first pitch.