Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
24-11, 4-2
Akron
13-22-1, 0-8
Softball Blanks Zips 11-0 On Easter Sunday
April 08, 2012 | Softball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State softball team closed out its first home weekend of the season with a dominating 11-0 (5 inning) victory over Akron in an Easter Sunday showdown at the BSU Softball Complex.
Senior designated player Amanda Montalto (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde) got the Cardinals (24-11 / 4-2 Mid-American Conference) rolling in the bottom of the first with her 30th career home run, which was a two-run blast over the right field wall.
The two RBI also made Montalto Ball State's all-time leader in RBI with 130 over her career. Montalto would finish the game 1-for-1 with two walks, two RBI and three runs scored.
In the circle, senior pitcher Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Yavapai College) dominated the Zips (13-22-1 / 0-8 MAC) batters, limiting them to just one hit. She also threw a pair of strikeout while recording her fourth complete game shutout of the year.
Seven different Cardinals would collect hits in the contest, helping hand Akron started Brittany Maurer her second loss of the series as she fell to 11-17 overall. In 2.1 innings of work, Maurer surrendered eight runs (six earned) on four hits, while waking a pair of batters.
After a 1-2-3 top half of the first, sophomore left fielder Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) reached base on an Akron error to set up Montalto's record-setting two-run blast to right field.
Ball State added five more runs in the bottom of the third, in a rally started by a leadoff single from junior catcher Sadie Robertson (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit). A throwing error on the next play helped freshman Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) reach base and pushed Robertson to third.
Gilbert would follow with an RBI groundout to the second to drive in the inning's first run. After a walk to Montalto and an Akron pitching change, an illegal pitch moved the runners at second and third. Two batters later sophomore third baseman Audrey Bickel (Munster, Ind./Andrean) drew a walk to load the bases.
Junior center fielder Amanda Carpenter (Santee, Calif./Santana) drove in the next two runs with a single just out of reach of the Akron third baseman. With runners at first and second and a pair of outs, a blooper to right from senior shortstop Alison Mercado (Perris, Calif./Arizona Western College) drove in the final two runs of the frame.
Akron led off the top of the fourth with a single, but a nice stop and throw from Bickel at third started the Cardinals 21st double play of the season.
Ball State followed with four more runs in the bottom half of the inning, to put the eight-run rule in effect. Pinch hitter Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) opened the inning with a single up the middle, while a Stuedemann single down the left field line and a walk to Gilbert loaded the bases.
Following another Zips' pitching change, a wild pitch brought home the first run of the inning. Montalto's second walk of the game loaded the bases for sophomore first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) who belted a two-run double down the left field line to give BSU a 10-0 edge. Ball State final run came on an RBI groundout from Bickel.
Workman then closed out the game by forcing a popup, a ground out and a flyout in the top of the fifth.
The Ball State softball team returns to action Thursday, when it hosts Purdue in a 3 p.m. non-conference doubleheader at the BSU Softball Complex.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Workman, Audrey (11-8)
L: MAURER, Brittany (11-17)
Base Running:
HBP: ROUDABUSH, Kellie 1 ; RATCLIFFE, Rachael 1 ; MAURER, Brittany 1
Batting:
2B: Rager, Taylor 1
HR: Montalto, Amanda 1
RBI: Gilbert, Jenny 1 ; Montalto, Amanda 2 ; Rager, Taylor 2 ; Bickel, Audrey 1 ; Carpenter, Amanda 2 ; Mercado, Alison 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Stuedemann, Hanne 1 ; Zimmerman, Hannah 1 ; Gilbert, Jenny 2 ; Montalto, Amanda 3 ; Bickel, Audrey 1 ; Carpenter, Amanda 1 ; Robertson, Sadie 1 ; Cihlar, Loren 1
HBP: Carpenter, Amanda 1
