Ball State University
6-8
Chattanooga
11-4
Softball?s Comeback Bid Falls Short vs. Chattanooga
February 22, 2015 | Softball
MOBILE, Ala. - - After rallying to take a 9-8 lead, the Ball State softball team saw its comeback bid end in heartbreaking fashion with a 10-9 loss to Chattanooga Sunday morning in the Cardinals' final game of the South Alabama Invitational played at Jaguar Field.
The Cardinals, who fall to 6-8 with the loss, return to action Friday (Feb. 27) at the Purple & Gold Challenge hosted by LSU in Baton Rouge, La., with games versus Northwestern State (3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT) and the host Tigers (8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT).
The Moc (11-4), who were the home team for Sunday's contest, jumped on the board early with two runs in the first and five more in the second to build a 7-0 advantage. Six of the runs came off the bat of Nicole Osterman who smashed a two-run home run in the first and a grand slam in the second.
After a scoreless third, the Cardinals made a huge dent in the Mocs lead by rallying for six runs in the top of the fourth. Senior left fielder Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) opened the inning with a single, and after stealing second, scored the Cardinals' first run of the game on a single from junior second baseman Emily Dabkowski (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam).
Senior right fielder Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) followed with a double to give Ball State a pair of runners in scoring position. After a foul fly from senior catcher Jessica Craft (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) drove in the Cardinals' second run of the game, sophomore designated player Amanda Arnett (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) walked to give Ball State runners on the corners.
Junior first baseman Sammi Cowger (Fenton, Mich./Fenton) then drove in two more runs with a double to center field. Cowger was replaced by sophomore pinch runner Taylor Cooley (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea) who reached second on a groundout and came around to score on a fielding error. Sophomore center fielder India Steward (Matteson, Ill./Rich South/Western Kentucky), who reached on the error, scored the Cardinals' final run of the frame on a single through the right side by junior shortstop Selena Reyna (Houston, Texas/South Houston).
After Chattanooga posted a lone run in the bottom of the fifth, the Cardinals answered with three runs in the top of the sixth to take their first lead of the game. Freshman third baseman Julia Bailey (Lafayette, La./Teurlings Catholic) and Steward opened the inning with back-to-back walks, while a UTC error brought home Bailey and allowed Reyna to reach first and give Ball State runners on the corners.
The Cardinals tied the game, at 8-8, on a double steal which saw Steward swipe home and Reyna take second. After a foul fly for the first out of the inning, Dabkowski, Stuedemann and Craft drew three consecutive walks to push across the go-ahead run. Unfortunately, a fielder's choice and groundout ended the inning with bases loaded.
Ball State could not hold the Mocs off the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh, however, as a sacrifice fly evened the score and a one-out RBI single pushed across the game-winning run.
For the game, the Cardinals scored nine runs on seven hits with one error. Chattanooga earned 10 runs on 12 hits while committing a pair of defensive miscues.
Dabkowski logged two of the Cardinals' seven hits, while Craft and Cowger posted two RBI apiece. Arnett would also see her first career action in the circle, entering the game in relief in the bottom of the second. Over 2.1 innings, she allowed just three hits and one run.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB and @TyraPerry13 / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball
- BallStateSports.com –
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: JENNINGS, Cori (3-1)
L: Steinbach, Nicole (4-3)
Batting:
2B: Stuedemann, Hanne 1
RBI: Reyna, Selena 1 ; Dabkowski, Emily 1 ; Craft, Jessica 2 ; Cowger, Sammi 2
SF: Craft, Jessica 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Reyna, Selena 1 ; Cihlar, Loren 1 ; Dabkowski, Emily 1 ; Stuedemann, Hanne 1 ; Arnett, Amanda 1 ; Cooley, Taylor 1 ; Bailey, Julia 1 ; Steward, India 2
SB: Reyna, Selena 1 ; Cihlar, Loren 1 ; Dabkowski, Emily 1 ; Steward, India 1
Batting:
2B: TAYLOR, Sam 1 ; BLANCO, Criket 1 ; PALAZZOLO, Kailey 1 ; WILKERSON, Marina 1
HR: OSTERMAN, Nicole 2
RBI: TAYLOR, Sam 1 ; HAMILL, J.J. 1 ; OSTERMAN, Nicole 6 ; ROBLES, Anyssa 1 ; PALAZZOLO, Kailey 1
SH: BLANCO, Criket 1
SF: ROBLES, Anyssa 1
Base Running:
RUNS: TAYLOR, Sam 1 ; HAMILL, J.J. 1 ; ROBERTS, Sarah Beth 3 ; OSTERMAN, Nicole 3 ; TAYLOR, Alyssa 1 ; WILKERSON, Marina 1
