Ball State University
10-12
Northwestern
8-10
Bats Fall Silent As Softball Drops Two In Louisville
March 08, 2015 | Softball
LOUISVILLE, KY. - - After a strong offensive showing Tuesday in Hammond, La., the Ball State softball team's bats fell silent Sunday in five-inning losses to Northwestern (13-0) and Louisville (8-0) as part of the Louisville Softball Classic at Ulmer Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
With weather wreaking havoc on this weekend's schedule, the Cardinals (10-13) were able to play just two games in the originally scheduled three-day event. All games on Friday and Saturday were canceled. In addition, Ball State's home opener versus Butler, which was originally schedule for Monday, has been moved to Tuesday, March 24 at 3 p.m.
The Ball State softball team is currently scheduled to return to action Wednesday, March 18, when it hosts IPFW at 3 p.m. at the Softball Field at the First Merchants Ball Complex.
Senior outfielder Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) provided the lone bright spot for the Ball State offense Sunday, drawing a walk versus Northwestern and recording the Cardinals' lone hit of the day versus Louisville. Cihlar has reached base safely in 12 consecutive games for Ball State.
GAME ONE RECAP: Northwestern 13 – Ball State 0 (5 inn.)
The Wildcats (8-10) pounced on the Cardinals early in the opening game, scoring two runs in the first inning and controlling play from there in handing Ball State a 13-0 (5 inn.) setback. Defensive miscues also hurt the Cardinals, as they committed a season-high five errors in the loss.
In a solid relief appearance, reigning MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week freshman Carolyn Wilmes (Evansville, Ind./Mater Dei) threw the final four innings for Ball State, allowing seven hits and five runs (only two of which were earned) while striking out a pair of batters.
On offense, the Cardinals were limited to a first inning walk by Cihlar and a fifth inning walk by senior catcher Jessica Craft (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte).
GAME TWO RECAP: Louisville 8 – Ball State 0 (5 inn.)
Louisville (9-6) picked up where Northwestern left off, striking for one run in the first and never looking back on their way to an 8-0 victory.
Ball State picked up its lone hit of the day in the top of the fourth, when Cihlar smashed the ball to the left side, just out of reach of the third baseman and deep enough the Louisville shortstop could not make the throw to first in time.
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: Wood, Kristen (3-3)
L: Steinbach, Nicole (5-6)
Batting:
2B: Filler, Andrea 2 ; Letourneau, Amy 1
RBI: DiPrima, Andrea 2 ; Filler, Andrea 3 ; Letourneau, Amy 1 ; LeBeau, Brianna 2 ; Nettling, Sammy 2 ; Kuhn, Julia 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Rabin, Sabrina 3 ; DiPrima, Andrea 1 ; Strub, Fran 1 ; Filler, Andrea 3 ; Petersen, Anna 1 ; Williams, Krista 1 ; Edwards, Anna 1 ; Nettling, Sammy 1 ; Kuhn, Julia 1
SB: Rabin, Sabrina 1
CS: Boyd, Abbey 1
HBP: Rabin, Sabrina 1 ; Nettling, Sammy 1 ; Kuhn, Julia 1
