Ball State University
22-20, 8-2
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Western Michigan (GM 1)
15-18, 6-3
Softball Sweeps Western Michigan In Friday DH
April 17, 2015 | Softball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State softball team picked up a pair of crucial Mid-American Conference West Division wins Friday afternoon, sweeping Western Michigan by scores of 7-1 and 5-4 at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
With the wins, the Cardinals improve to 23-20 (9-2 MAC) and are currently in sole possession of first place in the league standings after Kent State (29-10 / 8-3 MAC) split a doubleheader at Central Michigan. The Broncos drop to 15-19 (6-4 MAC) with the losses.
“I was extremely proud of the way we performed today,” Ball State head coach Tyra Perry said. “I thought we turned in a great team effort, attacked from the first pitch and stayed steady throughout both games. There were some moments in there where it could go either way, and we stayed strong, stayed confident and played great softball.”
The Ball State softball team returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when it hosts Northern Illinois in another important MAC West twinbill. The two teams were originally scheduled to play single games Saturday and Sunday, but the threat of rain Sunday led to a change in the schedule.
Following the conclusion of Saturday's twinbill, the Cardinals will celebrate senior day by honoring Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) , Jessica Craft (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) and Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan).
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB and @TyraPerry13 / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball.
GAME 1 RECAP: Ball State 7 – Western Michigan 1
Once again junior shortstop Selena Reyna (Houston, Texas/South Houston) got the Ball State offense rolling in the bottom of the first, leading off the inning with a single up the middle. After a groundout from Cihlar moved Reyna to second, junior second baseman Emily Dabkowski (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam) drew a walk to give BSU a pair of base runners. Two batters later, Craft drove a double to the right-center field gap to bring in Ball State's first two runs of the game.
After throwing three straight games without allowing an earned run, the only blemish on another strong outing by junior pitcher Nicole Steinbach (Merrillville, Ind./Andrean) came in the top of the second when WMU's Melissa Palmer led off the inning with a home run. From there, however, Steinbach dominated as she limited the Broncos to just five hits and the one run over the course of 7.0 innings of work. She also struck out six batters and did not issue a single walk to improve to 12-10 on the year.
The Ball State offense came to life again in the fourth, extending the lead to 6-1 with four more runs. Dabkowski was hit by a pitch to open the inning, while Stuedemann and Craft notched back-to-back singles to load the bases. Following a Western Michigan pitching change, sophomore designated player Shelbie Scamihorn (Terre Haute, Ind./South Vigo) dropped a bloop single into right-center field to bring home the first run of the inning.
Junior first baseman Sammi Cowger (Fenton, Mich./Fenton) drove in the second run of the inning with a hard groundout to her counterpart on the Broncos defense. Sophomore pinch hitter Rachel Houck (Greenfield, Ind./Mt. Vernon/Louisville) followed with a two-run double to left field giving Ball State the 6-1 lead.
The Cardinals scored their final run of the opening game in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Stuedemann. Cihlar scored on the play after singling to open the inning and advancing to third on a single from Dabkowski.
GAME 2 RECAP: Ball State 5 – Western Michigan 4
Long ball was the name of the game for the Cardinals in the nightcap, as all five of Ball State's runs came via the home run in a 5-4 victory.
Ball State's first homer was a three-run blast off the bat of Stuedemann in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Cihlar singled down the left field line, while Dabkowski drew a walk to set up Stuedemann's 25th career home run.
After Western Michigan countered with two runs in the top of the third inning, a solo blast from Dabkowski in the bottom half of the inning helped the Cardinals pull ahead by two at 4-2. The home run was Dabkowski's 11th of the season.
Western Michigan used a two-run double from Jenny Rohn to tie the score at 4-4 in the top of the fourth, only to have another Ball State home run in the bottom of the inning stop their momentum. This time it was Cowger who would go yard for the Cardinals' offense, as her third long ball of the season also stood up to be the game-winning run.
After entering the game in relief in the bottom of the fourth, junior pitcher Kelsey Schifferdecker (Belton, Mo./Belton) would shut down the WMU offense to pick up her first win of the season. Over the final 3.1 innings, Schifferdecker held the Broncos to just three hits and a pair of walks. She also recorded a strikeout to improve to 1-1 on the year.
- BallStateSports.com –
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Steinbach, Nicole (12-10)
L: KUS, Allyson (4-6)
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Batting:
2B: PALMER, Melissa 1
HR: PALMER, Melissa 1
RBI: PALMER, Melissa 1
SH: CICHOCKI, Kelsea 1 ; GAMBOA, Sabrina 1
Base Running:
RUNS: PALMER, Melissa 1
Batting:
2B: Craft, Jessica 1 ; Houck, Rachel 1
RBI: Stuedemann, Hanne 1 ; Craft, Jessica 2 ; Scamihorn, Shelbie 1 ; Cowger, Sammi 1 ; Houck, Rachel 2
SF: Stuedemann, Hanne 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Reyna, Selena 1 ; Cihlar, Loren 1 ; Dabkowski, Emily 2 ; Stuedemann, Hanne 1 ; Craft, Jessica 1 ; Steward, India 1
SB: Dabkowski, Emily 1
CS: Dabkowski, Emily 1
HBP: Dabkowski, Emily 1
