Reyna Home Runs Help Softball Down Indiana, 19-9

MUNCIE, Ind. - - In a day dominated by offense, junior shortstop Selena Reyna (Houston, Texas/South Houston) smashed a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the fifth to cap a 19-9 run-rule victory over in-state rival Indiana Tuesday afternoon at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.

“It was a wild one today,” Ball State head coach Tyra Perry said after picking up her 400th collegiate victory to improve to 400-384-1 over her career. “While we kind of anticipated that with the way the winds were blowing, I am proud of the team for staying strong and resilient. We did not start off the best, but we finished strong.”

Reyna opened a strong offensive day with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning to give the Cardinals (25-21) some much-needed momentum after Indiana jumped out to a 5-0 lead. She would go on to single in the third and walk in the fourth, before providing the game-ending fireworks in the fifth to cap a 19-9 victory over the Hoosiers (14-32) with her fourth career grand slam. She finished the contest 3-for-4 with a walk, five RBI and two runs scored.

“Selena's effort today was tremendous,” Perry continued. “She was really seeing the ball and having aggressive at bats. Selena is a firecracker who can really jump start our offense. We are very excited about what she was able to accomplish today.”

Overall, the Cardinals offense connected for 20 hits over the five-inning contest with 10 different players logging at least one hit. In addition to the pair of home runs from Reyna, sophomore catcher Shelbie Scamihorn (Terre Haute, Ind./South Vigo) and junior second baseman Emily Dabkowski (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam) also went yard for the Ball State offense. In addition, the Cardinals scored in every inning, with four runs in the first, five in the second, three in the third, one and the fourth and six more in the fifth.

Scamihorn's three-run blast in the bottom of the first inning was the first home run of her career. She also added a RBI double later in the game to finish the contest 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and four RBI.

Dabkowski's two-run blast in the bottom of the third inning was her team-leading 12th home run of the season. Like Scamihorn, Dabkowski added a RBI double and finished the day 3-for-4 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Senior outfielder Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) turned in a flawless day for the Cardinals in the batter's box, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and a RBI. With the effort, Stuedemann extended her current hitting streak to 14 games and has also reached base safely in the last 22 contests.

In the circle, sophomore hurler Carolyn Wilmes (Evansville, Ind./Mater Dei) rebounded from a rough start and extremely adverse pitching conditions to pick up the victory and improve to 7-5 on the year. She limited the Hoosiers to 12 hits and seven earned runs on the day, while striking out a pair of batters.

The league-leading Ball State softball team returns to action Friday, when it travels to Ohio to battle the defending Mid-American Conference Tournament Champions in a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The Cardinals will then visit Akron for single games Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).

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 –

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Team Stats

Hanne Stuedemann

Selena Reyna

Emily Dabkowski

Loren Cihlar

Players Mentioned

Emily Dabkowski

Selena Reyna

Shelbie Scamihorn

Hanne Stuedemann

Carolyn Wilmes

Players Mentioned

Emily Dabkowski

Selena Reyna

Shelbie Scamihorn

Hanne Stuedemann

Carolyn Wilmes