Ball State University
15-18, 3-1
Buffalo
7-25, 0-5
Softball Scores Pair Of Saturday Wins Over Buffalo
April 05, 2015 | Softball
OXFORD, Ohio. - - On a day with many twist and turns, it was a clutch seventh inning home run from junior shortstop Selena Reyna (Houston, Texas/South Houston) which gave Ball State the momentum and ultimately a doubleheader sweep of Buffalo Saturday at Miami University's Softball Stadium.
The Cardinals (16-18 / 4-1 MAC) trailed 5-2 entering the seventh inning of the opener versus the Bulls (7-26 / 0-6 MAC) only to rally for three runs in the frame, including Reyna's game-tying home run, and go on to win the game 7-6 in nine innings. Ball State followed with a dominating 12-4 (6) win in the nightcap to complete the sweep of Buffalo.
Overall, 10 different Cardinals recorded at least one hit over the two games, with junior second baseman Emily Dabkowski (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam) leading the way with five, including her MAC-leading 10th home run of the season. Dabkowski scored the game-winning run in the opener and finish the day with a team-best five RBI and scored three runs.
Sophomore center fielder Taylor Cooley (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea) also turned in a solid day at the plate, sparking the Cardinals seventh-inning rally in the first game with a RBI double, the first double of her career, and finishing the day with a team-best four runs scored and .571 (4-for-7) batting average.
Senior catcher Jessica Craft (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) also came up with a key hit in the opener, driving in the game-winning run with a double to center field, and finished the day 4-for-8 with two RBI and a run scored. Reyna also finished the day with four hits, including her game-tying home run in the first contest, while adding three RBI and three runs scored.
In the circle, junior Nicole Steinbach (Merrillville, Ind./Andrean) went the distance in the opener, tying a career-high with 10 strikeouts while limiting the Bulls to three earned runs over 9.0 innings of work. With the win, Steinbach improved to 8-10 on the year.
Freshman pitcher Carolyn Wilmes (Evansville, Ind./Mater Dei) kept the Buffalo offense at bay in the nightcap, limiting the Bulls to just seven hits and four runs over 6.0 innings. She also struck out a pair of batters to improve to 5-4 on the year.
The Ball State softball team is scheduled to return to action Tuesday, when Eastern Illinois visits the Softball Field at the First Merchants Ballpark Complex for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.
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: Steinbach, Nicole (8-10)
L: LANGLOIS, Bobbi (3-11)
Batting:
2B: NORCIO, Savanna 1
HR: CURTISS, Alexis 1 ; GAMBONE, Lauren 1
RBI: NORCIO, Savanna 2 ; EARNHARDT, Ashton 1 ; CURTISS, Alexis 2 ; GAMBONE, Lauren 1
SH: EARNHARDT, Ashton 1 ; BARROW, Hayley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: NORCIO, Savanna 1 ; CURTISS, Alexis 1 ; GAMBONE, Lauren 1 ; LALLOS, Danielle 1 ; NEVEZ, Karly 1 ; JEW, Leandra 1
Batting:
2B: Craft, Jessica 1 ; Cruthers, Hayley 1 ; Cooley, Taylor 1
HR: Reyna, Selena 1 ; Dabkowski, Emily 1
RBI: Reyna, Selena 2 ; Dabkowski, Emily 2 ; Craft, Jessica 1 ; Cowger, Sammi 1 ; Cooley, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Reyna, Selena 1 ; Cihlar, Loren 1 ; Dabkowski, Emily 2 ; Steward, India 1 ; Arnett, Amanda 1 ; Cooley, Taylor 1
CS: Reyna, Selena 1 ; Cihlar, Loren 1
HBP: Craft, Jessica 1
