Ball State University
No. 7 Akron
Grand Slams Power Softball Past Akron
May 06, 2015 | Softball
AKRON, Ohio - - Led by grand slams from sophomore pinch hitter Rachel Houck (Greenfield, Ind./ Mt. Vernon/Louisville) and junior second baseman Emily Dabkowski (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam), the No. 2-seeded Ball State softball team open the 2015 Mid-American Conference Softball Championship with a 10-2 (6) win over No. 7 Akron Wednesday at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio.
With the victory, the Cardinals (30-23) advance to Thursday's 3:30 p.m. game in the winner's bracket of the double-elimination tournament, where it will battle No. 3 Miami. The Zips (24-25) will play No. 6 Northern Illinois in the 6 p.m. elimination game Thursday.
“I am excited about the way we came out and played today,” Ball State head coach Tyra Perry said. “It is really hard to beat a team three times, especially a team as talented and well-coached as Akron. Our offensive performance was huge, especially Rachel's grand slam. She works so hard and is at every single hitting practice trying to get better. She is such a great kid and I am excited she was able to come up with such a big contribution today. It was also nice to see Emily come out and get another big hit for our program.”
After being retired in order in the first inning, the Cardinals looked to go down quietly in the second with a pair of quick outs. However, sophomore catcher Shelbie Scamihorn (Terre Haute, Ind./South Vigo) was hit by a pitch which changed the momentum for Ball State. Junior first baseman Sammi Cowger (Fenton, Mich./Fenton) followed with a walk, and an infield single by sophomore third baseman Amanda Arnett (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) loaded the bases.
With the bases full of Cardinals, Perry turned to the bench for pinch hitter Houck. With a 2-2 count, Houck made the most of her opportunity at the plate, blasting her first career grand slam, and third career home run, over the left-center field wall to give Ball State a 4-0 lead it would not relinquish.
After Akron countered with single runs in the third and fourth innings, to pull within two at 4-2, the Cardinals took control of the game with a five-run rally in the bottom of the fourth.
Arnett and sophomore center fielder Taylor Cooley (Fenton, Mich./Fenton) opened the inning with back-to-back singles, while junior shortstop Selena Reyna (Houston, Texas/South Houston) reached on an Akron error to load the bases. Senior left fielder Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) then worked the count to 3-1 before slapping a RBI single off the third base bag. Dabkowski capped the rally with her team-leading 15th homer of the season, and second career grand slam, to push the score to 9-2.
After holding Akron off the board in the fifth and sixth innings, the Cardinals tallied the game's final run on a one-out sacrifice fly from Scamihorn in the bottom of the sixth. Dabkowski was hit by a pitch to open the inning, while a catcher's interference allowed senior right fielder Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) to reach base.
Following a fly out to center from sophomore pinch hitter Hayley Cruthers (Swartz Creek, Mich./Swartz Creek) which moved Dabkowski to third, Scamihorn drove in the game-ending run with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Not to be lost in the win was the pitching performance of junior Nicole Steinbach (Merrillville, Ind./Andrean), who limited the Zips to just four hits and a pair of runs over 6.0 innings of work. She also struck out two of the 23 batters she faced in the contest.
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 –
