Ball State University
4-6
Iowa State
7-3
Late-Inning Heroics Lift Softball Past Iowa State, 6-4 (8)
February 21, 2016 | Softball
HOUSTON, Texas. - - The Ball State softball team closed play in the Houston Hilton Plaza Invitational with a dramatic 6-4 (8) come-from-behind victory over Iowa State Sunday morning at the University of Houston's Cougar Softball Stadium.
"While the offense didn't get off to a hot start, we got better as the game went on,” first-year head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said. “Our execution was much better during the last three innings of play. Rachel was the exception, as she has been playing consistent in the three spot all year. She came up big again today, going 3-for-4 and driving in the eventual game-winning run."
The Cardinals (4-6) trailed 4-1 heading into the sixth inning, but a two-out, two-run home run from senior shortstop Emily Dabkowski (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam) cut the gap to 4-3. Sophomore right fielder Elise Sandberg (Mariette, Ga./Lassiter) followed with a solo shot of her own with one out in the top of the seventh, tying the score and ultimately force extra innings.
Ball State carried over the momentum into the eighth inning, as junior first baseman Amanda Arnett (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) was placed on second per tiebreaker rules and came around to score on a one-out infield single from junior center fielder Rachel Houck (Greenfield, Ind./Mt. Vernon). A pair of Cyclones (7-3) errors then helped Houck come around to score an insurance run.
Iowa State managed to get a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the eighth after a one-out single, but the Ball State defense came up huge with a game-ending double play on a grounder to freshman Madeline Porter (Birmingham, Ala./Oak Mountain) at third and a throw over to Arnett at first.
The hit in the bottom of the eighth was the only one Ball State senior relief pitcher Kelsey Schifferdecker (Belton, Mo./Belton) would surrender over 4.2 inning of work, as she shut down the Iowa State offense to earn her first victory of the season. Schifferdecker retired both batters she faced after entering the game with one out in the fourth, putting an end to a two-run Cyclones rally. She also retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh, helping force the extra frame.
“Kelsey is showing great promise,” Bartlett said. “She did a great job keeping the ball down and keeping some very good hitters off balance."
Iowa State started the scoring in the game, with a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning. Houck would cut the Cyclones' advantage to 2-1 in the top of the fourth with a solo shot of her own, both the hosts on the scoreboard answered with a pair of RBI singles in the bottom of the inning to pull ahead 4-1.
Houck finished the game a triple shy of the cycle, adding a double in the first and a game-clinching RBI single in the eighth, to go 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Junior left fielder India Steward (Matteson, Ill./Rich South) would collect the missing triple in the top of the fourth two batters after Houck's solo shot.
The Ball State softball team returns to action Friday, when it opens play in the Hilltopper Spring Fling hosted by Western Kentucky with a scheduled 4:15 p.m. CT first pitch versus Southeast Missouri.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball.
- BallStateSports.com –
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Schifferdecker, Kelsey (1-0)
L: Hylen, Emma (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Houck, Rachel 1
3B: Steward, India 1
HR: Houck, Rachel 1 ; Dabkowski, Emily 1 ; Sandberg, Elise 1
RBI: Houck, Rachel 2 ; Dabkowski, Emily 2 ; Sandberg, Elise 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Arnett, Amanda 1 ; COOLEY, Taylor 1 ; Houck, Rachel 2 ; Dabkowski, Emily 1 ; Sandberg, Elise 1
Batting:
HR: Woolpert, Sally 1
RBI: Hartman, Rachel 1 ; Woolpert, Sally 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Caudle, Kirsten 1 ; Dukes, Katie 1 ; Hartman, Rachel 1 ; Woolpert, Sally 1
SB: Gomez, Brittany 1 ; Bingham, Cathlin 1 ; Konz, Kaila 1
