Ball State University
6-6
Western Carolina
10-3
Softball Scores Pair of Saturday Wins at WKU Spring Fling
February 27, 2016 | Softball
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - - The Ball State softball team held on for a 5-4 win over Western Carolina before topping tournament host Western Kentucky by a score of 9-1 (5) on the second day of action at the WKU Holliday Inn Spring Fling Saturday at the WKU Softball Complex.
In running its winning streak to five games, the Cardinals (7-6) pounded out 18 total hits on the day, including three home runs in the win over the Hilltoppers (6-4). Freshman Madison Lee (Cerritos, Calif./Cerritos), junior Amanda Arnett (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) and junior Rachel Houck (Greenfield, Ind./Mt. Vernon) paced the Ball State offense with three hits apiece over the two games.
“Today was a good day for the program,” head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said. “We got better as the day went along, which is always nice to see. We had to battle hard in the first game, as Western Carolina fought all the way until the end. Amanda did a good job of getting some outs late in the game for us. The second game was really nice to see, as we received offensive production up and down the lineup. Kelsey did a great job on the mound adjusting to a difficult zone and keeping opposing batters off balance. All-in-all, it was a step in the right direction and a productive day for the program.”
The opening game saw the Cardinals' bats explode for five runs in the bottom of the first inning, starting with a leadoff double from Arnett. Lee followed with a walk, while Houck logged an infield single to load the bases. Senior shortstop Emily Dabkowski (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam) brought in the game's first run by drawing a bases loaded walk.
After an infield fly for the first out of the inning, senior designated player Sammi Cowger (Fenton, Mich./Fenton) smashed a two-run single to center field to give Ball State a 3-0 edge. Dabkowski scored the game's fourth run on a wild pitch, while freshman Becca Rodriguez (Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside) collected her first career RBI with a two-out single up the middle to extend Ball State's lead to 5-0.
Spotted a five-run advantage early, senior pitcher Nicole Steinbach (Merrillville, Ind./Andrean) was perfect through the first three innings, including striking out the side in the top of the third. WCU (10-3) recorded its first hit in the fourth, but Steinbach continued to hold the guests scoreless over the next two innings.
Ball State had a chance to end the game after five innings, with a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the fifth after Lee's first hit of the game and a two-out walk to Dabkowski. Unfortunately, the Cardinals stranded both runners as a strikeout ended the inning.
After staying alive in the fifth, the Catamounts put some pressure on the Cardinals in the top of the sixth, scoring four runs off Steinbach to cut the gap to 5-4. Arnett would enter the game in relief with a runner at second, only to have a sacrifice bunt put the tying run at third base. However, Arnett was able to keep the Cardinals ahead in the game as she struck out WCU's Karley Harkey for the final out of the inning.
Western Carolina carried the momentum over to the circle in the bottom of the sixth, retiring the Cardinals in order to stay within one run. WCU then proceeded to load the bases with one out in the seventh, looking to tie the score or take the lead. However, Arnett was able to knock down a hard grounder up the middle which Rodriguez collected and threw home to get the force play for the second out.
Arnett then forced the next batter to fly out to Houck in center field, ending the game and giving the junior reliever her first career save. Over 1.2 innings of work, Arnett limited WCU to just one hit and no runs, while logging a strikeout.
“Amanda has done an excellent job for us this season,” Bartlett said. “She is a hard-working, talented player. It doesn't matter if she is at the plate or pitching, she goes 110 percent. That is her strength as an athlete and we have tried to use that to our advantage.”
After locking down the save in the opener, Arnett started the second game versus Western Kentucky with a single to center field and advanced to second on a one-out single from Houck. Two batters later, junior India Steward (Matteson, Ill./Rich South) smashed a single to left field to give Ball State a 1-0 advantage over her previous team. Steward started her playing career at Western Kentucky, before transferring to Ball State prior to the 2015 season.
Western Kentucky answered with three straight infield singles to open the bottom of the inning, and went on to even the score on a one-out RBI walk. However, Ball State senior pitcher Kelsey Schifferdecker (Belton, Mo./Belton) would limit the damage to just one run, as the struck out the next batter and ended the inning by inducing a grounder to second.
The game did not stay tied for long, as Reyna opened the second inning with a no doubter deep over the fence in center field. It turned out to be the only other run Schifferdecker would need, as she limited the Hilltoppers to just three hits and two walks over the final four innings. In picking up her second pitching victory of the season, Schifferdecker scattered six hits over 5.0 innings of work, while striking out a season-high five batters.
While Schifferdecker did not need any more runs, the Cardinals offense followed with a three-run third inning to pull ahead 5-1. Lee opened the inning with a single to center field and came around to score when Houck launched a two-run rocket shot over the fence in dead-center field. Following a WKU pitching change and a pair of outs, Cowger extended the inning by being hit by a pitch, while Reyna came up with her second RBI of the day with a double off the top of the fence in left-center field.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Ball State tacked on four more runs in the top of the fifth to give the game its final margin of 9-1. Dabkowski opened the inning with a single through the left side and advanced to third on a bunt single from Steward. Cowger drove in her third RBI of the day, and first of the game, with a single to left-center field.
Following a wild pitch, which pushed Steward to third and Cowger to second, Reyna tallied her third RBI of the game with a ground out to second. Cowger then came around to score on another wild pitch, while freshman Aeshia Miles (Lawrenceville, Ga./Collins Hill) capped the scoring with her first career home run.
“It was a big day for Selena and a big day for us,” Bartlett said. “If we are going to continue to put teams away and play the level of softball that is expected at Ball State, our five seniors are going to have to be a big part of that. We are going to need Selena in the middle of the lineup playing like she did today. Sammi also came up with some big RBIs today, which is going to be extremely important to see continue as the season move forward.”
The Ball State softball team closes play in the WKU Holiday Inn Spring Fling Sunday, with a scheduled 9:30 CT first pitch versus in-state rival Valparaiso.
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: Steinbach, Nicole (5-2)
L: Lily Hayes (2-1)
S: Arnett, Amanda (1)
Batting:
RBI: Courtney Price 2
SH: Madison Armstrong 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Victoria Mariscal 1 ; Kara Salvo 1 ; Crystal Cyr 1 ; Courtney Price 1
HBP: Kara Salvo 1
Batting:
2B: Arnett, Amanda 1
RBI: Dabkowski, Emily 1 ; Cowger, Sammi 2 ; Rodriguez, Becca 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Arnett, Amanda 1 ; Lee, Madison 1 ; Houck, Rachel 1 ; Dabkowski, Emily 1 ; Cowger, Sammi 1
SB: COOLEY, Taylor 1
