Ball State University
10-8
Florida Gulf Coast
11-6
Softball Wins Extra-Inning Thriller at FGCU; 3-2 (8)
March 06, 2016 | Softball
FT. MYERS, Fla. - - Behind another dominating pitching performance from senior Nicole Steinbach, the Ball State softball team closed the second day of the FGCU/Four Points Spring Break Classic with a 3-2 (8) victory over tournament host Florida Gulf Coast Saturday evening.
“I thought the team responded well today, especially the battery,” head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said. “I thought we got much better production out of Carolyn, Amanda and Nicole today. Success in this sport is going to start on the mound. Nicole threw a pretty incredible game versus FGCU, which is very a dynamic offense with athletes who can do a lot of things very well. She was able to attack each hitter and keep them off balance. I am very proud of Nicole's performance today.”
After producing a season-high 16 hits in a 14-1 (5) win over Stony Brook to open the day, the Cardinals (10-8) and Eagles (11-6) were locked in a pitcher's duel for much of the afternoon contest.
Ball State recorded the game's first hit in the top of the fourth inning, when Rachel Houck sliced a one-out single to center field. Junior first baseman Amanda Arnett advanced to third on the play after opening the inning with a leadoff walk and moving to second on a sacrifice bunt from freshman designated player Madison Lee.
Senior shortstop Emily Dabkowski took advantage of the runner at third, depositing a two-run double into the right-center field gap for her Mid-American Conference leading 22nd RBI of the season.
“Emily is our rock,” Bartlett said after Dabkowski drove in six runs over the course of Saturday's two games. “She is excellent in RBI situations. I wish she would be a little more aggressive at the plate, but for a senior, all-region hitter, I think she knows what she does well and we would not be the same offensive team without her. Emily is a really important part of our program and just finds a way to get things done.”
Steinbach was perfect through the first 3.1 innings, including striking out the side in the bottom of the third, but FGCU managed back-to-back one out hits to put runners on the corners in the bottom of the fourth. The Eagles then evened the score on a RBI groundout from Louie Ross. After another single gave FGCU runners on the corners, Steinbach came up with a huge strikeout to end the inning.
From there, the pitcher's duel continued as the score remained tied at 1-1 until the top of the eighth inning. FGCU had the best chance to break the stalemate after putting runners at second and third with no outs in the bottom of the seventh. However, Steinbach battled back to retire the next three batters to force extra innings.
With the international tiebreaker in effect, Ball State took advantage of freshman Madeline Porter being placed on second, as Arnett blasted a 2-0 pitch over the fence in right field for her fifth home run of the season to give the Cardinals a 3-1 edge.
The Eagles would not go away, however, as a leadoff single gave the hosts runners on the corners with no outs. FGCU followed with a squeeze play to bring in a run, while an error on the play allowed the runner at first to move to third. Luckily, the Cardinals were still able to get the batter out as she tried to stretch a one-base error into a two-base error and was called out at second.
With one down, Steinbach retook control of the game by forcing a groundout back to herself before striking out the game's final batter for her season-best eighth strikeout of the game.
Overall, Steinbach limited the Eagles to seven hits over 8.0 innings of work while giving up just one earned run. In earning the victory in the circle, she also improved to 7-3 on the year.
The Ball State softball team closes play in the FGCU/Four Points Spring Break Classic Sunday with a scheduled 12:15 p.m. first pitch versus No. 21 Notre Dame.
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 (7-3)
L: WADE, Taylor (2-3)
Batting:
2B: Houck, Rachel 1 ; Dabkowski, Emily 1
HR: Arnett, Amanda 1
RBI: Arnett, Amanda 2 ; Dabkowski, Emily 1
SH: Lee, Madison 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Arnett, Amanda 2 ; Porter, Madeline 1
SB: Steward, India 1
CS: COOLEY, Taylor 1
Batting:
RBI: ROSS, Louie 2
SH: ROSS, Louie 2 ; LOPEZ, Natalie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MCAVOY, Makensie 2
SB: HUFF, Kelsey 1
HBP: FOURNET, Racquel 1
