Ball State University Athletics
Softball Falls Short in Pitchers' Duel at Eastern Michigan
April 15, 2016 | Softball
YPSILANTI, Mich. - - The Ball State softball team came up on the short end of a pitchers' duel, suffering a 1-0 loss to Eastern Michigan Friday afternoon at Varsity Field.
Senior pitcher Nicole Steinbach held the Eagles (16-23 / 6-6 Mid-American Conference) at bay for most of the game, but the hosts capitalized on a pair of hits and a walk in the bottom of the sixth to push across the game's only run. Overall, Steinbach limited the Eastern Michigan offense to five hits, while striking out six batters.
On offense, the Cardinals (18-24 / 4-9 MAC) pounded out six hits against EMU starting pitcher Nicolle Miranda, but could not come through with timely hits and stranded seven runners on base.
The Ball State defense almost worked out of the jam in the bottom of the sixth, as Eastern Michigan put runners at second and third with one out. Steinbach followed with a strikeout for the second out, while senior shortstop Emily Dabkowski made a spectacular diving play on a grounder to the left side by Brandice Olmos. Unfortunately, she was unable to recover in time to make a play on any of the runners, which allowed EMU to score what stood to be the game-winning run.
The Cardinals looked poised to score the tying run in the top of the seventh, with runners on the corners and one out. However, the runner at first was caught attempting to steal second, while a popup to the pitcher ended the game, leaving the potential tying run at third.
Overall, six different Cardinals recorded hits in Friday's loss, with sophomore catcher Leigh McAnally providing the game's only extra base hit with a second inning double. McAnally has now reached base safely in a career-high seven straight games, which is the longest active streak on the team.
The Cardinals and Eagles close their three-game series with a Saturday (April 16) doubleheader at EMU's Varsity Field. The first game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m., with the second following about 25 minutes later.
For future schedule changes and the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball.
- BallStateSports.com –
