Saturday, March 11
Boca Raton, FL
9am
Ball State University
11-15
12
vs
4
Rutgers University
3-14
1
2
3
4
5
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H
E
Rutgers
1
1
0
0
2
4
5
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Ball State
0
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2
8
12
13
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Photo by: Buddy Delahoussaye
Softball Ends Spring Break with Saturday Split
March 11, 2017 | Softball
BOCA RATON, Fla. - - The Ball State softball team closed its 10-day, 13-game spring trip with a Saturday split, opening the day with a 12-4 (5 inn.) win over Rutgers before suffering a 2-1 loss to four-time defending Atlantic 10 Champion Fordham.
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After falling behind 2-0 to the Scarlet Knights (3-14), the Cardinals (11-16) out-scored Rutgers 12-2 over the final two-and-a-half innings to pick up the run-rule victory. In all, the Cardinals tallied 13 hits, with seven different players logging at least one.
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In the spring break finale, the Cardinals and Rams (17-5) battled to a 1-1 tie through six innings. Unfortunately, Fordham capitalized in its final at bat, scoring the winning run on a walk and RBI triple.
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Overall, Ball State finished its 10-day spring break schedule with an 8-5 record, doubling its win total from last seasons' tour of the state of Florida. Ball State hit .316 as a team over the 13 games, led by senior center fielder and reigning Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week Rachel Houck (Greenfield, Ind./Louisville). Houck hit .457 (21-for-46) in the Sunshine State, logging four double, five home runs and scoring 18 of Ball State's 74 runs.
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The Ball State softball team will have a few days to rest and practice before returning to action next Saturday (March 18) at the SIUE Tournament. The Cardinals open the event  with games versus the host Cougars (1 p.m. ET / Noon CT) and in-state rival Butler (5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT).
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GAME 1 RECAP: Ball State 12 – Rutgers 4 (5)
After falling behind 2-0 after two innings, the Ball State's offense began to click in the bottom of the third, starting with a leadoff home run from senior third baseman Amanda Arnett (Monroe, Mich./Monroe). After the first out, three straight singles from Houck, freshman third baseman Janae Hogg (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and sophomore catcher Madison Lee (Cerritos, Calif./Cerritos) loaded the bases. Freshman right fielder Kennedy Wynn (New Albany, Ind./New Albany) followed with a RBI fielders' choice to even the score at 2-2.
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Junior first baseman Danae King (Glendale, Ariz./Phoenix College) gave the Cardinals their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth, blasting a no-doubter over the fence in left-center field for her second home run of the season. Arnett followed with a walk, while two batters later Houck singled back to the pitcher to give Ball State a pair of base runners. Hogg then made the score 4-2 Cardinals by driving in freshman pinch runner Tara Morey (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine) with a double of the top of the wall in left field.
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After a two-run blast from Rutgers' Rebecca Hall tied the score at 4-4 in the top of the fifth, the Ball State offense responded with eight runs on five hits and five walks to win the game 12-4 in the bottom of the inning.
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Freshman left fielder Haley Dominique (Oregon, Ohio/Clay) opened the inning with a walk and scored the frame's first run on a double from junior shortstop Brittany Hopper (Scottsdale, Ariz./Phoenix College). King would put runners on the corners with a single in the next at bat, while Arnett drove in her second RBI of the contest with a single through the left side.
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After the first out of the inning, back-to-back walks to Houck and Hogg brought in another run, giving Ball State a 7-4 lead. Lee made the score 8-4 with an infield single in the next at bat. After an infield fly for the second out, Dominique nearly ended the game, blasting a 1-0 pitch off the wall in right center for a three-run double. With the Cardinals leading 11-4, back-to-back walks to Hopper and King loaded the bases once again.
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After just missing ending the game moments earlier on her three-run double, Dominique come home to score the game-ending run on a wild pitch to make the score 12-4.
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Wilmes earned the win in the circle for the Cardinals' entering the game with the score tied at 4-4 in the top of the fifth. She retired both batters she faced on her way to improving to 4-8 on the year.
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Freshman pitcher Alyssa Rothwell (Ashville, Ohio/Teays Valley) started the game, allowing five hits and four earned runs over 4.1 innings of work. She also struck out a career-high four batters in the contest.
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Not to be lost in the win over Rutgers were a pair of diving catches from junior left fielder Cadie O'Donnell (Saline, Kan./Barton CC). The first came with bases loaded and one out in the top of the first when she saved at least two runs with a diving catch on a short liner. She also helped leave a pair of runners stranded in the top of the third with a diving snare of a foul fly for the inning's final out.
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GAME 2 RECAP: Fordham 2 - Ball State 1
The second game started with the Cardinals breaking onto the board first thanks to two-out double from Wynn. Junior second baseman Maddy Labrador (Lexington, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) scored on the play after reaching base on a leadoff error and advancing to second on a Lee single.
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Fordham answered with a two-out solo home run from Sydney Canessa in the bottom of the inning to even the score at 1-1.
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After retiring the Cardinals in order in the top of the second, the Rams managed to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning. However, freshman pitcher Darcie Huber (Greenfield, Ind./Greenfield Central) was able to work out of the jam by getting a force play at home and a grounder back to the circle to end the inning.
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Ball State had a chance to break the game open in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with no outs, but the Rams were able to get a force play at home and back-to-back fly outs.
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After a scoreless sixth and retiring the Cardinals in order in the seventh, Fordham capitalized on a leadoff walk when Jessica Hughes tripled to center field to drive in the game-winning run.
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Despite suffering the loss, Huber turned in a strong day in the circle by holding the four-time defending A-10 Champions to seven hits and a pair of earned runs over 6.0 innings of work. She also struck out four batters in the game.
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For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball.
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- BallStateSports.com –
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After falling behind 2-0 to the Scarlet Knights (3-14), the Cardinals (11-16) out-scored Rutgers 12-2 over the final two-and-a-half innings to pick up the run-rule victory. In all, the Cardinals tallied 13 hits, with seven different players logging at least one.
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In the spring break finale, the Cardinals and Rams (17-5) battled to a 1-1 tie through six innings. Unfortunately, Fordham capitalized in its final at bat, scoring the winning run on a walk and RBI triple.
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Overall, Ball State finished its 10-day spring break schedule with an 8-5 record, doubling its win total from last seasons' tour of the state of Florida. Ball State hit .316 as a team over the 13 games, led by senior center fielder and reigning Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week Rachel Houck (Greenfield, Ind./Louisville). Houck hit .457 (21-for-46) in the Sunshine State, logging four double, five home runs and scoring 18 of Ball State's 74 runs.
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The Ball State softball team will have a few days to rest and practice before returning to action next Saturday (March 18) at the SIUE Tournament. The Cardinals open the event  with games versus the host Cougars (1 p.m. ET / Noon CT) and in-state rival Butler (5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT).
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GAME 1 RECAP: Ball State 12 – Rutgers 4 (5)
After falling behind 2-0 after two innings, the Ball State's offense began to click in the bottom of the third, starting with a leadoff home run from senior third baseman Amanda Arnett (Monroe, Mich./Monroe). After the first out, three straight singles from Houck, freshman third baseman Janae Hogg (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and sophomore catcher Madison Lee (Cerritos, Calif./Cerritos) loaded the bases. Freshman right fielder Kennedy Wynn (New Albany, Ind./New Albany) followed with a RBI fielders' choice to even the score at 2-2.
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Junior first baseman Danae King (Glendale, Ariz./Phoenix College) gave the Cardinals their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth, blasting a no-doubter over the fence in left-center field for her second home run of the season. Arnett followed with a walk, while two batters later Houck singled back to the pitcher to give Ball State a pair of base runners. Hogg then made the score 4-2 Cardinals by driving in freshman pinch runner Tara Morey (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine) with a double of the top of the wall in left field.
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After a two-run blast from Rutgers' Rebecca Hall tied the score at 4-4 in the top of the fifth, the Ball State offense responded with eight runs on five hits and five walks to win the game 12-4 in the bottom of the inning.
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Freshman left fielder Haley Dominique (Oregon, Ohio/Clay) opened the inning with a walk and scored the frame's first run on a double from junior shortstop Brittany Hopper (Scottsdale, Ariz./Phoenix College). King would put runners on the corners with a single in the next at bat, while Arnett drove in her second RBI of the contest with a single through the left side.
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After the first out of the inning, back-to-back walks to Houck and Hogg brought in another run, giving Ball State a 7-4 lead. Lee made the score 8-4 with an infield single in the next at bat. After an infield fly for the second out, Dominique nearly ended the game, blasting a 1-0 pitch off the wall in right center for a three-run double. With the Cardinals leading 11-4, back-to-back walks to Hopper and King loaded the bases once again.
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After just missing ending the game moments earlier on her three-run double, Dominique come home to score the game-ending run on a wild pitch to make the score 12-4.
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Wilmes earned the win in the circle for the Cardinals' entering the game with the score tied at 4-4 in the top of the fifth. She retired both batters she faced on her way to improving to 4-8 on the year.
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Freshman pitcher Alyssa Rothwell (Ashville, Ohio/Teays Valley) started the game, allowing five hits and four earned runs over 4.1 innings of work. She also struck out a career-high four batters in the contest.
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Not to be lost in the win over Rutgers were a pair of diving catches from junior left fielder Cadie O'Donnell (Saline, Kan./Barton CC). The first came with bases loaded and one out in the top of the first when she saved at least two runs with a diving catch on a short liner. She also helped leave a pair of runners stranded in the top of the third with a diving snare of a foul fly for the inning's final out.
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GAME 2 RECAP: Fordham 2 - Ball State 1
The second game started with the Cardinals breaking onto the board first thanks to two-out double from Wynn. Junior second baseman Maddy Labrador (Lexington, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) scored on the play after reaching base on a leadoff error and advancing to second on a Lee single.
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Fordham answered with a two-out solo home run from Sydney Canessa in the bottom of the inning to even the score at 1-1.
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After retiring the Cardinals in order in the top of the second, the Rams managed to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning. However, freshman pitcher Darcie Huber (Greenfield, Ind./Greenfield Central) was able to work out of the jam by getting a force play at home and a grounder back to the circle to end the inning.
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Ball State had a chance to break the game open in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with no outs, but the Rams were able to get a force play at home and back-to-back fly outs.
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After a scoreless sixth and retiring the Cardinals in order in the seventh, Fordham capitalized on a leadoff walk when Jessica Hughes tripled to center field to drive in the game-winning run.
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Despite suffering the loss, Huber turned in a strong day in the circle by holding the four-time defending A-10 Champions to seven hits and a pair of earned runs over 6.0 innings of work. She also struck out four batters in the game.
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For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball.
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- BallStateSports.com –
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wilmes, Carolyn (4-8)
L: Cambria Keefer (0-7)
Batting:
2B: Nicolette Anico 1
HR: Rebecca Hall 1
RBI: Taryn Atlee 1 ; Rebecca Hall 2
SH: Meaghan Wells 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Taryn Atlee 1 ; Nicole Bowman 1 ; Rebecca Hall 1 ; Bridget Carr 1
HBP: Bridget Carr 1
Batting:
2B: Hogg, Janae 1 ; Dominique, Haley 1 ; Hopper, Brittany 1
HR: King, Danae 1 ; Arnett, Amanda 1
RBI: Hogg, Janae 2 ; Lee, Madison 1 ; Wynn, Kennedy 1 ; Dominique, Haley 3 ; Hopper, Brittany 1 ; King, Danae 1 ; Arnett, Amanda 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Houck, Rachel 2 ; Hogg, Janae 1 ; Lee, Madison 1 ; Dominique, Haley 2 ; Hopper, Brittany 1 ; King, Danae 2 ; Arnett, Amanda 2 ; Morey, Tara 1
CS: Hogg, Janae 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
UTIL
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballINF/C
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF/OF
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