Dominique's Five RBIs Lift Softball Past LIU-Brooklyn

FORT MYERS, Fla. - - Led by a 3-for-4 effort from sophomore left fielder Haley Dominique, the Ball State softball team rebounded from a morning loss to end the opening day of the FGCU Kickoff Classic with a 10-2 (5) victory over LIU-Brooklyn Friday night at the FGCU Softball Complex.

Despite plenty of chances, the Cardinals (1-1) were unable to come up with a key hit in a 5-1 loss to Memphis (2-0) in the season opener.

The offense made up for it in the nightcap, however, batting through the order in both the second and third innings to pull away from the Blackbirds (0-2) early.

"Overall, we saw a lot of great things up and down the depth chart today," head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said. "This team is going to be special because of its depth. Our players challenge and push each other to compete, which is what drove us in the second game. We have a lot of athletes who play the game at a high level, and as the season progresses, I expect to see a lot of players making big impacts."

One of those players who enjoyed a great Friday was Dominique at the top of the lineup. She finished the day with four hits and five RBIs, while also drawing a walk and scoring one of BSU's 11 runs over the two games.

"Haley is going to be a rock for us at the top of the lineup," Bartlett said. "She is an extremely tough out when her pitch selection is as sharp as it was today. She is hard to beat, and if she is not getting hits, she is going to draw a lot of walks to help set up our offense."

Sophomore infielder Janae Hogg and junior infielder/catcher Madison Lee added two hits apiece for the Cardinals, while sophomore center fielder Kennedy Wynn chipped in a pair of RBIs over the two games.

In the circle, sophomore hurler Alyssa Rothwell closed both games, allowing just one hit and striking out two batters over 3.0 combined innings of work.

The Ball State softball team continues play in the FGCU Kickoff Classic Saturday with games versus NC State (2:30 pm) and Georgetown (7 p.m.).

For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSB.

GAME 2: Ball State 10 – LIU-Brooklyn 2 (5)

After falling behind early in the opener, the Cardinals struck first in the nightcap with a little help from a pair of LIU-Brooklyn errors. With two outs and runners at second and third, Lee singled back to the pitcher, whose errant throw on the play allowed Hogg to score from second.

After senior pitcher Carolyn Wilmes retired the side in order in the bottom of the first, the Cardinals sent nine batters to the plate in the top of the second and added three more runs to pull ahead 4-0.

Freshman shortstop Hailey Demnianiuk and junior catcher Olivia Huffman drew back-to-back walks to open the inning, while sophomore right fielder Cadie O'Donnell followed with a RBI single through the left side. After a wild pitch advanced both runners, Dominique sliced a two-run single up the middle to give Ball State its 4-0 advantage.

Wilmes added another perfect frame in the bottom of the second, while the Cardinals deposited four more runs on the scoreboard in the top of the third to pull ahead 8-0.

Like the top of the second, Demnianiuk and Huffman drew walks to open the inning, while O'Donnell singled to load the bases. Dominique followed with a two-run single up the middle to drive in the first two runs of the inning.

After senior second baseman Maddy Labrador drew a walk to load the bases again, Hogg was hit by a pitch and Wynn drew a walk to plate two more Ball State runs.

The bottom of the frame saw Wilmes recover from a leadoff walk to strike out the next two batters and force a fly out to end the inning. Wilmes would earn the win in the circle after allowing just one hit and a pair of earned runs over 3.0 innings of work. She also struck out three batters.

Ball State, meanwhile, added its ninth run in the top of the fourth sparked by a leadoff double from freshman pinch hitter Kendall Fields. Two batters later, Dominique came up with her third RBI hit of the game, a double off the bottom of the fence in right-center field.

After being held scoreless for the first three innings, a bloop infield single and three straight walks helped LIU-Brooklyn cut the Ball State lead to 9-1 with no outs in the bottom of the fourth. With Rothwell now in the game to pitch, a sacrifice foul fly gave the Blackbirds their second run. However, the scoring stopped there as another foul fly and a liner to second ended the inning.

The Cardinals were able to regain the eight-point lead in the top of the fifth, courtesy of a two-out RBI single from Demnianiuk, the first hit and RBI of her career.

LIU-Brooklyn tried to put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth, but Rothwell was able to end the game with a force play at third. Over 2.0 innings of work, Rothwell limited the Blackbirds to one hit and a walk.

GAME 1: Memphis 5 – Ball State 1

While eight of Ball State's nine starting batters reached base safely versus Memphis, the Cardinals could not come up with a timely hit in a 5-1 season-opener loss to the Tigers.

The Cardinals out-hit the Tigers 7-6, held a 5-3 advantage in walks and had one batter hit by a pitch. However, Ball State stranded a total of 12 runners on base, including bases loaded in both the fifth and sixth innings.

Hogg had two of Ball State's seven hits, while Wynn drove in the team's lone run with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.

Memphis capitalized on a pair of first-inning hits, opening the game with a single and scoring the first run of the contest on a two-out RBI double from Taylor Johnson. A Ball State throwing error allowed Johnson to score the game's second run after she stole third.

The Tigers added one more run in the fourth and two in the fifth to pull ahead 5-0.

The Cardinals offense came to life in the bottom of the fifth, starting with a walk to senior third baseman Brittany Hopper. Two batters later Dominique sliced a single into center field, and an error by the Memphis center fielder helped the Cardinals get a pair of runners in scoring position with one out.

Following a two-out walk to Hogg, freshman pinch runner Demnianiuk came around to score Ball State's first run of the season on Wynn's RBI single to left. Unfortunately, a strikeout ended the Ball State rally at just one run.

Memphis was on the verge of extending its lead in the top of the sixth, but a spectacular diving catch from freshman Katie Janiga in right field kept the score 5-1.

Lifted by Janiga's defensive play, Ball State loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth on a leadoff walk to Lee, a single to by freshman shortstop/third baseman Stacy Payton and a HPB by Demnianiuk. However, Memphis pitcher Molly Smith was able to get out of the jam once again, striking out the next three batters to end the threat.

Ball State had one last chance to pull even in the bottom of the seventh, courtesy of a leadoff double by Hogg and a one-out single by senior first baseman Danae King. Unfortunately, a fly out and Smith's 15th strikeout ended both the Cardinals' comeback bid and the game.

The Cardinals fared pretty will in the circle as well, as junior starting pitcher Aeshia Miles limited the Tigers to six hits and five runs (four earned) over 6.0 innings of work. She also struck out a pair of batters in the game.

Rothwell threw the final inning, striking out two of the four batters she faced in the contest.

Dominique's Five RBIs Lift Softball Past LIU-Brooklyn

Players Mentioned

Hailey Demnianiuk

Haley Dominique

Kendall Fields

Janae Hogg

Brittany Hopper

Olivia Huffman

Katie Janiga

Danae King

Maddy Labrador

Madison Lee

Aeshia Miles

Cadie O'Donnell

Stacy Payton

Alyssa Rothwell

Carolyn Wilmes

Kennedy Wynn