Miles Delivers Another Gem as Softball Earns Friday Split at BGSU

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - - It was just another day at the office for junior pitcher Aeshia Miles, who struck out 10 and allowed just one hit to guide the Ball State softball team to a 9-0 (6) win over Bowling Green to open Mid-American Conference play Friday afternoon at Meserve Field.

The Cardinals (19-10; 1-1 MAC) carried over the momentum early in the night cap, building a 2-0 lead in the first only to have the Falcons (17-11; 1-1 MAC) rally late and pull out a 4-2 win to split the day.

Ball State and Bowling Green are scheduled to play the rubber game in the three-game series Saturday at 1 p.m.

FROM COACH BARTLETT:
"Aeshia gave us another amazing performance. She was in command the entire game against a tough Bowling Green offense which entered the day with the best batting average in the league. She had great control of her pitches and was able to keep BGSU's batters guessing the whole day, including a run of six straight swinging strikeouts.

"Offensively, we showed a lot of patience at the plate in the first game and were able to take advantage of the opportunities given to us. Brooke Parker threw an amazing second game. If we can make a few adjustments when we see her tomorrow, we will be in good shape."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS GAME 1: Ball State 9 - Bowling Green 0 (6)
• In a battle of both the top pitching and top batting teams in the MAC, it was Ball State's pitching which came out on top in the opener as junior Aeshia Miles stuck out 10 batters and held the league's best batting team (.323 average) to just one hit.

• Miles struck out six straight batters at one point, getting the final two batters of the fourth, all three batters in the fifth and the leadoff batter in the sixth all swinging.

• It was Miles' third complete game shutout of the season and the third time she has recorded double-digit strikeouts in a game this season.

• Miles also did not issue a walk in the contest, marking her third appearance of 6.0-or-more innings in which she has not issued a walk this season.

• The Cardinals also had the upper hand offensively, pounding out eight hits while drawing a season-high 11 walks and also having four batters reach base after being hit by a pitch.

• Eight of Ball State's nine batters reached drew a walk, while six different players recorded at least one hit. In addition, all nine Ball State starters reached base safely in the game.

• After a scoreless first inning, Ball State tallied its first run of the MAC season courtesy of a RBI double from sophomore left fielder Haley Dominique which drove in what held to be the game-winning run. Junior catcher Olivia Huffman scored after reaching base with a one-out single.

• Ball State followed with three two-out runs in the third inning, scoring the first on a bases loaded walk to Huffman, the second on a BGSU error on a grounder to short from freshman pinch hitter Kendall Fields and the third on another bases loaded walk to Dominique.

• The Cardinals extended their lead to 6-0 in the top of the fourth courtesy of a two-out, two-run double to left-center field from junior designated player Madison Lee. Sophomore first baseman Janae Hogg walked to open the inning, while senior second baseman Maddy Labrador was hit by a pitch.

• Ball State's final three runs came in the top of the sixth, starting with a RBI double from freshman center fielder Katie Janiga. Freshman third baseman Stacy Payton opened the inning with a double to right center, and senior pinch runner Cadie O'Donnell scored on Janiga's hit.

• The Cardinals' final two runs came on bases loaded walks to Hogg and Labrador.

• Huffman reached base safely in all four of her plate appearances, going 1-for-1 with a single, two walks and a hit by pitch.

• Hogg and Payton led the Ball State offense with two hits apiece, while Dominique and Huffman tied for team-high honors with two RBIs apiece.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS GAME 2: Ball State 2 - Bowling Green 4
• The Cardinals jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the opening inning.

• Dominique reached on an error to open the game, while Hogg drew a four pitch walk with one out. Labrador drove in the game's first run with a RBI single to left field, while an error on a Kennedy Wynn single to left allowed Hogg to cross the plate for the second run.

• Senior pitcher Carolyn Wilmes had a no-hitter through four innings, before surrendering a leadoff single in the fifth.

• Wilmes would tie her season high with nine strikeouts over her 5.2 innings of work.

• After being held scoreless over the first 10.2 innings of the day, BGSU scored its first run of the game on a two-out triple in the fifth inning.

• The Falcons want added three more runs in the sixth to pull out a 4-2 come-from-behind victory.

• After seeing nine straight balls in her first three at bats, drawing a pair of walks, Hogg reached low and outside on the 10th pitch and nearly blasted her league-leading 11th home run of the season with a double off the top of the fence in left-center field.

• Payton also drew a pair of walks in the game, as Ball State's top hitters from the opening game drew four combined walks and were limited to a 1-for-3 rate of success in the nightcap.

NUMBERS OF THE DAY:
• Ball State's 11 walks in the series opener were the most in a game for the Cardinals since an 11-walk outing versus Brown on March 10, 2017 and the most in a league game since a 13-walk day versus Western Michigan on May 6, 2011.

• With her 10 strikeouts in the opener, Aeshia Miles raised her season total to 82 and has a 3.4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio on the year with just 24 walks.

• With a hit in each game, Janae Hogg is currently riding a career-high nine game hitting streak. She has also reached base safely in each of the past 12 games, the second-longest streak of her career.

• Haley Dominique also had a hit in each game and is currently on a six-game hitting streak, which ties as the longest of her career. She has also reached base safely in each of the last eight games, which is her second longest streak of the season.

• Ball State's pitchers held the Falcons to a .150 batting average Friday, allowing just six hits over the two games. Bowling Green entered the day leading the MAC with a .323 batting average.

• The Cardinals entered the day ranked 20th in the nation with 101 walks on the year. They added 15 more Friday, raising their season total to 116 which would rank 10th in the nation as of games played through March 22.

NEXT UP
The Ball State softball team closes its three-game series at Bowling Green with a scheduled 1 p.m. first pitch Saturday.

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

Miles Delivers Another Gem as Softball Earns Friday Split at BGSU

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Team Stats

Janae Hogg

Stacy Payton

Haley Dominique

Madison Lee

Players Mentioned

Haley Dominique

Kendall Fields

Janae Hogg

Olivia Huffman

Katie Janiga

Maddy Labrador

Madison Lee

Aeshia Miles

Cadie O'Donnell

Stacy Payton

Carolyn Wilmes

Kennedy Wynn

Players Mentioned

Haley Dominique

Kendall Fields

Janae Hogg

Olivia Huffman

Katie Janiga

Maddy Labrador

Madison Lee

Aeshia Miles

Cadie O'Donnell

Stacy Payton

Carolyn Wilmes

Kennedy Wynn