Thursday, May 10
Akron, Ohio (Firestone Stadium)
8:30 p.m.
Ball State University
35-18
5
vs
1
Central Michigan University
22-26
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Central Michigan
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
4
1
Ball State
2
0
0
0
3
0
X
5
5
1
Photo by: Don Rogers, Ball State University
Wilmes and Offense Deliver in Win over CMU
May 10, 2018 | Softball
Video:Â Ball State Head Coach Megan Bartlett
Video:Â Ball State's Maddy Labrador
AKRON, Ohio - - Senior pitcher Carolyn Wilmes was lights out, as was the Ball State softball offense, and the Cardinals survived and advanced in the 2018 Mid-American Conference Softball Championship with a 5-1 win over Central Michigan Thursday night at Firestone Stadium.
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The Cardinals (35-18) were determined not to let history repeat itself Thursday, as this season's tournament elimination showdown versus the Chippewas (22-26) started a lot like last year's meeting; with a lengthy delay due to unplayable field conditions.
Â
However, when tonight's edition started, you could tell things were different from last season's 3-0 loss right off the bat.
Â
That's because the Ball State offense struck early, in its first at bat as a matter of fact, as senior second baseman Maddy Labrador blasted a no doubter to center field to jumpstart the Cardinals offense in the bottom of the first.Â
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Two batters later, sophomore first baseman Janae Hogg added a solo shot of her own to give the hosts on the scoreboard an early 2-0 advantage.
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"We are tough to beat when we can get the ball to leave the yard," head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said. "To have the first hitter of the game get the ball out of the park, you catch a lot of wind in your sails. It gives the rest of the team a lot of confidence and we just rolled from there."
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The two bombs were all the run support the Ball State pitching staff needed, as Wilmes delivered five scoreless innings and limited the CMU offense to a pair of hits in one of her best performances of the season.Â
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She also struck out a pair of Chippewas, with her biggest coming in the top of the first when she got Rachel Vieria swinging to end the inning and leave a pair of runners stranded in scoring position.
Â
"Carolyn had some senior magic tonight," Bartlett said. "She did a great job keeping CMU's hitters off balance, she spun the ball well and hit her spots. She did a tremendous job and I am really proud of her."
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The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the fifth, when the Cardinals tallied three insurance runs to extend its lead to 5-0.
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Freshman third baseman Stacy Payton was hit by a pitch to open the inning and senior first baseman Danae King was walked in the next at bat. Freshman shortstop Hailey Demnianiuk followed with a sac bunt, however a CMU error on the throw to first allowed her to reach and freshman pinch runner Taylor Castleberry to score.
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Junior pinch hitter Madison Lee made it a 4-0 ball game with an RBI single to center in the next at bat, while a one-out RBI single down the left field line by junior catcher Olivia Huffman gave Ball State its final run and a 5-0 advantage.
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While the Chippewas were able to plate one run off sophomore closer Alyssa Rothwell in the sixth, it was not without a solid effort from Demnianiuk whose diving effort on a hard shot through the left side nearly kept CMU off the board.
Â
Rothwell would limit the damage to one run, however, as Demnianiuk followed with another great defensive play on a grounder to short to end the inning.
Â
CMU did manage a leadoff double in the seventh, but Rothwell answered by forcing a pair of foul popups to King and Huffman. Then, another solid defensive play from Labrador ended the game, as she tracked down a soft fly to shallow center for the final out.
Â
Labrador also came up with a tremendous play to end the fourth, tracking down a hard grounder up the middle and turning it into an inning-ending double play.
Â
"We were women on a mission tonight," Bartlett said. "We looked very calm and collected in the field, were communicating well and our throws were on the money. When we can hit the ball like that, and defend the ball like that, this team can be special."
Â
The Ball State softball team returns to action Friday afternoon, when it battles fourth-seeded Kent State in another elimination contest. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Firestone Stadium.
Â
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSB.
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Video:Â Ball State's Maddy Labrador
AKRON, Ohio - - Senior pitcher Carolyn Wilmes was lights out, as was the Ball State softball offense, and the Cardinals survived and advanced in the 2018 Mid-American Conference Softball Championship with a 5-1 win over Central Michigan Thursday night at Firestone Stadium.
Â
The Cardinals (35-18) were determined not to let history repeat itself Thursday, as this season's tournament elimination showdown versus the Chippewas (22-26) started a lot like last year's meeting; with a lengthy delay due to unplayable field conditions.
Â
However, when tonight's edition started, you could tell things were different from last season's 3-0 loss right off the bat.
Â
That's because the Ball State offense struck early, in its first at bat as a matter of fact, as senior second baseman Maddy Labrador blasted a no doubter to center field to jumpstart the Cardinals offense in the bottom of the first.Â
Â
Two batters later, sophomore first baseman Janae Hogg added a solo shot of her own to give the hosts on the scoreboard an early 2-0 advantage.
Â
"We are tough to beat when we can get the ball to leave the yard," head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said. "To have the first hitter of the game get the ball out of the park, you catch a lot of wind in your sails. It gives the rest of the team a lot of confidence and we just rolled from there."
Â
The two bombs were all the run support the Ball State pitching staff needed, as Wilmes delivered five scoreless innings and limited the CMU offense to a pair of hits in one of her best performances of the season.Â
Â
She also struck out a pair of Chippewas, with her biggest coming in the top of the first when she got Rachel Vieria swinging to end the inning and leave a pair of runners stranded in scoring position.
Â
"Carolyn had some senior magic tonight," Bartlett said. "She did a great job keeping CMU's hitters off balance, she spun the ball well and hit her spots. She did a tremendous job and I am really proud of her."
Â
The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the fifth, when the Cardinals tallied three insurance runs to extend its lead to 5-0.
Â
Freshman third baseman Stacy Payton was hit by a pitch to open the inning and senior first baseman Danae King was walked in the next at bat. Freshman shortstop Hailey Demnianiuk followed with a sac bunt, however a CMU error on the throw to first allowed her to reach and freshman pinch runner Taylor Castleberry to score.
Â
Junior pinch hitter Madison Lee made it a 4-0 ball game with an RBI single to center in the next at bat, while a one-out RBI single down the left field line by junior catcher Olivia Huffman gave Ball State its final run and a 5-0 advantage.
Â
While the Chippewas were able to plate one run off sophomore closer Alyssa Rothwell in the sixth, it was not without a solid effort from Demnianiuk whose diving effort on a hard shot through the left side nearly kept CMU off the board.
Â
Rothwell would limit the damage to one run, however, as Demnianiuk followed with another great defensive play on a grounder to short to end the inning.
Â
CMU did manage a leadoff double in the seventh, but Rothwell answered by forcing a pair of foul popups to King and Huffman. Then, another solid defensive play from Labrador ended the game, as she tracked down a soft fly to shallow center for the final out.
Â
Labrador also came up with a tremendous play to end the fourth, tracking down a hard grounder up the middle and turning it into an inning-ending double play.
Â
"We were women on a mission tonight," Bartlett said. "We looked very calm and collected in the field, were communicating well and our throws were on the money. When we can hit the ball like that, and defend the ball like that, this team can be special."
Â
The Ball State softball team returns to action Friday afternoon, when it battles fourth-seeded Kent State in another elimination contest. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Firestone Stadium.
Â
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSB.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wilmes, Carolyn (11-7)
L: WEAVER, Taylor (4-9)
Batting:
2B: TOLFREE, Lacy 1 ; VACCARO, Laura 1
RBI: VIEIRA, Rachel 1
SH: CURTIS, Allison 1
Base Running:
RUNS: KNAPP, Shaidan 1
SB: KNAPP, Shaidan 1
Batting:
HR: Labrador, Maddy 1 ; Hogg, Janae 1
RBI: Labrador, Maddy 1 ; Huffman, Olivia 1 ; Hogg, Janae 1 ; Lee, Madison 1
SH: Demnianiuk, Hailey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Labrador, Maddy 1 ; Hogg, Janae 1 ; Castleberry, Taylor 1 ; King, Danae 1 ; Demnianiuk, Hailey 1
HBP: Payton, Stacy 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
1b/dp
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
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