Wednesday, May 9
Akron, Ohio (Firestone Stadium)
3:30 p.m.
Ball State University
34-18
1
vs
3
Northern Illinois University
22-30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Northern Illinois
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
6
1
Ball State
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
5
0
Late Rally Leads NIU Past Softball in MAC Tournament Opener
May 09, 2018 | Softball
AKRON, Ohio - - The second-seeded Ball State softball team opened play in the 2018 Mid-American Conference Softball Championship with a 3-1 loss to seventh-seeded Northern Illinois Wednesday afternoon at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio.
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After four-and-a-half scoreless innings, the Cardinals struck first with a mini two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth. Senior second baseman Maddy Labrador sparked the rally with a single to center field and advanced to second on an NIU error.
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Junior catcher Olivia Huffman made the Huskies (22-30) pay for the defensive miscue, following with an RBI double to left-center field to give the Cardinals (34-18) a 1-0 advantage.
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Ball State looked poised for another two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth after back-to-back singles from sophomore center fielder Kennedy Wynn and freshman third baseman Stacy Payton. Unfortunately, a popup to second halted the rally and kept the score 1-0.
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After a leadoff walk in the seventh, the Huskies were down to their final out following a sacrifice bunt and a popup to second. The Cardinals could not get the final out quick enough, however, as the Huskies tied the score on an RBI single. NIU followed with another single and a two-run double to pull ahead 3-1.
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The Ball State offense could not answer in the bottom of the inning, as the Cardinals were retired in order to end the game.
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Overall, five different Cardinals tallied a hit in the game, led by Huffman's RBI double in the fifth.
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Junior pitcher Aeshia Miles held the Huskies to just three hits over the first 6.2 innings, but ultimately suffered the loss after giving up all three hits in NIU's two-out rally in the seventh. Miles did manage to strike out five batters in the game.
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Ball State returns to action in Thursday's 6 p.m. elimination game, when it battles No. 6 Central Michigan who suffered an 8-6 (9) loss to No. 3 Toledo Wednesday night.
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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: BallStateSB.
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After four-and-a-half scoreless innings, the Cardinals struck first with a mini two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth. Senior second baseman Maddy Labrador sparked the rally with a single to center field and advanced to second on an NIU error.
Â
Junior catcher Olivia Huffman made the Huskies (22-30) pay for the defensive miscue, following with an RBI double to left-center field to give the Cardinals (34-18) a 1-0 advantage.
Â
Ball State looked poised for another two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth after back-to-back singles from sophomore center fielder Kennedy Wynn and freshman third baseman Stacy Payton. Unfortunately, a popup to second halted the rally and kept the score 1-0.
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After a leadoff walk in the seventh, the Huskies were down to their final out following a sacrifice bunt and a popup to second. The Cardinals could not get the final out quick enough, however, as the Huskies tied the score on an RBI single. NIU followed with another single and a two-run double to pull ahead 3-1.
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The Ball State offense could not answer in the bottom of the inning, as the Cardinals were retired in order to end the game.
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Overall, five different Cardinals tallied a hit in the game, led by Huffman's RBI double in the fifth.
Â
Junior pitcher Aeshia Miles held the Huskies to just three hits over the first 6.2 innings, but ultimately suffered the loss after giving up all three hits in NIU's two-out rally in the seventh. Miles did manage to strike out five batters in the game.
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Ball State returns to action in Thursday's 6 p.m. elimination game, when it battles No. 6 Central Michigan who suffered an 8-6 (9) loss to No. 3 Toledo Wednesday night.
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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: BallStateSB.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: FRENZ, Alex (10-6)
L: Miles, Aeshia (18-9)
Batting:
2B: GREENO, Dominique 1 ; MICKELSON, Kira 1
RBI: GREENO, Dominique 2 ; LAMICH, Katie 1
SH: SCHMIDT, Sam 1 ; HARNISH, Bekah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: VAN GEERTRY, Jenny 1 ; ALLEN, Anne 1 ; LAMICH, Katie 1
SB: VAN GEERTRY, Jenny 1
HBP: GREENO, Dominique 1
Batting:
2B: Huffman, Olivia 1
RBI: Huffman, Olivia 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Labrador, Maddy 1
SB: Huffman, Olivia 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF/OF
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