Saturday, February 9
Fort Myers, Fla.
4:45 p.m.
Ball State University
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Penn State
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Ball State
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Penn State
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Photo by: Tessa Mortensen
Pitching Shines as Softball Tops Penn State Saturday
February 09, 2019 | Softball
FT. MYERS, Fla.- - Led by a pair of dominating performances in the circle, the Ball State softball team avenged Friday's loss to Penn State with a 1-0 victory Saturday afternoon on the second day of the FGCU Kickoff Classic.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals (2-2) could not hold onto the momentum from their win over the Nittany Lions (1-3) out of the Big Ten, suffering a 4-0 loss to tournament host FGCU in Saturday's nightcap.
Like today, the Ball State softball team will have a chance to avenge its loss to the Eagles (4-0) Sunday when it closes opening weekend with a schedule 1:30 p.m. first pitch versus the tournament host.
Game 1: Ball State 1 – Penn State 0
The day's opening game saw freshman right-hander Sarah Venker make the most of her first collegiate start, throwing 5.1 innings of two-hit softball to lead the Cardinals to a 1-0 victory over Penn State.
Venker, who improved to 2-0 on the year with the win, also finished the game with three strikeouts while yielding just one walk.
She was also aided by a couple spectacular plays on defense, including a double play sparked by sophomore shortstop Hailey Demnianiuk in the first.
With the score deadlocked at 0-0 with one out in the top of the sixth, junior first baseman Janae Hogg gave Venker all the run support she needed with her first home run of the season, a no doubter over the fence in left field.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, the Nittany Lions looked to counter by putting a runner on first thanks to an error. Enter junior closer Alyssa Rothwell who retired the next two batters, including a strikeout to end the inning.
Rothwell then retired three of the four batters she faced in the seventh inning, including one more strikeout, to earn her first save of the season. With the save, Rothwell raised her program-record total to 15, which is one shy of tying the MAC career record of 16.
Overall, the Ball State offense finished the opening game with five hits, including singles from Stacy Payton, Trinity Eckerty, Annie Robinson and Katie Janiga.
GAME 2: FGCU 4 – Ball State 0
Despite a strong start from senior pitcher Aeshia Miles in the nightcap, the Cardinals came up on the short end of a 4-0 decision to FGCU in the nightcap.
Miles threw the first five innings for the Ball State, limiting the Eagles to just six hits and four runs, only three of which were earned. She also struck out seven batters to just two walks.
After two scoreless innings, the Eagles tallied two runs in both the third and fourth innings, while limiting the Cardinals to just two hits in the game.
BSU's first hit was a leadoff single from Demnianiuk in the third. The other, at two-out single from Payton in the sixth.
Freshman Tieghan Morio pitched the sixth inning for Ball State, retiring three of the four batters she faced, including a strikeout.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals (2-2) could not hold onto the momentum from their win over the Nittany Lions (1-3) out of the Big Ten, suffering a 4-0 loss to tournament host FGCU in Saturday's nightcap.
Like today, the Ball State softball team will have a chance to avenge its loss to the Eagles (4-0) Sunday when it closes opening weekend with a schedule 1:30 p.m. first pitch versus the tournament host.
Game 1: Ball State 1 – Penn State 0
The day's opening game saw freshman right-hander Sarah Venker make the most of her first collegiate start, throwing 5.1 innings of two-hit softball to lead the Cardinals to a 1-0 victory over Penn State.
Venker, who improved to 2-0 on the year with the win, also finished the game with three strikeouts while yielding just one walk.
She was also aided by a couple spectacular plays on defense, including a double play sparked by sophomore shortstop Hailey Demnianiuk in the first.
With the score deadlocked at 0-0 with one out in the top of the sixth, junior first baseman Janae Hogg gave Venker all the run support she needed with her first home run of the season, a no doubter over the fence in left field.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, the Nittany Lions looked to counter by putting a runner on first thanks to an error. Enter junior closer Alyssa Rothwell who retired the next two batters, including a strikeout to end the inning.
Rothwell then retired three of the four batters she faced in the seventh inning, including one more strikeout, to earn her first save of the season. With the save, Rothwell raised her program-record total to 15, which is one shy of tying the MAC career record of 16.
Overall, the Ball State offense finished the opening game with five hits, including singles from Stacy Payton, Trinity Eckerty, Annie Robinson and Katie Janiga.
GAME 2: FGCU 4 – Ball State 0
Despite a strong start from senior pitcher Aeshia Miles in the nightcap, the Cardinals came up on the short end of a 4-0 decision to FGCU in the nightcap.
Miles threw the first five innings for the Ball State, limiting the Eagles to just six hits and four runs, only three of which were earned. She also struck out seven batters to just two walks.
After two scoreless innings, the Eagles tallied two runs in both the third and fourth innings, while limiting the Cardinals to just two hits in the game.
BSU's first hit was a leadoff single from Demnianiuk in the third. The other, at two-out single from Payton in the sixth.
Freshman Tieghan Morio pitched the sixth inning for Ball State, retiring three of the four batters she faced, including a strikeout.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Venker, Sarah (2-0)
L: Bailey Parshall (1-2)
S: Rothwell, Alyssa (1)
Batting:
HR: Hogg, Janae 1
RBI: Hogg, Janae 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hogg, Janae 1
Base Running:
CS: Toni Polk 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballSoftball // Workouts
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