Saturday, February 22
Bowling Green, KY
1:30 p.m. ET
Ball State University
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Western Kentucky
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Ball State
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Photo by: Kirk Meche
Softball Scores Pair of One-Run Wins Saturday
February 22, 2020 | Softball
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - - The Ball State softball team proved it could win big on Friday with a pair of run-rule victories. Saturday, the Cardinals (9-5) proved they could win the tight ones too; picking up a pair of one-run victories over tournament host Western Kentucky, by a score of 6-5 (8), and Green Bay, by a score of 9-8.
Ball State entered the day with an 0-3 record in one-run games this season. That all changed against the host Hilltoppers (10-3), as the Cardinals used an eighth-inning leadoff home run from senior first baseman Janae Hogg to win the game. It was her second leadoff home run of the contest, as she also opened the sixth with a solo shot to center field.
It was not as simple as that, however, as WKU managed to put a pair of runners on in the bottom of the eighth courtesy of back-to-back one-out walks. BSU's defense took over in the next at bat, as after entering to pinch run in the top of the inning, freshman center fielder Shelby Westbrook snagged a hard liner and threw in to sophomore shortstop Amaia Daniel covering second for a game-ending double play.
It was the first of three double plays on the day for the Ball State defense, as the Cardinals also turned two in the first and second innings of Saturday's nightcap victory over the Phoenix (3-11).
Ball State looked like it was going to cruise to a win over Green Bay, leading 9-2 going into the final inning. However, Green Bay struck for six runs in the frame and left a runner on third as Westbrook entered to pitch and record the final two outs for her first career save.
Junior third baseman Stacy Payton led the Cardinals with four RBI in the contest, with a two-run double in the third and a two-run single in the fourth. However, it was senior left fielder Gabby Magnifico who provided the biggest hit with a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth which drove in what proved to be the game-winning run. Magnifico also blasted her first Ball State home run in the win over WKU earlier in the day.
GAME 1 SCORING NOTES - Ball State 6 - Western Kentucky 5 (8):
- Ball State struck first in Saturday's opener, capitalizing on a pair of WKU errors in the second inning to push across two runs. Junior catcher Delanie Johnson reached on the first error, and after junior Kendall Fields singled and senior center fielder Kennedy Wynn walked, scored along with Fields on the second error of the inning.
- The Cardinals added two more runs in the top of the third, pulling ahead 4-0 on Magnifico's first career home run for the Cardinal and White … Magnifico, who hit nine home runs in her first two seasons at Valparaiso, also drove in senior left fielder Haley Dominique who walked to open the inning.
- Western Kentucky countered with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, cutting Ball State's lead to 4-3
- After a scoreless fifth inning, Hogg helped Ball State recapture a two-run lead with her solo home run to open the sixth.
- Unfortunately, the Hilltoppers were able to score a pair of one-out runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings.
- Hogg made short work of the tie, however, blasting her second leadoff home run to open the eighth.
- Senior pitcher Alyssa Rothwell picked up the win in the circle, throwing the final 4.2 innings and limiting a strong Western Kentucky offense to just four hits and two runs, only one of which was earned … She also struck out four batters on her way to improving to 4-3 on the year.
- Freshman pitcher Deborah Jones started the contest, limiting WKU to five hits and three runs over 3.1 innings of work. She also struck out a batter.
GAME 2 SCORING NOTES - Ball State 9 - Green Bay 8:
- The Cardinals struck first in the nightcap versus Green Bay as well, as Daniel doubled to open the game and scored two batters later on an RBI groundout from Dominique.
- After a scoreless second, the Phoenix broke onto the board with two runs in the top of the third.
- Ball State countered with three in the bottom of the inning, which started with a walk to freshman third baseman Haley Wynn and a single from Daniel … After a passed ball advanced both runners, Payton smashed a two-run double down the right field line helping the Cardinals reclaim the lead at 3-2 … Three batters later, a sac fly from Hogg gave Ball State a two-run edge.
- Payton picked up two more RBI in the fourth, with a two-run single down to left field … H. Wynn and Daniel scored for a second straight inning as well, after reaching on a fielder's choice and walking, respectively … Another passed ball pushed them into scoring position to set up the two-run single.
- Ball State made the score 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth, thanks to a two-out RBI double from sophomore right fielder Trinity Eckerty … Magnifico scored on the play after singling to open the inning and moving to second on a two-out wild pitch.
- Magnifico would take advantage of a two-out walk to Dominique in the bottom of the sixth, blasting her second home run of the day to left field … What looked like a pair of insurance runs turned out to be critical, however, as the shot drove in what proved to be the game-winning run.
- Green Bay would not go down without a fight, scoring six runs in the top of the seventh inning … With Ball State leading by two and a pair of runners on base, Westbrook entered the game to pitch … She would successfully retire two of the three batters she faced to pick up her first career save.
- Sophomore pitcher Tieghan Morio started for the Cardinals and would ultimately pick up the win to improve to 2-1 on the year after throwing a career-high 131 pitches … She scattered 10 hits over her 6.1 innings of work and surrendered eight runs, while striking out one batter.
SATURDAY NOTES:
- Ball State's bats had another big day, the team tallied 19 hits over the two games, including two home runs each from Hogg and Magnifico … Daniel led the Cardinals with four hits on the day, while eight different Ball State players logged at least one hit.
- The Cardinals' defense turned three double plays on the day, raising its season total to eight.
- During its current six-game winning streak, Ball State's offense is connecting at a .400 clip and averaging 10.75 hits per game … Of the team's 64 hits during the span, 15 have been doubles, 10 have been home runs and one has been a triple … Conversely, Ball state's pitching has only surrendered five multiple base hits over the span, four doubles and a home run.
UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team advanced to Sunday's championship game of the Hilltopper Classic, where it will face the winner of tonight's contest between Western Kentucky and Indiana State in a 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. CT first pitch.
FOR MORE INFO:
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSB.
Ball State entered the day with an 0-3 record in one-run games this season. That all changed against the host Hilltoppers (10-3), as the Cardinals used an eighth-inning leadoff home run from senior first baseman Janae Hogg to win the game. It was her second leadoff home run of the contest, as she also opened the sixth with a solo shot to center field.
It was not as simple as that, however, as WKU managed to put a pair of runners on in the bottom of the eighth courtesy of back-to-back one-out walks. BSU's defense took over in the next at bat, as after entering to pinch run in the top of the inning, freshman center fielder Shelby Westbrook snagged a hard liner and threw in to sophomore shortstop Amaia Daniel covering second for a game-ending double play.
It was the first of three double plays on the day for the Ball State defense, as the Cardinals also turned two in the first and second innings of Saturday's nightcap victory over the Phoenix (3-11).
Ball State looked like it was going to cruise to a win over Green Bay, leading 9-2 going into the final inning. However, Green Bay struck for six runs in the frame and left a runner on third as Westbrook entered to pitch and record the final two outs for her first career save.
Junior third baseman Stacy Payton led the Cardinals with four RBI in the contest, with a two-run double in the third and a two-run single in the fourth. However, it was senior left fielder Gabby Magnifico who provided the biggest hit with a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth which drove in what proved to be the game-winning run. Magnifico also blasted her first Ball State home run in the win over WKU earlier in the day.
GAME 1 SCORING NOTES - Ball State 6 - Western Kentucky 5 (8):
- Ball State struck first in Saturday's opener, capitalizing on a pair of WKU errors in the second inning to push across two runs. Junior catcher Delanie Johnson reached on the first error, and after junior Kendall Fields singled and senior center fielder Kennedy Wynn walked, scored along with Fields on the second error of the inning.
- The Cardinals added two more runs in the top of the third, pulling ahead 4-0 on Magnifico's first career home run for the Cardinal and White … Magnifico, who hit nine home runs in her first two seasons at Valparaiso, also drove in senior left fielder Haley Dominique who walked to open the inning.
- Western Kentucky countered with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, cutting Ball State's lead to 4-3
- After a scoreless fifth inning, Hogg helped Ball State recapture a two-run lead with her solo home run to open the sixth.
- Unfortunately, the Hilltoppers were able to score a pair of one-out runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings.
- Hogg made short work of the tie, however, blasting her second leadoff home run to open the eighth.
- Senior pitcher Alyssa Rothwell picked up the win in the circle, throwing the final 4.2 innings and limiting a strong Western Kentucky offense to just four hits and two runs, only one of which was earned … She also struck out four batters on her way to improving to 4-3 on the year.
- Freshman pitcher Deborah Jones started the contest, limiting WKU to five hits and three runs over 3.1 innings of work. She also struck out a batter.
GAME 2 SCORING NOTES - Ball State 9 - Green Bay 8:
- The Cardinals struck first in the nightcap versus Green Bay as well, as Daniel doubled to open the game and scored two batters later on an RBI groundout from Dominique.
- After a scoreless second, the Phoenix broke onto the board with two runs in the top of the third.
- Ball State countered with three in the bottom of the inning, which started with a walk to freshman third baseman Haley Wynn and a single from Daniel … After a passed ball advanced both runners, Payton smashed a two-run double down the right field line helping the Cardinals reclaim the lead at 3-2 … Three batters later, a sac fly from Hogg gave Ball State a two-run edge.
- Payton picked up two more RBI in the fourth, with a two-run single down to left field … H. Wynn and Daniel scored for a second straight inning as well, after reaching on a fielder's choice and walking, respectively … Another passed ball pushed them into scoring position to set up the two-run single.
- Ball State made the score 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth, thanks to a two-out RBI double from sophomore right fielder Trinity Eckerty … Magnifico scored on the play after singling to open the inning and moving to second on a two-out wild pitch.
- Magnifico would take advantage of a two-out walk to Dominique in the bottom of the sixth, blasting her second home run of the day to left field … What looked like a pair of insurance runs turned out to be critical, however, as the shot drove in what proved to be the game-winning run.
- Green Bay would not go down without a fight, scoring six runs in the top of the seventh inning … With Ball State leading by two and a pair of runners on base, Westbrook entered the game to pitch … She would successfully retire two of the three batters she faced to pick up her first career save.
- Sophomore pitcher Tieghan Morio started for the Cardinals and would ultimately pick up the win to improve to 2-1 on the year after throwing a career-high 131 pitches … She scattered 10 hits over her 6.1 innings of work and surrendered eight runs, while striking out one batter.
SATURDAY NOTES:
- Ball State's bats had another big day, the team tallied 19 hits over the two games, including two home runs each from Hogg and Magnifico … Daniel led the Cardinals with four hits on the day, while eight different Ball State players logged at least one hit.
- The Cardinals' defense turned three double plays on the day, raising its season total to eight.
- During its current six-game winning streak, Ball State's offense is connecting at a .400 clip and averaging 10.75 hits per game … Of the team's 64 hits during the span, 15 have been doubles, 10 have been home runs and one has been a triple … Conversely, Ball state's pitching has only surrendered five multiple base hits over the span, four doubles and a home run.
UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team advanced to Sunday's championship game of the Hilltopper Classic, where it will face the winner of tonight's contest between Western Kentucky and Indiana State in a 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. CT first pitch.
FOR MORE INFO:
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSB.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rothwell, Alyssa (4-3)
L: Shelby Nunn (4-1)
Batting:
HR: Magnifico, Gabby 1 ; Hogg, Janae 2
RBI: Magnifico, Gabby 2 ; Hogg, Janae 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Dominique, Haley 1 ; Magnifico, Gabby 1 ; Hogg, Janae 2 ; Johnson, Delanie 1 ; Fields, Kendall 1
CS: Daniel, Amaia 1 ; Janiga, Katie 1
Batting:
HR: Kennedy Sullivan 1
RBI: Jordan Thomas 1 ; Kennedy Sullivan 1 ; Paige Carter 1 ; Maddie Bowlds 1
SH: Taylor Davis 1 ; Kendall Smith 1 ; Maddie Bowlds 1 ; TJ Webster 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Taylor Davis 1 ; Kennedy Sullivan 2 ; Taylor Sanders 1 ; Princess Valencia 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
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2
RBI
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4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
Uti
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
C/Uti
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF/OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballC/INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
LHP/OF
/ Softball
INF/OF
/ Softball
INF/OF
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