Friday, April 30
Muncie, IN
3 p.m.
Ball State University
25-15, 19-5
4
vs
6
Toledo
21-17, 11-11
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Toledo
2
0
3
0
0
1
0
6
14
0
Ball State
1
2
0
0
0
1
0
4
9
1
Softball Drops Hard-Fought Battle To Toledo
April 30, 2021 | Softball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State softball team had opportunities in Friday's series opener versus Toledo, pounding out nine hits, drawing four walks and having a pair of hit batters.
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It seemed like a recipe for the Cardinals (25-15; 19-5 Mid-American Conference) to pull off their 12th come-from-behind victory in league action this season.
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Unfortunately, after Ball State rallied from down 2-0 to take a 3-2 lead after two innings, the Rockets (21-17; 11-11 MAC) dashed the Cardinals' hopes with a three-run third on its way to a 6-4 victory at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
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After Toledo opened with a two-run first, Ball State looked to get the momentum back in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with one out. While senior first baseman Janae Hogg was able to bring a run home after getting hit by a pitch, the Rockets were able to limit the damage to a single run on a force at home and a fly to right.
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Ball State used a little speed to push two runs across in the bottom of the second, starting with a one-out single by senior left fielder Katie Janiga. After Janiga stole second, sophomore third baseman Haley Wynn drove a double to the fence in left-center, bringing home the tying run.
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Two batters later, senior right fielder Haley Dominique smashed an RBI double to right-center, pushing across the go-ahead run.
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It was a short-lived lead, unfortunately, as Toledo countered with three runs in the top of the third to pull ahead 5-3.
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Ball State had an opportunity to reclaim the lead in the bottom of the fourth, once again loading the bases, this time with two outs. The Cardinals could not capitalize, however, as a popup to third ended the inning.
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Both teams then added a run in the sixth inning, giving the game its final score of 6-4. Ball State's run came on a two-out RBI single from senior catcher Stacy Payton, who drove in Janiga for her second run of the game after she logged a one-out single to second.
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Ball State's defense was able to keep it a two-run game after Toledo loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, as freshman shortstop Kayla Lissy came up with a spectacular grab on a hard grounder to short and was able to get the runner heading home. In the next at bat, junior pitcher Tieghan Morio showed off her defensive prowess on a hard shot to her right, snagging the ball and getting the out at first.
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It was one of three great defensive plays for Morio in the game, who also struck out five batters after entering the game in relief in the top of the fourth inning. Over her 4.0 innings of work, she allowed just six hits and one earned run.
The Cardinals could not take advantage of the great defensive plays, however, as Toledo retired Ball State in order in the bottom of the inning to win the game.
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Ball State and Toledo will continue their four-game series Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
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Unfortunately, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and resulting department of health guidance, there will be no general public attendance at Ball State softball home games this season. However, the remainder of this weekend's series will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and live stats can be found on the softball schedule page of BallStateSports.com.
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It seemed like a recipe for the Cardinals (25-15; 19-5 Mid-American Conference) to pull off their 12th come-from-behind victory in league action this season.
Â
Unfortunately, after Ball State rallied from down 2-0 to take a 3-2 lead after two innings, the Rockets (21-17; 11-11 MAC) dashed the Cardinals' hopes with a three-run third on its way to a 6-4 victory at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
Â
After Toledo opened with a two-run first, Ball State looked to get the momentum back in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with one out. While senior first baseman Janae Hogg was able to bring a run home after getting hit by a pitch, the Rockets were able to limit the damage to a single run on a force at home and a fly to right.
Â
Ball State used a little speed to push two runs across in the bottom of the second, starting with a one-out single by senior left fielder Katie Janiga. After Janiga stole second, sophomore third baseman Haley Wynn drove a double to the fence in left-center, bringing home the tying run.
Â
Two batters later, senior right fielder Haley Dominique smashed an RBI double to right-center, pushing across the go-ahead run.
Â
It was a short-lived lead, unfortunately, as Toledo countered with three runs in the top of the third to pull ahead 5-3.
Â
Ball State had an opportunity to reclaim the lead in the bottom of the fourth, once again loading the bases, this time with two outs. The Cardinals could not capitalize, however, as a popup to third ended the inning.
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Both teams then added a run in the sixth inning, giving the game its final score of 6-4. Ball State's run came on a two-out RBI single from senior catcher Stacy Payton, who drove in Janiga for her second run of the game after she logged a one-out single to second.
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Ball State's defense was able to keep it a two-run game after Toledo loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, as freshman shortstop Kayla Lissy came up with a spectacular grab on a hard grounder to short and was able to get the runner heading home. In the next at bat, junior pitcher Tieghan Morio showed off her defensive prowess on a hard shot to her right, snagging the ball and getting the out at first.
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It was one of three great defensive plays for Morio in the game, who also struck out five batters after entering the game in relief in the top of the fourth inning. Over her 4.0 innings of work, she allowed just six hits and one earned run.
The Cardinals could not take advantage of the great defensive plays, however, as Toledo retired Ball State in order in the bottom of the inning to win the game.
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Ball State and Toledo will continue their four-game series Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
Â
Unfortunately, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and resulting department of health guidance, there will be no general public attendance at Ball State softball home games this season. However, the remainder of this weekend's series will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and live stats can be found on the softball schedule page of BallStateSports.com.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: HUNT, Erin (16-11)
L: Jones, Deborah (10-6)
Batting:
2B: DENNER, Dayna 1
RBI: DENNER, Dayna 1 ; MOORE, Macey 1 ; MOHR, Riley 1 ; KROLL, Jenna 2 ; ERICKSON, Lauren 1
SH: REED, Aubrey 1
SF: MOORE, Macey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: DIXON, Anna 1 ; MARRA, Aleah 2 ; DENNER, Dayna 1 ; REED, Arika 1 ; KROLL, Jenna 1
SB: DIXON, Anna 1
CS: MOORE, Macey 1 ; McKEEVER, Sydney 1
Batting:
2B: Wynn, Haley 1 ; Dominique, Haley 1
RBI: Wynn, Haley 1 ; Dominique, Haley 1 ; Payton, Stacy 1 ; Hogg, Janae 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wynn, Haley 2 ; Janiga, Katie 2
SB: Dukeman, Hannah 1 ; Janiga, Katie 1
CS: Hensley, Faith 1
HBP: Payton, Stacy 1 ; Hogg, Janae 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
c/1b
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballC/INF
/ SoftballINF/OF
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