Sunday, February 18
Chattanooga, TN
11:00 a.m.
Ball State University
3-7
4
vs
6
Western Kentucky
6-3-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Ball State
0
3
0
0
1
0
0
4
7
0
Western Kentucky
0
3
1
0
1
1
X
6
10
0
Softball Suffers 6-4 Sunday Setback to Western Kentucky
February 18, 2024 | Softball
CHATTANOOGA - - The Ball State softball team closed play in the Chattanooga Challenge with a 6-4 loss to Western Kentucky Sunday afternoon at Warner Park Field 2.
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The Cardinals (3-7) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second, starting with an RBI single from freshman shortstop Maia Pietrzak. In the next at bat, graduate first baseman Samantha-Jo Mata drove in two more runs with a single to right center.
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After the Hilltoppers (6-3-1) tied the score in the bottom of the inning, Ball State looked poised to recapture the lead by loading the bases in the top of the third. Unfortunately, a foul fly to right field stranded all three runners.
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WKU then took its first lead of the game, at 4-3, with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the inning. While redshirt junior catcher McKayla Timmons evened the score with a solo shot of her own in the top of the fifth, the Hilltoppers answered with runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth to claim the win.
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HIGHLIGHTS:
- Timmons fifth-inning home run was her third of the season and 19th of her collegiate career. She also leads the Ball State offense with a .379 average this season, including five hits in the Chattanooga Challenge.
- Redshirt sophomore designated player Jessica Hoffman led the Ball State offense with a .333 average this weekend, collecting five hits including a double and home run. She leads the squad with nine RBI on the year, with four coming in Chattanooga.
- Senior Alyssa Stramaglia threw the final 1.2 innings today, limiting WKU to two hits and one run, while also picking up a strikeout.Â
- Senior Francys King threw the first 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs.Â
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SCORING SUMMARY (Ball State 4 - Western Kentucky 6)
T2 | Pietrzak registers her first collegiate RBI with a single to right field, Hoffman (1-0)
T2 | Mata follows with a two-run single to center, bringing home sophomore right fielder Ashlee Lovett and Pietrzak (3-0)
B2 | WKU's Randi Drinnon singles to open the inning, and after moving to third on a couple of groundouts, scores on a wild pitch (3-1)
B2 | The Hilltoppers go on to load the bases and score a pair of runs on a Morgan Sharpe two-run single to left (3-3)
B3 | A solo home run from Taylor Sanders gives WKU the lead (3-4)
T5 | Timmons evens the score with a solo shot of her own (4-4)
B5 | Sanders smashes an RBI double into right center to give WKU the lead for good (4-5)
B6 | A solo shot from Sophie Weber adds an insurance run (4-6)
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UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team returns to action Friday when it opens play in the I-75 Tournament with a doubleheader at Kennesaw State. First pitch of the opening game is set for 3 p.m.
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The Cardinals (3-7) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second, starting with an RBI single from freshman shortstop Maia Pietrzak. In the next at bat, graduate first baseman Samantha-Jo Mata drove in two more runs with a single to right center.
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After the Hilltoppers (6-3-1) tied the score in the bottom of the inning, Ball State looked poised to recapture the lead by loading the bases in the top of the third. Unfortunately, a foul fly to right field stranded all three runners.
Â
WKU then took its first lead of the game, at 4-3, with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the inning. While redshirt junior catcher McKayla Timmons evened the score with a solo shot of her own in the top of the fifth, the Hilltoppers answered with runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth to claim the win.
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HIGHLIGHTS:
- Timmons fifth-inning home run was her third of the season and 19th of her collegiate career. She also leads the Ball State offense with a .379 average this season, including five hits in the Chattanooga Challenge.
- Redshirt sophomore designated player Jessica Hoffman led the Ball State offense with a .333 average this weekend, collecting five hits including a double and home run. She leads the squad with nine RBI on the year, with four coming in Chattanooga.
- Senior Alyssa Stramaglia threw the final 1.2 innings today, limiting WKU to two hits and one run, while also picking up a strikeout.Â
- Senior Francys King threw the first 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs.Â
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SCORING SUMMARY (Ball State 4 - Western Kentucky 6)
T2 | Pietrzak registers her first collegiate RBI with a single to right field, Hoffman (1-0)
T2 | Mata follows with a two-run single to center, bringing home sophomore right fielder Ashlee Lovett and Pietrzak (3-0)
B2 | WKU's Randi Drinnon singles to open the inning, and after moving to third on a couple of groundouts, scores on a wild pitch (3-1)
B2 | The Hilltoppers go on to load the bases and score a pair of runs on a Morgan Sharpe two-run single to left (3-3)
B3 | A solo home run from Taylor Sanders gives WKU the lead (3-4)
T5 | Timmons evens the score with a solo shot of her own (4-4)
B5 | Sanders smashes an RBI double into right center to give WKU the lead for good (4-5)
B6 | A solo shot from Sophie Weber adds an insurance run (4-6)
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UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team returns to action Friday when it opens play in the I-75 Tournament with a doubleheader at Kennesaw State. First pitch of the opening game is set for 3 p.m.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rylan Smith (2-1)
L: King, Francys (2-2)
Batting:
HR: Timmons, McKayla 1
RBI: Timmons, McKayla 1 ; Pietrzak, Maia 1 ; Mata, Samantha-Jo 2
SH: Pietrzak, Maia 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Timmons, McKayla 1 ; Hoffman, Jessica 1 ; Lovett, Ashlee 1 ; Pietrzak, Maia 1
HBP: Hoffman, Jessica 1
Batting:
2B: Morgan Sharpe 1 ; Taylor Sanders 1 ; Sophie Weber 1
HR: Taylor Sanders 1 ; Sophie Weber 1
RBI: Morgan Sharpe 2 ; Taylor Sanders 2 ; Sophie Weber 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Morgan Sharpe 1 ; Taylor Sanders 1 ; Randi Drinnon 1 ; Sophie Weber 2 ; TJ Webster 1
CS: TJ Webster 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballUT
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