Friday, February 9
Jacksonville, FL (at Jacksonville)
11 a.m.
Ball State University
0-1
1
vs
6
James Madison
1-0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
James Madison
2
0
1
2
0
1
0
6
8
0
Ball State
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
1
Softball Battles Until The End on Opening Day
February 09, 2024 | Softball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - - The Ball State softball team battled until the end on opening day, but ultimately dropped both games Friday on day one of the River City Leadoff at Jacksonville's Debbie & Fred Pruitt Softball Complex.
"It was not the outcome we wanted today, but tomorrow's a new day," first-year head coach Helen Peña said. "We will continue to focus on us, our process, and get better at adjusting faster in the circle and at the plate. I am seeing quality moments out of individuals, and that's exciting to see. It's just a matter of piecing it all together."
After falling 6-1 to James Madison in its first game of the 2024 season, the Cardinals (0-2) found themselves trailing tournament co-host Jacksonville 4-0 heading into the sixth inning of the nightcap.
Ball State would not go without a fight, however, capitalizing on back-to-back walks to open the top of the sixth and scoring a pair of runs. The first came when graduate second baseman Jazmyne Armendariz crossed the plate from third on a two-out error. Moments later, redshirt sophomore shortstop McKenna Mulholland stole home on the front end of a double steal.
After senior reliever Alyssa Stramaglia held the Dolphins (1-1) off the board in the bottom half of the inning, the Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh. Unfortunately, JU was able to get force plays at home and second to secure the 4-2 victory.
"We've got a lot of fight and talent on this team," Peña added. "We just have to trust our training and keep the game simple. When we do that, the results will take care of themselves."
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Graduate third baseman Haley Wynn tallied three of Ball State's five hits over the two games, with opening the season with a single versus the Dukes (2-0) and added a pair of singles in the nightcap versus the Dolphins. With the three hits, Wynn raised her career total to 184.
- Senior center fielder Remington Ross picked up right where she left off on the base paths, collecting her 46th career stolen base in 47 attempts in the season opener versus James Madison. She opened the bottom of the seventh inning with a single and then proceeded to steal second. Ross has been successful in each of her last 33 stolen base attempts.
- Senior pitcher Francys King turned in a solid effort in relief against JMU, limiting the Dukes to three hits and one run over the final 3.2 innings. She struck out a pair and retired the side in order in the top of the seventh.
- Stramaglia also turned in a solid relief appearance in the nightcap, throwing the final 2.1 innings without surrendering a hit. She also struck out one of the 10 batters she faced.
SCORING SUMMARY - GAME 1 (BSU 1 - JMU 6):
- T1 | A two-out, two-run home run from Jasmine Hall gave the Dukes an early two-run edge (2-0)
- B1 | An RBI single up the middle from graduate first baseman Samantha-Jo Mata plated Wynn for Ball State's first run of the season (2-1)
- T3 | J. Hall collected her third RBI of the game with a single to left field (3-1)
- T4 | A bases loaded walk to Bella Henzler extended JMU's lead to three runs (4-1)
- T4 | Another bases loaded walk, this time to Madison Edwards, pushed the edge to four (5-1)
- T6 | Isabelle Fishman capped the scoring with an RBI single to left field (6-1)
SCORING SUMMARY - GAME 2 (BSU 2 - JU 4):
- B1 | Jacksonville would load the bases with no outs, leading to an RBI fielder's choice from Kari Holzrichter (1-0)
- B1 | Madison Bratek followed with a RBI double to center, but a great throw from senior left fielder Kaitlyn Mathews led to an out at third to help limit JU to two runs in the inning (2-0)
- B4 | A two-run double from Averi Harcus doubled the JU lead (4-0)
- T6 | Armendariz capitalized on a leadoff walk and a two-out error to score BSU's first run (4-1)
- T6 | With runners at first and third after the error, Mulholland scored on a successful double steal (4-2)
UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team continues play in the River City Leadoff Saturday, with a rematch versus JMU (1:30 p.m.) and a showdown with North Florida (4 p.m.). Both of those games will be played at the UNF Softball Complex.
"It was not the outcome we wanted today, but tomorrow's a new day," first-year head coach Helen Peña said. "We will continue to focus on us, our process, and get better at adjusting faster in the circle and at the plate. I am seeing quality moments out of individuals, and that's exciting to see. It's just a matter of piecing it all together."
After falling 6-1 to James Madison in its first game of the 2024 season, the Cardinals (0-2) found themselves trailing tournament co-host Jacksonville 4-0 heading into the sixth inning of the nightcap.
Ball State would not go without a fight, however, capitalizing on back-to-back walks to open the top of the sixth and scoring a pair of runs. The first came when graduate second baseman Jazmyne Armendariz crossed the plate from third on a two-out error. Moments later, redshirt sophomore shortstop McKenna Mulholland stole home on the front end of a double steal.
After senior reliever Alyssa Stramaglia held the Dolphins (1-1) off the board in the bottom half of the inning, the Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh. Unfortunately, JU was able to get force plays at home and second to secure the 4-2 victory.
"We've got a lot of fight and talent on this team," Peña added. "We just have to trust our training and keep the game simple. When we do that, the results will take care of themselves."
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Graduate third baseman Haley Wynn tallied three of Ball State's five hits over the two games, with opening the season with a single versus the Dukes (2-0) and added a pair of singles in the nightcap versus the Dolphins. With the three hits, Wynn raised her career total to 184.
- Senior center fielder Remington Ross picked up right where she left off on the base paths, collecting her 46th career stolen base in 47 attempts in the season opener versus James Madison. She opened the bottom of the seventh inning with a single and then proceeded to steal second. Ross has been successful in each of her last 33 stolen base attempts.
- Senior pitcher Francys King turned in a solid effort in relief against JMU, limiting the Dukes to three hits and one run over the final 3.2 innings. She struck out a pair and retired the side in order in the top of the seventh.
- Stramaglia also turned in a solid relief appearance in the nightcap, throwing the final 2.1 innings without surrendering a hit. She also struck out one of the 10 batters she faced.
SCORING SUMMARY - GAME 1 (BSU 1 - JMU 6):
- T1 | A two-out, two-run home run from Jasmine Hall gave the Dukes an early two-run edge (2-0)
- B1 | An RBI single up the middle from graduate first baseman Samantha-Jo Mata plated Wynn for Ball State's first run of the season (2-1)
- T3 | J. Hall collected her third RBI of the game with a single to left field (3-1)
- T4 | A bases loaded walk to Bella Henzler extended JMU's lead to three runs (4-1)
- T4 | Another bases loaded walk, this time to Madison Edwards, pushed the edge to four (5-1)
- T6 | Isabelle Fishman capped the scoring with an RBI single to left field (6-1)
SCORING SUMMARY - GAME 2 (BSU 2 - JU 4):
- B1 | Jacksonville would load the bases with no outs, leading to an RBI fielder's choice from Kari Holzrichter (1-0)
- B1 | Madison Bratek followed with a RBI double to center, but a great throw from senior left fielder Kaitlyn Mathews led to an out at third to help limit JU to two runs in the inning (2-0)
- B4 | A two-run double from Averi Harcus doubled the JU lead (4-0)
- T6 | Armendariz capitalized on a leadoff walk and a two-out error to score BSU's first run (4-1)
- T6 | With runners at first and third after the error, Mulholland scored on a successful double steal (4-2)
UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team continues play in the River City Leadoff Saturday, with a rematch versus JMU (1:30 p.m.) and a showdown with North Florida (4 p.m.). Both of those games will be played at the UNF Softball Complex.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Grube, Molly (1-0)
L: Murphy, Bridie (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Hall 1
RBI: Henzler, Bella 1 ; Edwards, Madison 1 ; Fishman, Isabelle 1 ; Hall 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Henzler, Bella 1 ; Fishman, Isabelle 2 ; Hall 1 ; H. Hall 1 ; Pinder, Avery 1
SB: Henzler, Bella 1
CS: Edwards, Madison 1
HBP: Rogers, Lexi 1
Batting:
RBI: Mata, Samantha-Jo 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wynn, Haley 1
SB: Wynn, Haley 1 ; Timmons, McKayla 1 ; Ross, Remington 1
HBP: Timmons, McKayla 1
Game Leaders
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
1
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
UT
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballINF
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