Friday, February 21
Charlotte, NC
11:30 a.m.
Ball State University
4-1
2
vs
0
Lehigh
1-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Lehigh
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
Ball State
1
0
1
0
0
0
X
2
5
0
Photo by: Owen Main - Owen Main Photography
Softball Opens Charlotte Invite With Friday Sweep
February 21, 2025 | Softball
CHARLOTTE - - After being idle last weekend, the Ball State softball team did not miss a beat Friday, opening play in the Charlotte Invitational with a 2-0 win over Lehigh and a 9-1 (5) victory over Albany at Sue M. Daughtridge Field.
Â
Pitching and defense once again reigned supreme for the Cardinals (5-1) who allowed just one earned run and only committed one error over its 12 innings in the field.
Â
In the opener, junior starter Ella Whitney picked up her first complete game shutout for the Cardinals by limiting the Mountain Hawks (1-5) to just two hits and five baserunners over her 7.0 innings of work. She also struck out two batters, while lowering her season ERA to 0.74.
Â
Redshirt junior second baseman McKenna Mulholland drove in what proved to be the game-winning run with a sac fly in the first inning, while Whitney picked up her first of four RBI on the day with a sac fly in the third.
Â
In the nightcap, freshman starter Breanna Severino picked up her first collegiate win by limiting the Great Danes (0-1) to six hits and one run over her 5.0 innings of work. She also struck out a career-high seven batters in victory.
Â
On the offensive front, Whitney drove in three more runs starting with an RBI grounder in the first. She also added a two-run single in the third, extending BSU's lead to four.
Â
However, the biggest blast of the game came from junior left fielder Gabbie Evans who smashed a three-run shot in the bottom of the fifth to give BSU its eight-run margin of victory. It was her third career home run and first with the Cardinals.
Â
NOTES:
- With a walk in the opener, as well as a single and walk in the nightcap, redshirt senior catcher McKayla Timmons has now reached base safely in each of her last 32 games.
- Ball State continues to shine on defense, having committed just two errors over its first six games for a MAC-best .988 fielding percentage.Â
- Both senior Kara Gunter and redshirt junior Hayley Urban finished the day with three hits apiece, with Gunter scoring three runs and Urban one.
Â
GAME 1: Ball State 2 - Lehigh 0
B1 - A sac fly from Mulholland gave the Cardinals an early lead (1-0)
B3 - Whitney capped the scoring with a sac fly of her own (2-0)
Â
GAME 2: Ball State 9 - Albany 1 (5)
T1 - The Great Danes struck first with an RBI double by Victoria Vilarchao (1-0)
B1 - After opening the bottom of the inning with a triple, Gunter evened the score by reaching home on an error (1-1)
B1 - Two batters later, Whitney picked up her first RBI of the game on a grounder to first that allowed sophomore shortstop Maia Pietrzak to score from third (1-2)
B1 - Mulholland's second sac fly of the game gave Ball State a two-run edge (1-3)
B3 - Whitney slices a two-run single down the left field line to extend BSU's lead to four (1-5)
B4 - Another error allows Timmons to score from first after she singled with one out (1-6)
B4 - Evans added three more with her first home run for the Cardinals, capping the scoring in the game (1-9)
Â
UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team continues play in the Charlotte Invitational Saturday with games versus Lehigh (10 a.m.) and Charlotte (3 p.m.).
Â
Â
Pitching and defense once again reigned supreme for the Cardinals (5-1) who allowed just one earned run and only committed one error over its 12 innings in the field.
Â
In the opener, junior starter Ella Whitney picked up her first complete game shutout for the Cardinals by limiting the Mountain Hawks (1-5) to just two hits and five baserunners over her 7.0 innings of work. She also struck out two batters, while lowering her season ERA to 0.74.
Â
Redshirt junior second baseman McKenna Mulholland drove in what proved to be the game-winning run with a sac fly in the first inning, while Whitney picked up her first of four RBI on the day with a sac fly in the third.
Â
In the nightcap, freshman starter Breanna Severino picked up her first collegiate win by limiting the Great Danes (0-1) to six hits and one run over her 5.0 innings of work. She also struck out a career-high seven batters in victory.
Â
On the offensive front, Whitney drove in three more runs starting with an RBI grounder in the first. She also added a two-run single in the third, extending BSU's lead to four.
Â
However, the biggest blast of the game came from junior left fielder Gabbie Evans who smashed a three-run shot in the bottom of the fifth to give BSU its eight-run margin of victory. It was her third career home run and first with the Cardinals.
Â
NOTES:
- With a walk in the opener, as well as a single and walk in the nightcap, redshirt senior catcher McKayla Timmons has now reached base safely in each of her last 32 games.
- Ball State continues to shine on defense, having committed just two errors over its first six games for a MAC-best .988 fielding percentage.Â
- Both senior Kara Gunter and redshirt junior Hayley Urban finished the day with three hits apiece, with Gunter scoring three runs and Urban one.
Â
GAME 1: Ball State 2 - Lehigh 0
B1 - A sac fly from Mulholland gave the Cardinals an early lead (1-0)
B3 - Whitney capped the scoring with a sac fly of her own (2-0)
Â
GAME 2: Ball State 9 - Albany 1 (5)
T1 - The Great Danes struck first with an RBI double by Victoria Vilarchao (1-0)
B1 - After opening the bottom of the inning with a triple, Gunter evened the score by reaching home on an error (1-1)
B1 - Two batters later, Whitney picked up her first RBI of the game on a grounder to first that allowed sophomore shortstop Maia Pietrzak to score from third (1-2)
B1 - Mulholland's second sac fly of the game gave Ball State a two-run edge (1-3)
B3 - Whitney slices a two-run single down the left field line to extend BSU's lead to four (1-5)
B4 - Another error allows Timmons to score from first after she singled with one out (1-6)
B4 - Evans added three more with her first home run for the Cardinals, capping the scoring in the game (1-9)
Â
UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team continues play in the Charlotte Invitational Saturday with games versus Lehigh (10 a.m.) and Charlotte (3 p.m.).
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Whitney, Ella (3-0)
L: Hess, Chloe (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Smith, Gracie 1
Base Running:
CS: Sward, Peyton 1
HBP: Sward, Peyton 2
Batting:
2B: Urban, Hayley 1
RBI: Whitney, Ella 1 ; Mulholland, McKenna 1
SF: Whitney, Ella 1 ; Mulholland, McKenna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gunter, Kara 1 ; Pietrzak, Maia 1
SB: Pietrzak, Maia 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
INF / RHP
/ SoftballSoftball // Workouts
Wednesday, September 17
Ball State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses the NCAA vs. House Settlement
Tuesday, July 01
Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses NCAA vs. House Settlement & Bill Richards Thank You
Friday, June 27
Sports Link: Katie Van Der Mark (Softball)
Wednesday, May 21