Softball Scores Saturday Sweep at Bowling Green

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - - It was another big day for the Ball State softball offense which combined for 24 total runs in a doubleheader sweep of Bowling Green, by scores of 14-5 and 10-4, Saturday afternoon at Meserve Field.

The Cardinals (21-8; 6-2 Mid-American Conference) set the tone early in the day, starting with a two-run blast from redshirt junior center fielder Hayley Urban in the top of the second inning in the opener. Two batters later, redshirt senior catcher McKayla Timmons smashed her 12th home run of the season and the BSU offense took control from there.

However, it was junior pitcher Ella Whitney who provided what proved to the biggest blast in the first game, as she smashed a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left center for a three-run home run to push the Cardinals ahead 6-0. She would add two more RBI on a double to open the scoring in BSU's eight-run seventh, helping the Cardinals claim the 14-5 victory.

Along with her offensive numbers, Whitney picked up her MAC-leading 12th pitching victory by limiting the Falcons (12-20; 4-4 MAC) offense to just five hits and five runs over her 7.0 innings of work. She also tied her season high with six strikeouts.

Overall, 11 different Cardinals scored at least one run in the opener, while five tallied at least one RBI. Along with Whitney's game-high five RBI, Urban and redshirt junior second baseman McKenna Mulholland each collected three.

After closing out the opener with an eight-run seventh, the Cardinals opened the nightcap with four first inning runs to take early control of the contest. Senior left fielder Kara Gunter started the scoring with a bases loaded single, driving in two runs while an error on the play plated another and allowed her to move to third. That was crucial, as Gunter would cross the plate for the fourth run of the inning on a wild pitch.

Gunter picked up two more RBI in the top of the second with a two-run single to left field, while adding another RBI single to left in the fourth to give her five RBIs in the game and Ball State a 9-3 edge. BSU's other two runs during the span came from a two-run single to left from Urban who ended her day with five total RBI.

Senior first baseman Kaitlyn Gibson would close out the scoring for the Cardinals with a sac fly in the top of the fourth, giving BSU a 10-3 edge at the time. BGSU would only get one more run, however, as the Cardinals went on to win the game 10-4.

Freshman Breanna Severino earned the pitching victory in the nightcap, holding Bowling Green to six hits and four runs, only two of which were earned, over her 7.0 innings of work. She also struck out five batters in the contest.

NOTES:
- Timmons reached base safely once again in both games Saturday, raising her streak of reaching base safely to 55 games spanning the last two seasons … She went 1-for-2 in the opener, courtesy of her home run, and drew a pair of walks and was hit by a pitch … In the nightcap, Timmons opened the game with a double down the left field line.

- Overall, 13 different Cardinals scored at least one run on the day, led by four each from Timmons and Mulholland … Six different Ball State players added RBIs over the course of the day, with five each from Gunter, Urban and Whitney.

- With its 24 runs on the day, the Ball State offense is now averaging 7.79 runs per game … The Cardinals entered the weekend ranked 16th nationally in scoring at 7.58 runs per game … Looking at just MAC games, and the Cardinals are averaging 9.63 runs per game … Ball State has scored at least 10 runs in four of its eight league games.

- Whitney also reached base in both game for the Cardinals Saturday, raising her streak of reaching base safely to 16 games … She went 2-for-3 in the opener with a walk, while being hit by a pitch in her lone plate appearance in the nightcap.

- Along with leading the league in wins at 12, Whitney is second among all MAC pitchers with a 2.22 ERA, while her .228 opponent's batting average is fourth and her 47 total strikeouts are fifth.

UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team returns home Tuesday, when it hosts Northern Illinois in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at the Ball State Softball Stadium.

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Team Stats

Kara Gunter

Ella Whitney

McKayla Timmons

McKenna Mulholland

Players Mentioned

Kaitlyn Gibson

Kara Gunter

McKenna Mulholland

Breanna Severino

McKayla Timmons

Hayley Urban

Ella Whitney