Ball State University Athletics
Friday, March 27
Toledo, OH
3 p.m.
Ball State University
12-14, 1-6
6
at
8
Toledo
9-20, 5-2
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Ball St.
0
1
0
4
0
0
1
6
8
1
Toledo
1
0
6
0
0
1
X
8
8
0
Softball Drops Series Opener at Toledo
March 27, 2026 | Softball
TOLEDO, Ohio - - Trailing by three with no one on base and two outs in the top of the seventh, the Ball State softball team managed to bring the go-ahead run to the plate in Friday's series opener at Toledo.
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Unfortunately, the Cardinals (12-14; 1-6 Mid-American Conference) were only able to get one of the runs back in an 8-6 setback to the Rockets (9-20; 5-2 MAC) at Scott Park.
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Senior pitcher/designated player Ella Whitney opened the two-out rally when she was hit by a 3-0 pitch and senior first baseman Lindsey DeRoeck followed with a first-pitch single to center.
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Redshirt junior third baseman Skylinn Pogue kept the rally going with a bloop RBI single into shallow left field, cutting the lead to two runs at 8-6. However, with runners on first and second, a strikeout ended the game.
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Freshman center fielder Paige Kelley drove in Ball State's first two runs, first with an RBI single in the second inning and then an RBI walk in the fourth. Junior shortstop Maia Pietrzak capped the scoring in Ball State's four-run fourth with her third triple of the season, a two-run blast to center field.
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Overall, Pogue and redshirt sophomore catcher Allee Noble led the Cardinals with two hits apiece, while six different Ball State players scored one run.
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In the circle, redshirt junior Bridie Murphy turned in a solid effort in relief, allowing just one run and three hits over her 3.1 innings of work. She also stuck out three batters while issuing just one walk.
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On the other side of the field, eight different Rockets scored one run, while three collected two hits each and three collected two RBIs apiece.
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The Cardinals and Rockets conclude their three-game series Saturday back at Scott Park with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. Both contests are slated to be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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SCORING SUMMARY: Ball State 6- Toledo 8
B1 - Toledo's Audrey Miller opened the scoring with a solo home run (1-0)
T2 - Kelley evened the score with a RBI single to center field, allowing senior right fielder/pinch runner Grace Spencer to score (1-1)
B3 - Eli Enriquez gave UT the lead with the first of three RBI doubles, dropping the ball into right field (2-1)
B3 - Samantha Bolding drove in two more runs with a double to center (4-1)
B3 - Two outs later, Payton Pudlowski doubled to right center, upping the lead to four runs (5-1)
B3 - A two-run home run from Jenna Gober followed, extending the Rockets' lead to six runs (7-1)
T4 - Kelley picked up her second RBI with a bases loaded walk (7-2)
T4 - An RBI ground out from senior left fielder Ashlee Lovett cut the lead back to four (7-3)
T4 - Pietrzak added two more runs with her third triple of the season (7-5)
B6 - Enriquez added an insurance run with an RBI single down the left field line (8-5)
T7 - Pogue kept a two-out rally alive with a full count bloop RBI single into shallow left field (8-6)
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Unfortunately, the Cardinals (12-14; 1-6 Mid-American Conference) were only able to get one of the runs back in an 8-6 setback to the Rockets (9-20; 5-2 MAC) at Scott Park.
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Senior pitcher/designated player Ella Whitney opened the two-out rally when she was hit by a 3-0 pitch and senior first baseman Lindsey DeRoeck followed with a first-pitch single to center.
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Redshirt junior third baseman Skylinn Pogue kept the rally going with a bloop RBI single into shallow left field, cutting the lead to two runs at 8-6. However, with runners on first and second, a strikeout ended the game.
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Freshman center fielder Paige Kelley drove in Ball State's first two runs, first with an RBI single in the second inning and then an RBI walk in the fourth. Junior shortstop Maia Pietrzak capped the scoring in Ball State's four-run fourth with her third triple of the season, a two-run blast to center field.
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Overall, Pogue and redshirt sophomore catcher Allee Noble led the Cardinals with two hits apiece, while six different Ball State players scored one run.
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In the circle, redshirt junior Bridie Murphy turned in a solid effort in relief, allowing just one run and three hits over her 3.1 innings of work. She also stuck out three batters while issuing just one walk.
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On the other side of the field, eight different Rockets scored one run, while three collected two hits each and three collected two RBIs apiece.
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The Cardinals and Rockets conclude their three-game series Saturday back at Scott Park with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. Both contests are slated to be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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SCORING SUMMARY: Ball State 6- Toledo 8
B1 - Toledo's Audrey Miller opened the scoring with a solo home run (1-0)
T2 - Kelley evened the score with a RBI single to center field, allowing senior right fielder/pinch runner Grace Spencer to score (1-1)
B3 - Eli Enriquez gave UT the lead with the first of three RBI doubles, dropping the ball into right field (2-1)
B3 - Samantha Bolding drove in two more runs with a double to center (4-1)
B3 - Two outs later, Payton Pudlowski doubled to right center, upping the lead to four runs (5-1)
B3 - A two-run home run from Jenna Gober followed, extending the Rockets' lead to six runs (7-1)
T4 - Kelley picked up her second RBI with a bases loaded walk (7-2)
T4 - An RBI ground out from senior left fielder Ashlee Lovett cut the lead back to four (7-3)
T4 - Pietrzak added two more runs with her third triple of the season (7-5)
B6 - Enriquez added an insurance run with an RBI single down the left field line (8-5)
T7 - Pogue kept a two-out rally alive with a full count bloop RBI single into shallow left field (8-6)
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Yackee, Mady (2-6)
L: Whitney, Ella (5-3)
Batting:
3B: Pietrzak, Maia 1
RBI: Lovett, Ashlee 1 ; Pietrzak, Maia 2 ; Pogue, Skylinn 1 ; Kelley, Paige 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Fox, Payton 1 ; Ramos, Meagan 1 ; Thurman, Jordyn 1 ; Noble, Allee 1 ; Kelley, Paige 1 ; Spencer, Grace 1
HBP: Whitney, Ella 1
Batting:
2B: Enriquez, Eli 1 ; Bolding, Samantha 1 ; Pudlowski, Payton 1
HR: Miller, Audrey 1 ; Gober, Jenna 1
RBI: Enriquez, Eli 2 ; Bolding, Samantha 2 ; Miller, Audrey 1 ; Pudlowski, Payton 1 ; Gober, Jenna 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Enriquez, Eli 1 ; Bolding, Samantha 1 ; Miller, Audrey 1 ; Pudlowski, Payton 1 ; Gober, Jenna 1 ; Sitarski, Mak 1 ; Roh, Maggie 1 ; Golightly, Ava 1
HBP: Abiley, Payton 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
p/dp
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballC
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballC/INF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballINF / RHP
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