Ball State University Athletics
Friday, March 6
Louisville, KY
11 a.m.
Ball State University
8-6
15
vs
1
Bellarmine
5-15
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Bellarmine
1
0
0
0
0
1
4
1
Ball State
0
9
6
0
X
15
10
1
Photo by: Madeline Howell/Ball State Athletics
Whitney’s Big Day Leads Softball To Pair of Friday Wins
March 06, 2026 | Softball
LOUISVILLE - - When it was all said and done, Ball State senior Ella Whitney has blasted three home runs and a triple, while securing a pitching victory to lead the Cardinals (9-6) to a pair of wins on the opening day of the Cardinal Classic hosted by Louisville.
Whitney's second grand slam in three games gave Ball State an early 5-1 lead as it opened the day with a 15-1 (5) victory over Bellarmine. Whitney would add a solo home run later in the contest, pushing the score to 10-1.
She followed with an even more impressive performance in the nightcap, opening the scoring with a two-run triple to right and adding another solo shot in the fourth, helping Ball State fly the #MACtion flag for the second time this season with a 7-5 victory at host Louisville.
In addition, she picked up the pitching win versus the UofL Cardinals (15-5), throwing the first 4.1 innings and limiting the hosts to five hits and two runs. Louisville entered the day ranked 26th in the nation with a .351 batting average and received votes in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll.
Overall, Whitney went 4-for-7 on the day with eight RBIs, four runs scored and a 2.143 slugging percentage. She also drew a walk as a batter, while striking out three Cardinals as a pitcher.
While Whitney provided some of the biggest plays, the Cardinals as a squad produced 20 total hits and a .351 average over Friday's two games. Senior first baseman Lindsey DeRoeck tied for team-high honors with four hits, while freshman second baseman Ayvah Cullen and senior left fielder Ashlee Lovett collected three hits apiece.
Ball State also drew 11 more walks and was hit by a pitch three more times to boast a .479 on base percentage for the day. Overall, nine different Cardinals recorded at least one hit Friday, while 13 scored at least one run and eight had at least one RBI.
In the circle, junior Brinkley Kita picked up her first complete game win of the season by throwing all five innings versus the Knights (5-15). She held Bellarmine to four hits and one run, while striking out three of the 22 batters she faced.
Redshirt junior pitcher Bridie Murphy threw the final 2.2 innings against Louisville, holding the other Cardinals to five hits and three runs, while picking up a pair of strikeouts.
Weather permitting, the Ball State softball team is slated for a rematch with Louisville at 9a Saturday morning.
GAME 1 SCORING SUMMARY: Ball State 15 - Bellarmine 1 (5)
T1 - Bellarmine's Kendall Gaddie opened the scoring with an RBI single to left center (1-0)
B2 - A bases loaded walk to redshirt junior third baseman Skylinn Pogue opened the scoring in what proved to be a nine-run inning for the Cardinals (1-1)
B2 - Whitney deposited her second grand slam in three games over the fence in left center (1-5)
B2 - Senior right fielder Hayley Urban drove in two more runs with a single to center field (1-7)
B2 - Junior shortstop Maia Pietrzak capped the nine-run second with a two-run double to left center (1-9)
B3 - Whitney blasted a no doubter over deep over the fence in center field to open a six-run third (1-10)
B3 - Sophomore pinch hitter Addison Zimpleman drew a bases loaded walk (1-11)
B3 - Urban picked up her third RBI of the game on a ground out to short (1-12)
B3 - Senior pinch hitter Jessica Hoffman dropped an RBI single into shallow center field (1-13)
B3 - Pogue capped the scoring with a two-run triple to center field (1-15)
GAME 2 SCORING SUMMARY: Ball State 7 - Louisville 5
T1 - Whitney opened the scoring with a two-run triple to right field (2-0)
T1 - DeRoeck brought Whitney home with a single to right (3-0)
T1 - Cullen added an RBI single to center, giving Ball State a four-run edge (4-0)
B1 - A bases loaded infield single from Taylor Monroe put Louisville on the scoreboard (4-1)
T4 - Whitney's third home run of the day was another solo shot to center field (5-1)
T5 - An error on a grounder to short by Pietrzak helped bring home two more Cardinals (7-1)
B5 - Monroe collected her second RBI of the game with a single to right field (7-2)
B6 - Bri Despines smashed an RBI double to deep center field (7-3)
B6 - Camyrn Lookadoo singled to left, bringing in another run (7-4)
B6 - Monroe capped the scoring with a sac fly to right field for her third RBI of the game (7-5)
Whitney's second grand slam in three games gave Ball State an early 5-1 lead as it opened the day with a 15-1 (5) victory over Bellarmine. Whitney would add a solo home run later in the contest, pushing the score to 10-1.
She followed with an even more impressive performance in the nightcap, opening the scoring with a two-run triple to right and adding another solo shot in the fourth, helping Ball State fly the #MACtion flag for the second time this season with a 7-5 victory at host Louisville.
In addition, she picked up the pitching win versus the UofL Cardinals (15-5), throwing the first 4.1 innings and limiting the hosts to five hits and two runs. Louisville entered the day ranked 26th in the nation with a .351 batting average and received votes in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll.
Overall, Whitney went 4-for-7 on the day with eight RBIs, four runs scored and a 2.143 slugging percentage. She also drew a walk as a batter, while striking out three Cardinals as a pitcher.
While Whitney provided some of the biggest plays, the Cardinals as a squad produced 20 total hits and a .351 average over Friday's two games. Senior first baseman Lindsey DeRoeck tied for team-high honors with four hits, while freshman second baseman Ayvah Cullen and senior left fielder Ashlee Lovett collected three hits apiece.
Ball State also drew 11 more walks and was hit by a pitch three more times to boast a .479 on base percentage for the day. Overall, nine different Cardinals recorded at least one hit Friday, while 13 scored at least one run and eight had at least one RBI.
In the circle, junior Brinkley Kita picked up her first complete game win of the season by throwing all five innings versus the Knights (5-15). She held Bellarmine to four hits and one run, while striking out three of the 22 batters she faced.
Redshirt junior pitcher Bridie Murphy threw the final 2.2 innings against Louisville, holding the other Cardinals to five hits and three runs, while picking up a pair of strikeouts.
Weather permitting, the Ball State softball team is slated for a rematch with Louisville at 9a Saturday morning.
GAME 1 SCORING SUMMARY: Ball State 15 - Bellarmine 1 (5)
T1 - Bellarmine's Kendall Gaddie opened the scoring with an RBI single to left center (1-0)
B2 - A bases loaded walk to redshirt junior third baseman Skylinn Pogue opened the scoring in what proved to be a nine-run inning for the Cardinals (1-1)
B2 - Whitney deposited her second grand slam in three games over the fence in left center (1-5)
B2 - Senior right fielder Hayley Urban drove in two more runs with a single to center field (1-7)
B2 - Junior shortstop Maia Pietrzak capped the nine-run second with a two-run double to left center (1-9)
B3 - Whitney blasted a no doubter over deep over the fence in center field to open a six-run third (1-10)
B3 - Sophomore pinch hitter Addison Zimpleman drew a bases loaded walk (1-11)
B3 - Urban picked up her third RBI of the game on a ground out to short (1-12)
B3 - Senior pinch hitter Jessica Hoffman dropped an RBI single into shallow center field (1-13)
B3 - Pogue capped the scoring with a two-run triple to center field (1-15)
GAME 2 SCORING SUMMARY: Ball State 7 - Louisville 5
T1 - Whitney opened the scoring with a two-run triple to right field (2-0)
T1 - DeRoeck brought Whitney home with a single to right (3-0)
T1 - Cullen added an RBI single to center, giving Ball State a four-run edge (4-0)
B1 - A bases loaded infield single from Taylor Monroe put Louisville on the scoreboard (4-1)
T4 - Whitney's third home run of the day was another solo shot to center field (5-1)
T5 - An error on a grounder to short by Pietrzak helped bring home two more Cardinals (7-1)
B5 - Monroe collected her second RBI of the game with a single to right field (7-2)
B6 - Bri Despines smashed an RBI double to deep center field (7-3)
B6 - Camyrn Lookadoo singled to left, bringing in another run (7-4)
B6 - Monroe capped the scoring with a sac fly to right field for her third RBI of the game (7-5)
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kita, Brinkley (2-0)
L: Cowburn, Makenzie (1-6)
Batting:
RBI: Gaddie, Kendall 1
SH: Shewmaker, Brooke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Manning, Jayla 1
Batting:
2B: Pietrzak, Maia 1
3B: Pogue, Skylinn 1
HR: Whitney, Ella 2
RBI: Pietrzak, Maia 2 ; Urban, Hayley 3 ; Whitney, Ella 5 ; Pogue, Skylinn 3 ; Zimpleman, Addison 1 ; Hoffman, Jessica 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Peitersen, Veronica 1 ; Pietrzak, Maia 1 ; Urban, Hayley 2 ; Kelley, Paige 1 ; Whitney, Ella 2 ; Pogue, Skylinn 1 ; Zimpleman, Addison 1 ; DeRoeck, Lindsey 1 ; Lovett, Ashlee 2 ; Noble, Allee 2 ; Spencer, Grace 1
SB: Kelley, Paige 1
HBP: Pietrzak, Maia 1 ; Pogue, Skylinn 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
5
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
C/INF
/ Softball
UT
/ SoftballINF / RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballThis Week in Ball State Sports Podcast // Softball's Lindsey DeRoeck & AD Jeff Mitchell
Thursday, February 26
Sports Link: National Girls and Women in Sports Day
Wednesday, February 25
Cardinal Conversation with Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell and Softball's Ashlee Lovett
Thursday, February 19
Celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day // Produced by Ball State Sports Link
Wednesday, February 04