Needing a split to better its odds of securing a bid to the Mid-American Conference tournament, the Ball State softball team lost in back-to-games at Marshall in a Tuesday doubleheader.
Marshall jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening minutes of the first game as freshman starting pitcher Quincy Duran weathered early problems against a batting order that boasts a .298 team average. The runs paved the way for the Thundering Herd, who cruised to a 4-0 shutout vicory.
"She didn't even really struggle that bad," head coach Terri Laux said of Duran. "She hit that leadoff hitter and couldn't find the handle. Defensive-wise, we didn't make some plays that we should have made and Marshall took advantage of that."
Ball State strung together two singles in the fifth in an attempt to spur a rally, but those hopes were quickly put to rest after senior Katie Shea popped into a double play that ended the inning.
The Cardinals got off to a 1-0 lead in the nightcap when outfielder Kris Burdine crossed the plate after senior catcher Britni Clark hit a sacrifice fly.
The early advantage was one of the few bright spots for Ball State though as Marshall would respond quickly by scoring four in the bottom-half of the inning.
Senior pitcher De'Shaun Drake carried Marshall to a 9-1 triumph with her 3-4 performance at the plate and four runs batted in.
Ball State pitcher Amy Brownfield had a rough outing, walking three batters and surrendering five runs in four innings of work.
Cortney Winger did not fare much better in relief as she was rocked for the four remaining runs Marshall needed to reach the eight-run limit.
"The majority of the batters they faced, they were behind," Laux said. "Anytime you are the starting pitcher you have to throw strikes. Marshall is going to jump all over those bad pitches that come in."
In five innings off the mound, Drake surrendered just five hits and one run. She also set a new Marshall school in the game for most all-time RBIs.
The Thundering Herd solidified its spot atop the MAC standings with the wins, upping their record to 34-11 overall and 15-3 in the conference. Ball State fell to 5-9-1 in the MAC and 9-19-1 overall.332-+-++â-Ü*-¼+â-¦lB#
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