Scoring big runs late in ball games has been Ball State's thing since the start of the season.
In its match-up against Bowling Green Saturday, Ball State got a taste of its own medicine.
In the bottom of the 12th inning with two outs and nobody on base, Bowling Green freshman catcher Erika Stratton hit a walk-off home run to win the game by a final score of 7-6.
Stratton went 4-5 for the game with one double, three RBIs, and an incredible three home runs.
Coach Craig Nicholson said his pitchers threw everything they had at Stratton, but she was still able to be successful.
"Stratton had a great day," Nicholson said. "She basically hit everything we got in our bag of tricks. As a hitter, you have some of those days where you see the ball good and you're able to put good swings on pitches."
At the beginning of the game, Ball State got off to a fast start. Freshman designated hitter Jennifer Gilbert hit a two-run home run to right field in the top of the second inning and junior catcher Amanda Montalto hit a two-run home run of her own to center field in the top of the third inning. Then, an RBI triple by sophomore left fielder Amanda Carpenter brought home freshman first baseman Taylor Rager to make the score 5-0.
Stratton cut the lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the third inning after a solo home run to left field.
Bowling Green added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the lead to 5-3. Junior third baseman Melissa West drove in sophomore first baseman Paige Berger off of a sac bunt and freshman right fielder Katie Yoho scored off of an error by Rager at first base.
Bowling Green continued to claw its way back into the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sophomore second baseman Andrea Arney drove in sophomore shortstop Hannah Fulk off of an RBI single to center field.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Bowling Green evened the score at 5-5 after Stratton hit a solo home run to left field.
After scoring no runs in the top of the seventh inning and holding Bowling Green to no runs in the bottom half, Ball State broke the tie in the top of the eighth. Junior second baseman Alison Mercado singled to the shortstop to drive in Carpenter, who reached on a throwing error by senior pitcher Melissa Bott.
Bowling Green evened the score at 6-6 when senior center fielder Lindsay Arney drove in freshman pinch runner Jenny Kelley off of an RBI single through the left side.
After three scoreless innings by both teams, Bowling Green finally broke the mold. With two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning, Stratton hit her walk-off home run to end the game.
Mercado said despite the heartbreaking loss, the effort shown in extra innings will be good for Ball State moving forward into the Mid-American Conference tournament.
"I feel this experience is important going into the MAC tournament," Mercado said. "We will have games like this where there's going to be clutch situations where we have to get a big out or run. Plus, it shows we're all going to buckle together and battle, which is nice."
Ball state will finish up its weekend road trip Sunday, when it plays Bowling Green for a second consecutive day. First pitch is at 1 p.m.
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