After losing a tough 3-2 game to No. 5 Missouri yesterday, the Ball State softball team went into its matchup on Saturday looking for a bounce back win.
Ball State got its wish as it defeated Nicholls State by a score of 3-1.
"I think we played fine," Ball State coach Craig Nicholson said. "We won a game that we needed to win. It wasn't overly pretty, but we got a win."
Sophomore first baseman Taylor Rager led the way for the Cardinals on the offensive side of the ball. She went 2-2 with two RBIs and a walk. Her two RBIs came in the bottom of the first inning as she belted a home run over the left field wall.
"I think I had a full count, so I was really just fouling off anything close until I got something good to hit," Rager said. "She [Katie Moulder] happened to make a mistake and I happened to get lucky."
Senior Audrey Workman picked up her first win of the season after losing her first start on Friday against No. 5 Missouri. She pitched all seven innings for the Cardinals and struck out seven batters to issuing only three walks.
"I don't know that the way she [Workman] pitched today was that much different," Nicholson said. "But I thought she did well. She was around the zone a lot and was able to hit locations and make good pitches. I feel like she was able to set up some hitters and put away some hitters today, which was a little bit different than last night against Missouri."
Rager said the key to success in Ball State's upcoming matchups is taking each element of the game one step at a time.
"Not only one game at a time, but one out at a time, one at-bat at a time and one pitch at a time," she said. "Also, we need to not get overwhelmed, not get frantic even though we're down and not try to put so much pressure on ourselves.
"I think as a team, we do a really good job of that. If somebody gets overwhelmed, somebody else is picking that person up."
Due to a rain delay on Saturday, Ball State will now return to action on Sunday. It will play Troy beginning at 8:30 a.m. and Eastern Kentucky at 12:30 p.m. All games are being played in Troy, Alabama.
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