After having its first meeting rained out, Ball State softball (26-12, 8-3 MAC) was back on the road to take on Northern Illinois (14-24, 5-6 MAC). The Cardinals were victorious in two tight games, winning the first, 1-0, and the second, 6-5.
“The girls did a great job of battling in two super close games,” head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said. “They showed some real poise and toughness. I was proud of them.”
The team showed a fighting spirit throughout on offense and defense. Both games saw sophomore Alyssa Rothwell slamming the door shut, as she struck out three and only allowed three runs on the day.
“Alyssa is a huge asset,” Bartlett said. “She is very bought into her role as a closer, and when she spins the ball the way she’s capable of, she’s very tough.”
On offense, the Cardinals had an answer for whatever the Huskies threw at them, especially in game two. After the Huskies took a 2-0 lead in the first, senior Danae King slammed one over the fence to tie the game in the third inning. Later, the Cardinals saw a 4-2 lead turn into a one-point deficient in the sixth inning until a fielding error brought in senior Maddy Labrador and sophomore Haley Dominique for the winning run.
“Northern’s a good team, and we always play close games with them,” Bartlett said. “The girls were gritty, came up with some big hits when it mattered, and the pitching staff did really well today. Anytime you play well on all three facets of the game, good things are going to happen.”
With today’s pair of wins, the Cardinals improved to 8-3 in conference play and currently sit in third place in the Mid-American Conference West Division. The Cardinals will return home this weekend to take on Western Michigan in a three game series.
Contact Jack Williams with comments at jgwilliams@bsu.edu or on Twitter @JackWilliamsBSU.
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