Splitting the doubleheader Friday, Ball State softball (24-12, 6-3 MAC) wrapped up its weekend series against Kent State (19-14, 5-4 MAC) in the rubber match. While the Cardinals were able to tie the game early, an array of fielding errors gave the Cardinals a 4-1 loss.
“We definitely didn’t have our best step in any facet of the game,” head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said. “We have to be more dialed in and focused. We definitely have to reset, refocus and get ready for NIU on Wednesday.”
One of the factors that limited the Cardinals was the pitching of Kent State sophomore Madi Huck. Huck limited the Cardinals to only three runs the entire weekend and only allowed three hits in today’s matchup.
Fielding errors also became a major problem for the Cardinals in the game as they had four on the day. In the fifth, Ball State saw three fielding errors load the bases for Kent State and eventually bring in the winning run.
“We need to get healthy in order to execute our fielding more efficiently,” Bartlett said. “We’re going to take a few days off and let the girls mentally and physically reset. We’re ready to have a good practice on Tuesday and get back to work.”
Outside of fielding errors, the Cardinals played a solid defensive game. Ball State had a double play in the later innings to keep itself in the game and kept the contest tied for half of the game. Junior Aeshia Miles was also able to strike out five in six innings. The Cardinals capitalized on the Flashes errors as their only run came off a wild pitch.
“We were looking to coordinate our success on defense to offense today,” Miles said. “Kent State had bases loaded, and we struck them out along with a big double play to end the inning. We were trying to get that energy onto our bats and keep everyone motivated.”
With today’s loss, the Cardinals drop the weekend series to the Flashes 2-1 and fall to 6-3 in the Mid-American Conference. With a doubleheader coming up against Northern Illinois, who is looking to avenge its pair of losses against Ohio, the goal has remained simple.
“Northern is a very tough team,” Bartlett said. “If we want to do well, especially at their place, we’re going to have to hit the ball well to win.”
Contact Jack Williams with comments at jgwilliams@bsu.edu or on Twitter @JackWiliamsBSU.
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