Nearing the end of regular season play, Ball State softball (30-16, 12-6 MAC) played its first of a three-game series Friday against Eastern Michigan (9-34, 5-13 MAC). Junior Aeshia Miles’ hot hand on the mound gave the Cardinals a 5-0 shutout win over the Eagles.
“She was in control of her game today,” head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said. “When you jump out with an early lead, with Aeshia cruising the way she was, it’s going to be a good day.”
Friday's game marks the third time this season Miles has allowed one hit or less in a game. Today, Miles sacrificed one hit and struck out eight en route to a win. Miles strong performance towards the tail end of the regular season has proven to be beneficial for the team going into postseason play.
“It’s really nice to see her pitch a strong game like this later in the season,” Bartlett said. “She’s settling in bit more on the mound and trusting her spin a little more. That is going to be key for us in winning a MAC championship.”
The offense was clicking for the Cardinals today as well. Senior Maddy Labrador highlighted the scoring drive with her 11th home run of the season to bring in two runners. The Cardinals picked up their 30th win of the season and now sit in second place in the Mid-American Conference West standings.
“They did a really good job of just taking nice, loose hacks at the plate,” Bartlett said. “They looked calm and confident at the plate, and the results showed.”
The Cardinals will wrap up their weekend series against the Eagles tomorrow in a doubleheader matchup. The first game is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Yipsilanti.
Contact Jack Williams with comments at jgwilliams@bsu.edu or on Twitter @JackWilliamsBSU.
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