Ball State softball returned to Muncie to face Mid-American Conference (MAC) foe Northern Illinois for a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon. The contest did not go the Cardinals’ way as they were swept 2-0.
Game One
The opening game between the Cardinals and Huskies came down to one thing: defense.
Though Ball State has been a high-scoring team this season — the Cardinals average 7.8 runs per game — that was not the case for this contest. Through the first four innings, Ball State did not record a hit.
“We know our offense and we know what we're capable of,” Peña said. “We just really have to swing at our pitches. I think we chased a bit early in counts, which is usually not like us, and we didn't take away their best pitch.”
Though the Cardinals struggled at the plate, redshirt junior Katie Van Der Mark found some success as she recorded three walks in the contest.
“I've been working on pitch selection all season, and going into today, I was really just thinking middle three,” Van Der Mark said. “I was really just letting [the pitchers] come to me, and she was struggling a little bit finding the zone, and I didn't want to make anything too big.”
While Ball State’s (21-10, 6-4 MAC) hitting game was limited, the Huskies and Cardinals both finished the game with five knocks.
Though either team scored in the first six innings, the seventh and final inning became the decider. It started with some singles by the Huskies (10-20, 5-6 MAC). Then, back-to-back fielder’s choice plays allowed the visitors to score two runs, taking a 2-0 lead.
Though sophomore Maia Pietrzak launched a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning and the Cardinals had two baserunners following that, Ball State could not score them. This snapped a four-game win streak.
Game Two
Though Ball State did not score until the final inning of the first game, the Cardinals flipped the script in game two. In the bottom of the first inning, Pietrzak launched her second solo shot of the day to give the home team a 1-0 lead. She ended the day with three hits.
“I just wanted to go out there and get momentum going for my team and to just have my pitcher’s back,” Pietrzak said.
Following the big fly, the Huskies took no time to tie the game as an RBI double knotted the contest 1-1 in the bottom of the second. This was not the last time Northern Illinois found the scoreboard as sophomore Kayla Estrada hit a two-run home run to give the visitors a 3-1 lead in the top of the fourth.
Following that, both defenses found similar momentum to the first game. Ball State had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh after junior Ella Whitney launched a solo shot. However, the Cardinals could not get over the hump, falling 3-2.
Ball State now sits in fourth place in the MAC. Though the Cardinals were disappointed with the loss, today’s games serve as an opportunity to get better, according to Peña.
“It's an incredible learning moment. That's what you take from it,” Peña said. “It's just a reminder that this game is hard and winning is hard. We've got to execute more consistently to be able to see those results.
“It's just getting back to us and being able to respond well to something like this. I feel like that's going to show what kind of team we are with how we respond after a day like this.”
Ball State will be back this weekend as they travel to Kent State. The first game will be played Saturday, April 5 with first pitch happening at 11 a.m.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.
Read More
Latest updates from yesterday’s severe weather in East Central Indiana
By Joseph Sawicki / 48 minutes agoAssessment of the latest weather updates across Delaware County and the NewsLink Indiana viewing area.
Cool and Rainy Conditions
1 hours agoWeather Forecaster Caleb Beer tracks very wet and cooling temperatures throughout this week.
