Ball State Sweeps Wednesday Matchup
Wednesday’s Scoreboard
Ball State 1, Bethune-Cookman 0
Ball State 2, Bethune-Cookman 0
Central Michigan 0, USF 5
Western Michigan 5, Detroit Mercy 0
Western Michigan 0, SDSU 1
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Ball State
Box Score – Bethune-Cookman
Box Score – Bethune-Cookman
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - - Ball State softball freshmen pitchers Sarah Venker and Tieghan Morio each picked up complete game shutouts as the Cardinals (14-9) took both ends of a Wednesday doubleheader at Bethune-Cookman by scores of 1-0 and 2-0.
BSU’s pitching staff entered the twin bill ranked 16th in the nation in strikeouts, and the freshmen duo did their best to raise the total by recording a combined 17 strikeouts on the day.
In the opener, Venker tied her career high with 10 strikeouts and limited the Wildcats (6-17) to just a pair of hits over her 7.0 innings of work. With the win, Venker improved to 6-2 on the year and lowered her ERA to 2.22. She is also holding opposing batters to a .195 average over her team-leading 13 appearances.
Morio chalked up seven strikeouts in the nightcap, one shy of her career high, and limited Bethune-Cookman to four hits to pick up both her first career win and her first career complete game shutout. It was also the longest outing of her career.
Offensively, freshman designated player/first baseman Mackenzie McCarty stole the show, driving in the game-winning run in the opener with an RBI single in the sixth inning before blasting her second career home run to lead off the fifth and give Ball State an insurance run in the nightcap.
The game-winning run in the Wednesday’s second game came off the bat of sophomore Kendall Fields who capitalized with runners on the corners in the top of the first with an RBI groundout to third. Fields also recorded two of the team’s six hits in the opener, including her first double of the season.
Overall, Ball State’s offense collected 10 total hits over the two games, with junior left fielder Haley Dominique and junior first baseman/designated player Janae Hogg tallying three each, while McCarty and Fields added two apiece. Two of Dominique’s three hits were doubles, with one coming in each game.
The Ball State softball team returns to action Friday, when it opens play in the JU/UNF Spring Break Challenge with games versus Cleveland State (2 p.m.) and co-host North Florida (7 p.m.).
Central Michigan
Box Score – USF
TAMPA, Fla. – The Central Michigan softball team managed just two hits on Wednesday in dropping a 5-0 decision to South Florida at USF Softball Stadium.
The Chippewas (7-11) continue their Spring Break trip on Friday, March 8, when they begin play in the South Florida Tournament in Clearwater. CMU is scheduled to take on Army West Point at 10 a.m., and then Providence at 3 p.m.
South Florida (13-9) scored a run in the first inning on Wednesday and then blew the game open with a four-run third.
Allison Curtis had a first-inning infield single for the Chippewas, and Erika Underwood singled in the fourth inning for CMU's only hits of the game.
Freshman Haley John started in the circle and took the loss. She allowed five runs on five hits and walked two over 2 1/3 innings. Cloe Mallory went the final 3 2/3 in relief for CMU.
Western Michigan
Box Score – Detroit Mercy
Box Score - SDSU
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