Saturday's Scoreboard
Toledo 5, Sacred Heart 0
Toledo 3, Hampton 12
Bowling Green 4, Central Conn. 3
Bowling Green x, Rider x
Miami 4, St. Francis 6
Miami 4, SIUE 6
Ball State 6, Western Kentucky 5
Ball State 9, Green Bay 8
Ohio 4, Dartmouth 6
Ohio x, Charleston Southern x
Akron 1, Georgia State 0
Central Michigan 4, Georgia 7
Central Michigan 1, Austin Peay 3
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Toledo 5, Sacred Heart 0
Box Score coming soon...
HAMPTON, Va. – The Toledo softball team split their final day at the Pirate Classic hosted by Hampton University and Norfolk State, beating Sacred Heart 5-0 in eight innings and falling to Hampton 11-3 in six innings. The split moves Toledo to 5-3 on the season.
Junior Erin Hunt (4-0) earned her fourth win of the year, tossing her second one-hitter of the season in eight complete innings against Sacred Heart. Sophomores Raquel Emery and Aubrey Reed led the way at the plate for the Rockets in the win. Emery went 2-for-4 while Reed went 2-for-3.
"We had some clutch hits in the eighth inning against Sacred Heart," said head coach Joe Abraham. "Jaiden Batyik taking an extra base on a pitch in the dirt was a big boost for us. Erin once again dominated their lineup and continues to be our rock. We fell behind immediately against Hampton and did not play a very smart game. That is the main thing we plan to work on this week. We simply must have a higher game IQ. We are struggling in that area, and it is my job to fix it."
Bowling Green 4, Central Conn. 3
Bowling Green x, Rider x
Box Score I Box Score
Story Coming Soon...
Ball State 6, Western Kentucky 5
Ball State 9, Green Bay 8
Box Score I
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - - The Ball State softball team proved it could win big on Friday with a pair of run-rule victories. Saturday, the Cardinals (9-5) proved they could win the tight ones too; picking up a pair of one-run victories over tournament host Western Kentucky, by a score of 6-5 (8), and Green Bay, by a score of 9-8.
Ball State entered the day with an 0-3 record in one-run games this season. That all changed against the host Hilltoppers (10-3), as the Cardinals used an eighth-inning leadoff home run from senior first baseman Janae Hogg to win the game. It was her second leadoff home run of the contest, as she also opened the sixth with a solo shot to center field.
It was not as simple as that, however, as WKU managed to put a pair of runners on in the bottom of the eighth courtesy of back-to-back one-out walks. BSU's defense took over in the next at bat, as after entering to pinch run in the top of the inning, freshman center fielder Shelby Westbrook snagged a hard liner and threw in to sophomore shortstop Amaia Daniel covering second for a game-ending double play.
It was the first of three double plays on the day for the Ball State defense, as the Cardinals also turned two in the first and second innings of Saturday's nightcap victory over the Phoenix (3-11).
Ball State looked like it was going to cruise to a win over Green Bay, leading 9-2 going into the final inning. However, Green Bay struck for six runs in the frame and left a runner on third as Westbrook entered to pitch and record the final two outs for her first career save.
Junior third baseman Stacy Payton led the Cardinals with four RBI in the contest, with a two-run double in the third and a two-run single in the fourth. However, it was senior left fielder Gabby Magnifico who provided the biggest hit with a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth which drove in what proved to be the game-winning run. Magnifico also blasted her first Ball State home run in the win over WKU earlier in the day.
Ohio , Charleston Southern
Akron 1, Georgia State 0
Box Score
MERCER, Ga.– With one swing of the bat, freshman Bailey Drapola (Brookfield, Ohio) handed the Akron softball team a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning off her third home run of the season and that is all the Zips would need to shutout Georgia State, 1-0, on day two of the Mercer Tournament at Sikes Field on Saturday afternoon.
"It was nice to play a close game and come out on top. Our first combine shutout for the pitching staff so we are taking steps in the right direction," said head coach Meaggan Pettipiece.
Inside the circle, the Zips tossed its first combined shutout of the season with redshirt sophomore Alexa Difeo (Akron, Ohio) and senior Adrian Smith (St. Clairsville, Ohio) sharing the workload against the Panthers. Difeo made her fourth start of the campaign and was effective on the rubber not allowing a run on two hits and two K's. Smith who entered the contest in the fourth, closed the door on Georgia State limiting the Panthers to one hit and struck out four to pick up her third win of the season.
For the game, Drapola and freshman Tiffany Stevens (Toledo, Ohio) accounted for the Zips two hits. Stevens recorded the first hit of the game with a double down the left field line in the top of the first inning.
Three innings later, Drapola smacked her home run and the Zips pitching staff did all the work from there.
Akron is back in action to close out the Mercer Tournament from Sikes Field on Sunday, Feb. 23, as the Zips take on Bryant at 9 a.m.
