Friday’s Scoreboard
Ball State 9, Drexel 1
Ball State 12, Longwood 3
Northern Illinois 0, North Alabama 9
Northern Illinois 5, Memphis 15
Toledo 4, Marist 1
Toledo 0, UNC-Wilmington 8
Kent State 1, Florida State 11
Kent State 5, Arkansas 9
Ohio 10, UMES 1
Ohio 3, Coastal Carolina 8
Akron 1, Stony Brook 4
Akron 1, Jacksonville 9
Western Michigan 11, Albany 3
Western Michigan 3, Loyola 4
Miami 2, Iowa 1
Miami 4, FAU 3
Stories Courtesy Of MAC Sports Information
Ball State 9, Drexel 1
Ball State 12, Longwood 3
Box Score I
Box Score
ORLANDO, Fla. - - After being held scoreless over the first four innings Friday, the Ball State softball team broke out in a big way, scoring 21 runs over the next nine innings for a two-game sweep on the opening day of the UCF Invitational.
In the morning opener, the Cardinals (12-5) found themselves trailing 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth against an amped up Drexel team playing its first game of the season. Ball State broke the game open in the bottom of the frame, however, scoring seven runs on its way to a 9-4 victory over the Dragons (0-1).
The Cardinals carried over the heavy hitting in Friday's second game versus Longwood, scoring 10 runs over the first four innings and cruised to a 12-3 victory over the Lancers (3-7).
With the two wins, Ball State extended its current winning streak to nine games which is the program's longest since another nine-game streak in 2013 which started with a 5-3 victory over Northern Illinois (April 5, 2013) and ended following an 8-4 victory over Ohio (April 14, 2013).
Prior to that, the longest winning streak for the Cardinals was 11 games in 2010, staring with a 17-5 (5) victory over Bowling Green (April 13, 2010) and ending with a 4-0 win against Ohio (May 9, 2010).
Toledo 4, Marist 1
Toledo 0, UNC-Wilmington 8
Box Score I
Box Score
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Toledo softball team split day one of the UNCW Softball Invitational hosted by UNC-Wilmington. The Rockets defeated Marist 4-1, before falling to host UNC-Wilmington, 8-0.
In game one, Senior Samantha Golden proved to be the golden ticket for the Rockets, hitting a three-run homer in the top of the seventh to break a 1-1 tie. Junior Erin Hunt (5-0) allowed five hits to earn her fifth win of the season.
In the second game, it was a game of catchup from the beginning, as the Rockets fell behind 4-0 in the bottom of the first. The Seahawks added three runs in the bottom of the fifth to secure the 8-0 win over the Rockets.
Miami 2, Iowa 1
Miami 4, FAU 3
Box Score I
Box Score
MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – The Miami University softball team (7-5) won both of its games on Friday by one run on the first day of THE Spring Games. The RedHawks beat Iowa by a 2-1 margin before earning the 4-3 victory against Florida Atlantic.
Courtney Vierstra pitched the complete game in the circle, giving up one run on five hits. She reached 10 strikeouts for the fourth time this season with an even 10.
The game was scoreless until the third inning, with both teams recording hits before the third. Haeley Tran led off the inning with a single and advanced to third on a pair of ground balls. Maclai Branson hit a two-out infield single to score Tran and give Miami a 1-0 lead.
The RedHawks added a run in the top of the fourth to increase the lead to 2-0. Allie Cummins led off with a single and Mackenzie Moore replaced Cummins as a pinch runner. Moore advanced to third on two ground balls before scoring on a single from Kara Leckinger.
The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth inning when Iowa got onto the scoreboard. The Hawkeyes loaded the bases on a single and two walks with nobody out. The Miami defense responded with back-to-back force-outs at home plate to keep Iowa off the board but a walk with the bases loaded allowed the Hawkeyes to score their lone run of the game.
Iowa threatened in the bottom of the seventh inning with a single and a walk with two outs before Vierstra ended the game with a strikeout.
Obrey and Tran led the Miami offense, each going 2-of-3 at the plate, though six different RedHawks recorded a hit. Branson and Leckinger each recorded an RBI.
