A Strong Offensive Showing Leads Kent State to Wins at NIU
Friday's Scoreboard
Ohio 4, Western Michigan 2
Western Michigan 10, Ohio 8
Miami 9, Central Michigan 0
Ball State 8, Bowling Green 6
Kent State 11, Northern Illinois 0
Kent State 12, Northern Illinois 5
Stories Courtesy Of MAC Sports Information
Miami 9, Central Michigan 0
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio—Senior Courtney Vierstra pitched a perfect 5.0 innings giving up no hits, no walks and no runs while striking out seven batters to propel the Miami University softball team to a 9-0 five-inning win against Central Michigan University on Friday afternoon at Miami Softball Complex.
After two scoreless innings, Miami erupted for nine runs off eight hits over the third and fourth innings to notch its seventh-straight win. The RedHawks move to 13-6 on the season and 5-0 in Mid-American Conference action. The Chippewas drop to 4-10 and 2-3 in MAC play.
Ball State 8, Bowling Green 6
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. - - With a three-run double up the middle in the second inning, sophomore third baseman Haley Wynn helped set the tone early for the Ball State softball team which opened Mid-American Conference play with an 8-6 victory over Bowling Green Friday afternoon.
In its first game at the Softball Complex at First Merchants Ballpark Complex in nearly two years, the Cardinals (7-9; 1-0 MAC) tied their season-high with 12 hits.
The first of those hits came in the top of the first off the bat of senior right fielder Haley Dominique, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
In all, seven different Cardinals recorded at least one hit in the game, while five different players logged at least one RBI, led by H. Wynn's three.
The first big hit came from H. Wynn, who gave Ball State an early 3-0 lead with her bases loaded double in the bottom of the second. Junior second baseman Amaia Daniel started the rally with a one-out infield single. Senior designated player Delanie Johnson followed with a double to center, while freshman shortstop Kayla Lissy walked to load the bases.
After the Falcons (10-10, 2-3 MAC) countered with a pair of runs in the top of the third, Ball State regained the three-run lead in the bottom of the inning. This time, it was a one-out double from Daniel that did the damage and made the score 5-2.
Junior left fielder Faith Hensley drew a walk to open the inning, while two batters later a double from senior center fielder Kennedy Wynn put a pair of runners in scoring position for Daniel.
Bowling Green once again countered in the top of the fourth, picking up its third run of the game. However, an RBI single from Dominique in the bottom of the frame and Johnson's first home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth pushed Ball State's lead to four runs, at 7-3.
Johnson's solo blast, the second of her Ball State career, proved to be the game-winner as BGSU added two more runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh.
The Cardinals were able to add one more run as well, courtesy of a RBI double from senior catcher Stacy Payton in the bottom of the sixth.
Payton also came up with one of the most impressive defensive plays of the day in the top of the fifth, throwing out BGSU pinch runner Marlie McNulty trying to steal second. What is so impressive about the play was the Falcons were a perfect 28-for-28 in stolen base attempts before Payton made a bullseye throw to Lissy covering second.
Kent State 11, Northern Illinois 0
Kent State 12, Northern Illinois 5
Box Score
DEKALB, Ill. – The Kent State softball team continued to score runs in bunches to win both games of a doubleheader at Northern Illinois on Friday. The Golden Flashes won the first game, 11-0, in five innings and took the nightcap by a score of 12-5.
Kent State (8-11, 5-1 MAC) has scored at least eight runs and totaled at least 10 hits in all six Mid-American Conference games this season. Junior Brooklyn Whitt led the way with four hits, three runs scored and five RBIs. Junior Megan Turner drove in three runs in both games and senior Alexis Taube added four RBIs.
Freshman Jessica LeBeau (5-5) and sophomore Gabbie Sherman (2-4) kept the Huskies from scoring through the first 10 innings of the day and allowed just nine hits.
