Saturday's Softball Results
Saturday Scoreboard
Akron 3, Jacksonville 2
Akron 8, Bethune-Cookman 0
Ball State 9, Mercer 1
Winthrop 10, Ball Satte 1
Buffalo 10, Incarnate Word 7
Sam Houston State 11, Buffalo 0
Central Michigan 1, Seton Hall 0
Missouri State 4, Eastern Michigan 1
Texas A&M 8, Eastern Michigan 0
San Diego 3, Kent State 2
Southern Utah 4, Kent State 3
Army 9, Ohio 8
Ohio 15, Quinnipiac 5
Toledo 6, Charleston Southern 1
Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications
Akron
Game 1 Results
Game 2 Results
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of Akron softball team picked up two wins on the second day of action at the Jacksonville University Invitational on Saturday.
In the opener, the Zips shut out Bethune-Cookman, 8-0 in five innings. The Zips capped off the night with a 3-2 win over host Jacksonville.
Akron improved to 5-4 overall and have won four of their last five games. The Wildcats fell to 2-7 on the season, while the Dolphins fell to 4-6."
"Today was a good day for the Zips!" head coach Julie Jones said. "We were aggressive at the plate, we were solid on defense, we ran the bases well, and Erin was outstanding setting her career-high in strikeouts. We played our game today, and it paid off on both sides of the field."
In the opener, which started almost two hours late due to extra innings in an earlier game, Akron only took five innings to get its fourth win of the season and second shutout.
The Zips put two runs on the board in the bottom of the first. Senior shortstop Chelsea Wildey (Oviedo, Fla.) singled to left field, bring in senior second baseman Kellie Roudabush (Hilliard, Ohio) who doubled. Wildey scored the second run as sophomore outfielder Savannah Fruin (Delray Beach, Fla.) singled to right field.
UA added another run in the bottom of the second. Senior outfielder Taryn Allmon (Grove City, Ohio) singled to center, bringing in senior outfielder Sara Pearson (Somerville, Ohio) who reached on a single up the middle and was sacrificed two bases.
The Zips won the game with five runs in the bottom of the fifth, three RBI on walks.
Junior right-hander Erin Seiler (Bowling Green, Ohio) picked up her fourth win (4-1) of the season. She went the distance, striking out six batters and walking one in five innings of action. Neither team committed a fielding error.
In the nightcap, Akron jumped on the scoreboard first with three runs in the top of the sixth. Fruin, Pearson, and Roudabush scored, taking advantage of three stolen bases and two Jacksonville fielding errors.
JU closed the gap with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but that's as close as the Dolphins would get.
Once again, Seiler (5-1) pitched a complete game en route to her fifth victory on the year. She struck out a career-high 14 batters, facing just three batters in each of the last two innings.
Tournament action concludes on Sunday, Feb. 15, as Akron re-plays Syracuse at 10 a.m. at JU's Pruitt Softball Complex.
Ball State
Game 1 Results
Game 2 Results
AUBURN, Ala. - - The Ball State softball team celebrated Valentine’s Day with a Saturday split at the Tiger Invitational hosted by No. 17 Auburn. The Cardinals opened the day with a 9-1 (5 inn.) win over Mercer, before falling to Winthrop by a score of 10-1 (5 inn.).
Ball State (4-4) concludes play in the three-day Tiger Invitational Sunday, with a scheduled 10:45 a.m. ET / 9:45 a.m. CT first pitch versus Eastern Illinois.
In the opening game of the day, the Cardinals faced a pair of familiar faces on the Mercer (5-3) bench in co-head coach Stephaine DeFeo and pitching coach Kim Mazzapica. DeFeo was an assistant coach at Ball State for six seasons (2007-12) and helped guide the Cardinals to three Mid-American Conference regular season championships.
Mazzapica was a four-year letterwinner (2009-12) and three-time conference champion for the Cardinals as a pitcher and finished her career ranked sixth in program history with 33 career pitching wins. Mazzapica was also a volunteer coach for Ball State in 2013, helping guide the Cardinals to another conference title.
Senior catcher Jessica Craft (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) led the Cardinals versus Mercer, collecting three hits, including a solo home run. She also posted a RBI single in the seventh. Reyna finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI on a two-run homer and a RBI double.
In the second game, Winthrop (4-4) held Ball State to just two hits over the five-inning game, with sophomore center fielder Taylor Cooley (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea) logging her first career hit in the loss.
GAME ONE RECAP: Ball State 9, Mercer 1 in Five Innings
Long ball was the name of the game versus Mercer, as the Cardinals scored their first six runs via the home run on the way to a 9-1 (5 inn.) victory.
Craft was the first to go yard, as her first home run of the season gave Ball State a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Junior second baseman Emily Dabkowski (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam) followed with a three-run blast in the top of the third, extending the Cardinals advantage to 4-0. Sophomore third baseman Amanda Arnett (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) and sophomore center fielder India Steward (Matteson, Ill./Rich South/Western Kentucky) scored on the blast after reaching base via a triple and fielder’s choice, respectively.
Junior shortstop Selena Reyna (Houston, Texas/South Houston) extended Ball State’s lead to 6-0 in the top of the fourth with her first homer of the season. The two-run blast also drove in Craft who opened the inning with an infield single.
The Cardinals added three more runs in the top of the fifth, pushing its advantage to 9-0. With one out, Dabkowski and senior left fielder Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) drew back-to-back walks. After a double steal, Craft came through with a RBI single to drive in the first run of the inning. Cowger followed with sacrifice fly to left to give Ball State an 8-0 lead. Reyna then drove in Ball State’s final run of the game with a RBI double to center field.
Mercer scored its first and only run of the game in the bottom of the fifth, on a one-out RBI groundout to the pitcher.
Junior Nicole Steinbach (Merrillville, Ind./Andrean) picked up the win in the circle, limiting the Bears to five hits and one unearned run over 5.0 innings of work. She also struck out six batters in the contest, while yielding just one walk.
For the game, the Cardinals scored nine runs on seven hits with one error. Mercer tallied one run on five hits with no errors.
GAME TWO RECAP: Winthrop 10, Ball State 1 in 5 Inn.
After a strong offensive showing in the opener, the Cardinals’ bats fell silent in a 10-1 (5 inn.) loss to Winthrop (4-4) in Saturday’s finale.
With the Eagles clinging to a 1-0 lead after three innings, the visitors struck for five runs in the fourth and four runs in the fifth to pull ahead 10-0.
The Cardinals got their lone run of the game in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a RBI groundout from Cowger. Senior center fielder Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) scored on the play after reached base on an error to open the inning, advancing to second on a Dabkowski walk and moving to third on a Stuedemann groundout.
Overall, the Cardinals scored one run on two hits with one error in the contest. Winthrop posted 10 runs on nine hits with three errors.
Buffalo
Game 1 Results
Game 2 Results
ARLINGTON, TX – The University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, softball team split its two games on Saturday, falling to Sam Houston St., 11-0, in the first game before defeating Incarnate Word, 10-7, in eight innings. The Bulls are now 3-6 on the year.
In the nightcap, the Bulls had to fight back to send the game in extra innings, but scored four runs in the eighth for the victory. Incarnate Word scored twice in the bottom of the first, but the Bulls responded with a five-run inning in the top of the second. Sophomore Ashton Earnhardt opened the inning with a double to left and scored on an Incarnate Word throwing error with one away. The Bulls tacked on to the lead as freshman Danielle Lallos hit her first career home-run, a two-run shot to right center, giving the Bulls a 3-2 lead. Following a strikeout, senior Alexis Curtiss tripled down the right field line and came in to score on a double from sophomore Savanna Norcio. The Bulls scored their fifth run as Norcio scored on a single up the middle from senior Hayley Barrow.
UB loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the third, but couldn't add to its lead as Incarnate Word cut into the deficit with two runs in the bottom of the third. UB continued to lead 5-4 into the sixth inning when the Cardinals scored two runs to take a 6-5 lead, but UB answered in the top of the seventh as the Bulls put runners on the corners with one out. Lallos drove in the tying run on a groundout to second, sending the game into extra innings.
With the international tiebreaker rule in place to start eighth inning, freshman Kelsey Johnson was placed on second and following a single from Curtiss, UB had runners on the corners. After a passed ball allowed Curtiss to take second, both runs came in to score on a single from Norcio, who was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into an extra base hit.
UB then recorded hits from Barrow and Lauren Gambone to put two on for Earnhardt, who drove in a run with a single to left. Freshman Makayla Kowaliuk came on as a pinch hitter and she drove in a run with a single up the middle, giving the Bulls a 10-6 lead. Incarnate Word scored one in the bottom of the eighth, but the Bulls closed it out for their third win of the year.
Charlotte Miller picked up the win in relief as she pitched the final 3.0 innings, allowing three runs, just two of those earned. UB recorded a season-high 18 hits, including a 4-for-5 performance from the plate by Earnhardt. Norcio and Barrow each went 3-for-4, while Norcio had three runs batted in. Lallos also finished with a career-best three runs batted in. Curtiss and senior Karly Nevez each had two hits in the game. In all, nine different players collected hits for the Bulls.
The offensive outburst was much needed after UB's first game that saw the Bulls fall to Sam Houston State, 11-0, in five innings. The Bulls had six hits in the game, including a 2-for-2 performance from Earnhardt, who ended up 6-for-7 on the day. Redshirt sophomore Bobbi Langlois picked up the loss, allowing five runs in just a third of an inning.
The Bulls conclude play tomorrow morning at the Maverick Invitational as they face Ohio State at 9:00 am EST.
Central Michigan
Game Results
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Central Michigan squandered a 5-0 lead Saturday in falling to host San Diego State, 9-5, in the 25th annual Campbell/Cartier Softball Classic.
The Chippewas defeated Seton Hall, 1-0, in their first game on Saturday. It was the first victory of the season for CMU (1-7). The Chippewas and Seton Hall (5-3) are scheduled to play Sunday at noon in the final game of the tournament for each.
Sophomore Rachael Knapp tossed a complete game two-hitter in the Chippewas' Saturday victory over Seton Hall. She walked two and struck out five.
For CMU, Chelsea DeLamielleure and CarolAnn Sexauer had two hits apiece, while Lacy Tolfree, Danielle Marlink and Kristen Kuhlmen each singled.
CMU got its run in the fourth inning when Trista Cox reached on a two-base error. Pinch runner Kelly Barnes scored on Marlink's two-out single to center field.
Seton Hall got a single leading off both the fifth and sixth innings and only one Pirate got as far as third base. Knapp set down the Pirates in order in the seventh.
Against San Diego State, CMU got a run in the second and four in the third in building its 5-0 lead.
Marlink got the Chippewas on the scoreboard with an RBI single in the second. In the third, DeLamielleure drove in a run with a double and stole home, and Cox and Sexauer each had a run-scoring single.
San Diego State got a pair of two-run home runs to highlight its five-run fourth inning which tied the game. The Chippewas committed two errors in the inning and three in the game.
The Aztecs' four-run fifth was highlighted by a two-run triple. One of San Diego State's runs cored on a Chippewa throwing error.
Freshman Hanna Warren took the loss in relief of starter Taylor Weaver.
Weaver allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits over 3 1/3 innings. She walked one. Warren surrendered five runs (four earned) on five hits, while Knapp went the final 2 1/3 innings and did not allow a hit.
Eastern Michigan
Game 1 Results
Game 2 Results
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University softball team was swept on day two of the Texas A&M Tournament Saturday, Feb. 14. EMU first suffered a 4-1 setback to Missouri State before dropping an 8-0, six inning contest to No. 23 Texas A&M.
The Eagles (0-4) were led by junior Abby Davidson who brought in the Green and White's lone run of the afternoon with a solo home run, while Abi Clark, Michelle Kriegshauser, and Lindsay Rich each tallied one hit apiece.
Game One: Missouri State 4, Eastern Michigan 1
Chelsea Thomas put Missouri State on the scoreboard with a lead off home run in the bottom of the second inning. With runners on second and third, Erin Duewel hit a deep foul ball to left field that allowed the second run of the inning to cross home for the Bears.
Eastern responded two innings later when junior Abby Davidson launched a solo home run to bring the Eagles within one of MSU. EMU hoped to string something together when Jenn Lucas reached on an error by the center field that allowed her to take the extra base with no out. After a Bears pitching change, Missouri Sate retired the next two batters before EMU left two runner stranded to close out the inning.
Again, the Green and White looked to push a run across the plate when two walks in the top of the sixth inning put runners in scoring position, but Missouri State was able to record the final out of the innings to send the game into the bottom of the sixth with Eastern trailing, 2-1.
The Bears tacked on two final runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when Chelsea Thomas homered with a runner on first to extend the MSU lead to 4-1. Eastern was unable to get any offense going in the final inning as Rich (0-3) suffered the loss in the circle tossing all six innings for the Green and White.
Thomas led the Missouri State offense, going 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBI and scoring twice, while Jessie Van Es earned the win in the circle, throwing four innings and Erin Struemph grabbed her fourth save of the season for the Bears.
Game Two: No. 23 Texas A&M 8, Eastern Michigan 0 (6 innings)
Texas A&M got out to the hot start over the Eagles, driving in three runs on two hits in the bottom of the first inning. Rich nabbed EMU's lone hit of the contest when she singled to the left side of the field in the top of the second inning, but the Green and White was unable to move her around the bases.
The Aggies were able to string together back-to-back singles in bottom of the third inning to extend their lead to 3-0 over Eastern Michigan. After two scoreless innings, the A&M bats woke up with two two run homers in the bottom of the sixth inning to allow the Aggies to secure the 8-0 mercy over the Green and White.
Rich led the Eagles at the plate with her hit in the second inning, while freshman Trisha Trujillo suffered the loss in the circle, throwing 0.1 innings and giving up three runs. Sophomore Abbie Minsker came on in relief to throw five innings for the Greena dn White, while Rich closed the game.
Reagan Boenker was the spark in the Texas A&M offense, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and one run, while Tori Vidales went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs. Rachel Fox earned the win for the Aggie, pitching all six innings and giving up just one hit while striking out five.
"I'm really proud of our team's progression to this point," said Head Coach Melissa Gentile. "We are playing some of the top teams in the country and playing them tough. If we continue to grow and adjust the way we have over the 4 games we will be exactly where we want to be in a short period of time. The score of our Texas A&M game did not reflect the battle that we had on the field. Take one bad inning out of the equation and it's a different ballgame altogether."
The Eagles will close out the Texas A&M Tournament Sunday, Feb. 15 when they take on Penn State. First pitch is slated for 10 a.m. CT.
Kent State
Game 1 Results
Game 2 Results
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Kent State softball team received good pitching performances from its starters, but four errors that resulted in five unearned runs cost the Golden Flashes a pair of games on the second day at the University of San Diego Tournament on Saturday. The Flashes (2-2) lost to Southern Utah, 4-3, and host San Diego, 3-2.
"I am happy with the way we took the lead in both games today but we need to do a better job of finishing," said head coach Karen Linder. "We need to develop consistency both on offense and defense. We had errors or walk-ins in all the innings we gave up runs and we left more runners on base than our opponents."
Kent State scored in its first at-bat against Southern Utah. Senior Dani Ramos got it started with a leadoff triple and scored on a sac fly by junior Lauren Kesterson to give Kent State a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore Ronnie Ladines cruised through the first three innings before control issues allowed the Thunderbirds to tie the game in the fourth. Two walks and a single loaded the bases and another walk brought home the tying run.
Kent State scored twice in the bottom of the fifth, which got started with a double by freshman Holly Speers. It looked like Southern Utah might get out of the inning unscathed, but Lauren Kesterson delivered a two-out double that scored Speers and twin sister Chloe Kesterson, who had walked.
The Flashes were an out from victory when Southern Utah's Sara Park tripled to right field in the top of the seventh. The next batter hit a routine ball to short that would have ended the game but was misplayed to allow a run to score. A second error on the play allowed the batter to advance into scoring position. A single and double by the next two batters brought home the tying and go-ahead runs. Kent State's Paige McCrary singled in the bottom of the inning but was left stranded on first base.
Ladines (1-1) threw 6.2 innings and allowed just one earned run as she was charged with her first loss of the season. She had eight strikeouts and allowed just four hits but walked six batters.
Against the host Toreros, Kent State struck first with two runs in the top of the fourth. An error and a walk allowed sophomore Janel Hayes to bring in freshman Emily Dobbin for the first run of the game on a double to centerfield. Senior Ariele Patterson followed with a single to score a second run.
A two-out error in the bottom of the fourth proved costly, as Kailey Hill tied the game with a home run. Another error with two outs in the bottom of the sixth allowed San Diego to advance a runner to third. That runner then scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
Emma Johnson (1-1) was terrific in the circle for the Flashes with eight strikeouts and only one walk. Johnson allowed just one earned run and three base hits.
McCrary and Ramos had three hits apiece as they combined for half of Kent State's 12 hits on the day.
Kent State concludes opening weekend at the USD Tournament Sunday with games against Montana and Cal State Bakersfield beginning at 12 p.m. ET.
Ohio
Game 1 Results
Game 2 Results
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Ohio softball team split the final day of the First Pitch Classic hosted by UNC Charlotte on Saturday. In game one, the Bobcats fell to Army 9-8, in game two they defeated Quinnipiac for the second time during the weekend, finishing play with the 15-5 six inning victory.
The Bobcats (3-3) took on Army (3-6) in the morning. The Bobcats jump on board early in the bottom of the first inning when Sloan Walker (Cypress, Texas) led the inning off with a triple to left center and then later scored on an RBI single by Mikayla Cooper (Delaware, Ohio). The next batter, Casie Hutchinson (Lebanon, Ohio) then hit a two-run homerun to left center to give the Bobcats an early 3-0 lead.
Army got on the board in the top of the third on a solo homerun by Kasey McCravey, cutting the score to 3-1.
Ohio responded and added on in the bottom of the third inning when Raven King (Alpine, Utah) scored on an RBI single to left field by Sam Bowlsbey (Farmingdale, N.J.). The next batter, Dakota Pyles (Galloway, Ohio) then promptly hit a two-run homerun to left center, giving the Bobcats a 6-0 lead. The Bobcats went up 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a solo homerun to leftfield by Cooper.
In the top of the fifth inning, Army stormed back, scoring seven runs on five hits and taking
Ohio tied the game in the bottom of the frame when King scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Pyles to tie the game at 8-8.
Unfortunately, Army would take a 9-8 lead in the top of the seventh on an Alex Gaff homerun to leftfield and would ultimately win the game by that final.
Offensively, the Bobcats had 12 hits. Cooper led the way, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two runs batted in and a homerun. Pyles went 1-for-3 with a homerun, three RBIs and a run scored and Hutchinson added two RBIs and a homerun for the Bobcats.
In the circle, Sydney Compston (Wellston, Ohio) started for Ohio, pitching four innings and allowing three runs on six hits. Leanna Bachman (Carroll, Ohio) pitched a third of an inning, allowing five runs on four hits and striking out one. Kaylin Clarke (North Royalton, Ohio) finished up the game, pitching the final two and two thirds innings, giving up one run on three hits and striking out three.
Later in the evening, the Bobcats faced Quinnipiac (1-3) for the second time during the weekend. The Bobcats jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs on the top of the first inning. Hutchinson started the scoring when she hit a two-RBI double to left center, scoring Amanda Dalton (Salem, Va.) and Walker. The next batter, Clarke, singled to centerfield, scoring Hutchinson and putting Ohio up 3-0.
The Bobcats added one in the top portion of the second inning when Adrienne Gebele (Annapolis, M.D.) scored on a single up the middle by Walker.
Quinnipiac got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs on four hits and was led by a two-run homerun by Nikki Barba and a solo homerun by Molly Jarrett.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Bobcat offense broke out, scoring nine runs on six hits. In the inning, Bowlsbey hit a three-RBI double to left center, Gebele hit a two-run homerun to centerfield and Dalton tripled to right center to help put Ohio up 15-3.
In the bottom of the frame, Quinnipiac scored two runs but would not get any more offense and Ohio would win 15-5 in six innings.
At the plate, Ohio strung together 16 hits. Walker, Dalton and Gebele all had three hits and Bowlsbey led the way with three RBIs. Cooper, King and Gebele all went yard, Hutchinson and Bowlsbey both had a double and Dalton hit a triple.
In the circle, Clarke got the start, pitching six innings and allowing five runs on six hits and striking out six.
Up next, the Bobcats head to Bowling Green, Ky. Feb. 20 and 21. Ohio will face IUPUI, St. Louis, Eastern Illinois and Western Kentucky in the two-day tournament.
Toledo
Game 1 Results
Game 2 Results
CHARLESTON, SC - The Toledo softball team bounced back from two losses on Friday by concluding the Charleston Southern Tournament with two victories on Saturday to improve to 4-5 on the season.
The Rockets defeated Howard 10-8 to start the day, then went on to defeat the host Buccaneers 6-1 in five innings.
In game one, Toledo jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, as sophomore UT Celeste Fidge tripled to right center to score junior OF Jessica Lemieux.
Fidge went 3-for-4 in the game with two triples, three RBI and a run scored, while Lemieux had a 2-for-4 day at the plate with a double, an RBI and three runs.
Toledo fell behind in the top of the third inning, allowing two runs to the Bison, but exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead back.
Fidge led off the inning with her second triple of the contest before senior IF Allissa Turkovich recorded an RBI on a sac bunt to tie the game. Freshman C Ashley Maynard, who went 1-for-2 in the game, singled through the left side to score senior OF Mareshah Scott, who pinch ran for Turkovich.
Senior OF Alyssa Smith and freshmen Kylie Gross and Ashley Rausch scored the final runs of the inning.
The Rockets would go on to add two runs each in the bottom of the fifth and sixth, which turned out to be crucial in the 10-8 win.
Junior P Marla Gooding earned the win for the Midnight Blue & Gold, improving to 2-1 on the season. She went all seven innings, allowing 15 hits and striking out three.
In game two, the Rockets earned a 6-1 win in five innings, as the game was called due to darkness.
Gross went 2-for-2 in the game with an RBI, while Maynard, Rausch, Lemieux and Fidge also recorded hits.
The game was scoreless through the first three innings, when the Rockets exploded for six runs in the top of the fourth.
Fidge led off the inning with a single to left field and junior OF Sammy Emery came on as a pinch hitter. After graduate transfer C Nichole Toven reached on a fielding error, Emery scored on a throwing error, when sophomore pinch runner Ashley London stole second.
A single by Maynard scored London, and later in the inning scored after a hit by Gross. Turkovich and Rausch scored the final runs of the inning to put the game out of reach.
The Buccaneers scored one run in the bottom of the inning, but it wasn’t enough, as the game was called after five.
Gooding earned her second win of the day, allowing just three hits, with one run and five strikeouts.
The Midnight Blue & Gold is back in action next weekend when they travel to Greenville, SC to compete in the Furman University Tournament. The Rockets will take on Fordham, Furman, Hampton and Gardner-Webb in the two-day tournament.
