Saturday's Softball Results
Saturday's Scoreboard
Jacksonville 6, Ball State 5
South Alabama 14, Ball State 6
Massachusetts 7, Bowling Green 6
College of Charleston 7, Bowling Green 2
Eastern Michigan 6, Columbia 0
Northern Illinois 2, Kennesaw State 1
Northern Illinois 6, Troy 5
Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications
Ball State
Game 1 Results
Game 2 Results
MOBILE, Ala. - - The Ball State softball team suffered losses to Jacksonville (6-5) and No. 22 South Alabama (14-6 in 6 inn.) on the second day of play in the South Alabama Invitational Saturday afternoon at Jaguar Field.
The Cardinals, who fall to 6-7 with the losses, concluded play in the three-day tournament Sunday with a scheduled 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT first pitch versus Chattanooga. On the first day of the tournament, the Cardinals suffered a 6-2 setback to the Mocs.
In Saturday’s opener versus Jacksonville (6-7), the Cardinals held a 5-0 lead after four innings. Unfortunately, the Dolphins rallied for six unanswered runs over the final three frames to pull out the win.
Ball State fell behind 4-0 early versus South Alabama (9-3), but managed to tie the score at 4-4 by the top of the third. The 22nd-ranked team in the nation then managed to out-score the Cardinals 10-2 over the next three-and-a-half innings to claim a 14-6 victory.
Senior right fielder/designated player Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) led Ball State at the plate on the second day of the South Alabama Invitational, going 3-for-6 with two RBI and two runs scored. She was also hit by a pitch and stole a pair of bases over the two games.
GAME ONE RECAP: Jacksonville 6, Ball State 5
An early Jacksonville error helped the Cardinals score the first run of the game, as leadoff batter and junior shortstop Selena Reyna (Houston, Texas/South Houston) reached first on a miscue by her defensive counterpart. Senior left fielder Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) and senior second baseman Emily Dabkowski (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam) each followed with bunt singles to load the bases.
Ball State then tallied its first run of the contest on a Stuedemann fielder’s choice. With runners at the corners, Stuedemann proceeded to steal second base to give the Cardinals a pair of runners in scoring position. Two more fielder’s choices and another defensive miscue by the Dolphins eventually allowed Stuedemann to cross home plate to give Ball State a 2-0 lead.
The Cardinals extended their lead to 5-0 with three more runs in the top of the third inning. Jacksonville’s third error of the game allowed leadoff hitter Dabkowski to reach base, while a Stuedemann single gave BSU two runners. Following a double steal, senior catcher Jessica Craft (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) sliced a two-run double to left-center field. Sophomore designated player Amanda Arnett (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) followed with a RBI single to center to push the Cardinals’ final run of the game across the plate.
Ball State held onto the five-run lead for one more inning, only to see Jacksonville score one run in the fifth, three in the sixth and two in the seventh to win the contest.
For the game, the Cardinals scored five runs on seven hits with one error. Jacksonville tallied six runs on 11 hits with three errors.
GAME TWO RECAP: No. 22 South Alabama 14, Ball State 6
The 22nd-ranked Jaguars jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the opening inning, only to see the Cardinals battle back and even the score by the top of the third.
Ball State’s first run of the game came in the top of the second, when Arnett drew a leadoff walk and eventually came around to score on a RBI fielder’s choice from sophomore catcher Shelbie Scamihorn (Terre Haute, Ind./South Vigo).
The Cardinals rallied for three more runs in the top of the third to even the score at 4-4. Cihlar opened the inning with an infield single, and advanced to second on a Dabkowski sacrifice bunt. Stuedemann followed with a RBI single up the middle to make the score 4-2. After Arnett reached base on another fielder’s choice, sophomore first baseman Hayley Cruthers (Swartz Creek, Mich./Swartz Creek) smashed an RBI double into left field. Scamihorn followed with a RBI double of her own to tie the game.
The Jaguars countered with one run in the bottom of the inning, and three more in the bottom of the fourth to reclaim the lead at 8-4.
Ball State cut the gap to two runs, at 8-6, in the top of the fifth as Arnett sparked a one-out rally with a single to left field. Cruthers followed with her second double of the game and advanced to third on an USA error which also brought home Arnett. Scamihorn then collected her third RBI of the contest with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Unfortunately, that was as close as the Cardinals were able to get, as South Alabama tallied six more runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the
Overall, Ball State scored six runs on eight hits with two errors. South Alabama tallied 14 runs on 13 hits with two errors.
Bowling Green
Game 1 Results
Game 2 Results
A walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the University of Massachusetts to a 7-6 victory over the Bowling Green State University softball team Saturday morning (Feb. 21).
Several hours later, host College of Charleston pulled away for a 7-2 victory over the Brown and Orange. Both games, part of the 2015 Cougar Classic, were held at Patriots Point.
Sophomore Trista Mokienko led the Falcons at the plate vs. the Minutewomen, going 3-for-4 with a pair of homeruns. She scored two runs and drove in three. Juniors Marina Cobbs and Molly Holliday each had two hits, with Cobbs driving in two runs.
"Today was not our sharpest day," said BGSU head coach Shannon Salsburg. "We gave our opponents far too many leadoff runners and they took advantage of it.
"Our loss to UMass was tough. Both teams battled and fought back numerous times. If we take care of the ball on defense the way we are capable, the outcome is in our favor.
In the second game, offensively we didn't string hits together in game two the way we have all year."
In the UMass game, Mokienko got the Falcons on the board with a two-out homerun to leftfield in the top of the first. But, in the bottom of the inning, the Minutewomen knotted the score with an unearned run. Quianna Diaz-Patterson led off the frame with a single up the middle, and she came around to score when the next batter, Cote Clark, reached on a BGSU error. Clark wound up at third base on the play, but was stranded there as senior Jamie Kertes and her infield took care of business, getting three-straight groundouts without letting Clark advance home.
After a scoreless second inning, Holliday led off the third inning with an infield single. She advanced to second on a passed ball and, one out later, came around to score on a single up the middle by Cobbs. Cobbs then took second on a wild pitch and scored when Mokienko laced a single to left-center, giving the Brown and Orange a 3-1 lead.
Diaz-Patterson cut the BG lead in half, leading off the bottom of the third with a solo homer to center on a 3-2 pitch. Clark followed with a single, but Kertes struck out Tara Klee and got Taylor Carbone to hit a grounder to short for a force at second base. Carbone, however, would score on a single by Ashton Wince to tie the game, and UMass took the lead when Anna Kelley doubled to left center.
Junior Braiden Dillow replaced Kertes in the circle. Dillow walked Bridget Lemire, then walked Whitney Cooper to load the bases. But, Dillow got Mikayla Panko to swing and miss on a 1-2 pitch to get BG out of the inning.
Sophomore Haley Schrock opened the top of the fourth by reaching on an infield single. UMass hurler Meg Colleran struck out the next two BG batters, but after Schrock advanced all the way from first to third on a wild pitch, Holliday singled on a 3-2 pitch to plate Schrock and tie the contest once again.
Diaz-Patterson led off the bottom of the fourth with a single up the middle, but Dillow induced Clark to hit a grounder back to the circle to force Diaz-Patterson at second base, then got Klee to pop up to senior Chloe Giordano at third base. Dillow then struck out Carbone for the third out.
Mokienko gave the Falcons a 5-4 lead in the fifth, with a one-out solo homer. In the bottom of the inning, a hit-by-pitch gave UMass a one-out baserunner, but Dillow got a grounder to short for a fielder's choice, then whiffed Cooper to end the inning. It was her third consecutive inning-ending strikeout.
As a freshman in 2014, Mokienko hit .183 with totals of nine hits, three homers and seven RBI. Through the UMass game, she was hitting an even .500, and had matched her home-run total for all of last spring. Mokienko has nine hits in 2015 after totalling 19 last year, and she has seven RBI this season to date.
Senior Emily McClelland singled up the middle with one out in the sixth. McClelland was forced at second on a Holliday grounder, and Holliday then stole second, but was cut down at third to end the inning.
Dillow retired the first batter in the bottom of the sixth, before Diaz-Patterson doubled for her fourth hit of the day. Dillow whiffed the next hitter, getting Clark swinging on an 0-2 pitch, but Klee reached on an error as Diaz-Patterson came around to score. The unearned run tied the game at 5-5.
Carbone walked to move Klee to second, and Wince singled to plate Klee with the go-ahead run. Dillow got Kelley to hit a fly ball to left for the third out.
Sophomore Aspen Searle led off the top of the seventh with a double to right-centerfield, and UMass replaced Colleran with Emma Mendoker in the circle, but Cobbs greeted her with a game-tying double down the right-field line. Searle scored easily, and the game was tied at 6-all.
Mokienko was retired for the first time all day, hitting a fly ball to center for the first out. With freshman Kayla Koch at the plate, Cobbs stole third, and Koch worked Mendoker for a walk, putting runners at the corners with one out. But, Evangelista popped out for the second out of the inning. Schrock, however, drew a walk to load the bases, with pinch-runner Sami Parave moving to second, but Mendoker got an inning-ending strikeout.
In the UMass half of the seventh, Lemire led off with a single to left-center, and Cooper followed with a single up the middle, advancing pinch-runner Caitlyn Hickey to second, Panko singled through the right side to load the bases with no outs, bringing Diaz-Patterson – 4-for-4 on the day to that point – to the plate. Dillow caught her looking on a 1-2 pitch for the first out, but Clark's infield single plated Hickey with the winning run.
Diaz-Patterson led the way for the Minutewomen, going 4-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored. Clark and Wince each had two hits and two RBI as UMass had 12 hits to the Falcons' 10.
In the Falcons' second game of the day, Searle laced a leadoff single through the left side against College of Charleston starting pitcher Samantha Martin, but was stranded at first.
Walks led to runs for the Cougars in the early stages of the game, and the bottom of the first inning saw the home team break on top. Leadoff hitter Taylor Dupree drew a leadoff walk against Dillow. and the Cougar freshman stole second one out later. Rebecca Mueller also reached base via a walk, but Dillow got Carly Hansis to hit a popup to shallow left for the second out. Another walk, this time to Chandler Frisbie, loaded the bases, and Katie Padilla doubled to plate the game's first two runs before a Valerie Cassell fielder's choice got the Falcons out of the inning.
Koch cut the Falcons' deficit in half in a hurry, homering on the second pitch in the top of the second inning. The round-tripper was the second of her young collegiate career. One out later, Giordano singled through the left side of the Cougar infield, and McClelland's infield single put runners at first and second. Holliday followed suit, with her infield single loading the bases with one out, but Martin got out of the jam, as an apparent sacrifice fly by Searle was negated as it was ruled that Giordano had left third base early.
A walk to Brianna Davis and a single by Victoria Bratcher put two runners aboard for the Cougars in the bottom of the second, and sophomore Briana Combs replaced Dillow in the circle for the Brown and Orange. Dupree's infield single, however, gave the home team a 3-1 lead as Davis crossed the plate. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, and a walk loaded the bases.
BGSU got a key double play, as Mueller's liner to center was gloved by Holliday, and she fired a strike to the plate to cut down Bratcher attempting to score. BG catcher Evangelista applied the tag for the second out of the inning, but the Cougars still had runners at second and third. Combs, however, put Hansis in an 0-2 hole, then got a swinging strikeout to end the inning.
Mokienko singled to left-center with one down in the third inning, but an infield popup and a fly ball to right ended the half-inning. Combs worked a one-two-three frame in the bottom of the third, but the home team would plate four runs in the fourth.
Jordin Jones doubled down the left-field line with one out in that fourth inning, and took third base on a Dupree single. Dupree stole second, with Jones scoring on the throw to second. A Mackenzie Maples single plated Dupree, and with two outs, Hansis homered to score Maples ahead of her.
The Falcons' fifth frame saw Cobbs reach base on a one-out single, but she was erased on a double play. The hosts put two runners aboard in both the fifth and sixth innings, but did not add to their lead.
In the top of the seventh, BG got a run when Holliday singled up the middle with two outs, then scored as Searle ripped a double to left. But, Martin got the final out for the victory.
Dupree was 3-for-3 for the home team, scoring a pair of runs, while Searle and Holliday each had two hits for the Falcons in game two.
BGSU returns to the diamond on Sunday morning (Feb. 22), closing play in the Cougar Classic by taking on the University of Pittsburgh in a 9:00 a.m. start at Patriots Point.
Eastern Michigan
Results
MADERIA BEACH, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University softball team picked up its first shut out of the 2015 season, blanking Columbia University, 6-0, at the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational Saturday, Feb. 21.
Junior Abi Clark and sophomore Michelle Kriegshauser led the Eagles with two RBI apiece, while Clark went 2-for-4 at the place and scored once. As a team, the Green and White out-hit Columbia, 8-5. Senior hurler Lindsay Rich earned her second win of the season, going the distance for the second time and her first shutout of the season.
For the Lions, Liz Caggiano went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Tonia Wu suffered the loss in the circle tossing just 1.1 innings before Kayla Maloney came on in relief, throwing 5.2 innings with five strikeouts.
Clark picked up right where she left off the previous day, ripped a two-run homer in the top of the second inning that allowed EMU to take the early advantage over Columbia. Senior Jenn Lucas followed it up with a solo home run of her own to extend the Eastern lead to 3-0.
Columbia threatened to score in the bottom of the third inning when back-to-back walks and an Eagle error loaded the bases with two outs. Rich came up big for the Green and White, striking out Taylor Troutt with an outside pitch to close out the inning and prevent any runs from scoring.
Eastern Michigan tacked on a fourth run in the top of the fifth inning when Haley Hostetler walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brandice Olmos. Kriegshauser executed a perfect single to right field that allowed Hostetler to touch home, extending the Eagle lead to 4-0.
The Eagles kept their offense going in the top of the seventh inning when Hostetler made her way to third before Kriegshauser laid down a perfect suicide squeeze that scored Hostetler, giving EMU the 5-0 lead. After Kriegshauser made it to second on the play, Rich lined a single into center field that brought in pinch runner Angel Schilke.
Columbia attempted to push some runs across the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning, but a jumping catch by Hostetler at shortstop closed the game and secured the EMU shutout.
The Eagles will close out the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational Sunday, Feb. 22 when it takes on UMass-Lowell at 11 a.m. and Siena College at 2 p.m.
Northern Illinois
Game 1 Results
Game 2 Results
TROY, Ala. – The Northern Illinois University softball team bounced back Saturday at the Trojan Invitational, picking up a pair of one-run victories against Kennesaw State and Troy.
The Huskies (4-5) started the day with a 2-1 walk-off win over the KSU Owls (5-4), then came from behind to topple the Troy Trojans (5-7) in the second part of the twinbill.
“I think our pitching just stepped up today compared to yesterday,” said NIU Head Coach Christina Sutcliffe. “That was the biggest thing. They made some huge pitches to get some key outs when they needed to. Our offense still isn’t completely rolling, but they did enough to win each game. As we said yesterday, as long as we are in those one-run games in the seventh and come out on top, the more confidence we can get when it matters in conference.”
Game One: Warren’s Walk-Off Help Huskies Oust Owls, 2-1
Behind a stellar defense and timely hitting, the Huskies pulled out a thrilling 2-1 victory over Kennesaw State Saturday morning.
Caitlyn Warren (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) was the Huskies’ hero with a two-out, walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, while senior pitcher Jessica Sturm (Wichita, Kan./Goddard) shut down the hot-hitting Owls by allowing just five hits and one unearned run in a complete-game effort.
“Jess did a great job of keeping them off balance,” Sutcliffe said. “Jess is really capable of pitching against anybody in the country when her stuff is working. It was good to see her have that rhythm today. She hasn’t had it all that much this season. Being able to shut that team down, hopefully she can build some confidence off it and keep it going.”
Facing a KSU lineup that entered the weekend hitting .316 with 22 extra-base hits in seven games, Sturm was masterful in the circle. The senior allowed just two hits and a walk in the first four innings of play and keeping the Owls off the board.
Conversely, NIU’s offense was held in check by KSU pitcher Morgan Sikes, mustering only two hits in the first three frames. Yet, the Huskies broke through in the fourth. Kayti Grable (Santee, Calif./Santana) led off the inning with a single, then advanced to second on a wild pitch and third on an Emily Naegele (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) flyout. Sturm helped her own cause moments later with an RBI fielder’s choice, as Grable beat the throw home for a 1-0 Huskie lead.
KSU succinctly tied the game in the top of the fifth. With runners on second and third with one out, Natalie Rhodes knocked an RBI single to knot the game at 1-1 and put runners on the corners. The Owls were primed to take the lead when Rhodes advanced to second on a groundout, but Sturm forced a flyout to get out of the jam.
Both defenses kept the game tied into the bottom of the seventh with great play. While NIU stranded a runner on second in the bottom of the sixth, the Huskies proceeded to keep KSU off the board. With two outs and a runner on first, Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central) caught Missy Perkowski stealing, firing to Kali Kossakowski (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) at second to end the threat.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Huskies quickly found themselves down two outs. However, Allyson Hecht (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) kept the inning alive with a single to center field, while Kaitlyn Barrett (Monticello, Ill./Monticello) got on courtesy of a fielding error at second base. That’s when Warren came through in the clutch, lacing a single up the middle to bring home Hecht for the winning run.
Game Two: NIU Rallies in Seventh, Conquers Trojans, 6-5
In a rematch with tournament host Troy, the Huskies used a seventh-inning rally to down the Trojans, 6-5.
Down 5-3 entering the final frame, NIU got RBIs from Caitlyn Warren, Kayti Grable and Emily Naegele for the come-from-behind victory, while pitched Keegan Hayes (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) threw five innings of relief to pick up the win.
“I always tell our pitchers to give us a chance in the seventh inning,” Sutcliffe said. “Keegan came in and did that. She was able to come in and put some zeroes on the board consecutively and was able to keep us in it so we did have a chance in the seventh inning. That’s all we can ask of a relief pitcher.”
The Huskies quickly jumped on the Trojans in the first period. Following walks to Warren and Grable, Bekah Harnish put NIU on the board with a RBI single through the right side to plate Warren. Alaynie Woollard (New Castle, Ind./New Castle) kept the runs coming with a bases-clearing triple to score Grable and Harnish and make it a 3-0 Huskie lead before Troy even got an at-bat.
However, the Trojans countered in the second against NIU pitcher Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover). Keyed by Amanda Winters’ lead-off double, Troy loaded the bases for Carli Kayler, who knocked in Winters. Hannah Day followed that up with a RBI single to tie the game at 3-3, while Michelle Phelps gave the hosts the lead with a RBI single to the shortstop.
Troy added another run in the third after Thacker was lifted for Hayes, as Kayler drove in her second run of the day with a double.
While the NIU offense was unable to regain its first-inning form, Hayes kept the Huskies within striking distance by allowing just one hit between the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Arguably to most important part of that stretch came in the fifth, when the freshman hurler recovered from allowing a lead-off triple to strand the runner in scoring position.
Down to their final chance, the Huskies came alive in the top of the seventh. Rebecca Rupard (Normal, Ill./Normal West) sparked the rally with a double to open the frame, then scored when Warren clocked a double down the leftfield line to get NIU within 5-4.
“Some of it was obviously timing, but the team believes they can win,” Sutcliffe said. “When you have a team that believes that and they finally see it, there’s no telling where they can go. Rupard’s been struggling a little bit, so to see her come up clutch and start the inning off that way, hopefully that will get her going offensively. She’s capable of a lot of things offensively. She can do it.”
Following a walk to Kristyn Barrett (Monticello, Ill./Monticello), Grable singled home Warren from second to tie the game and put Barrett on third. With the go-ahead run 60 feet away, Naegele laid down a great bunt to bring home Barrett and put NIU up, 6-5. Though NIU was unable to score anymore, Hayes put the clamps down on Troy in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win.
The Huskies close the Trojan Invitational Sunday at 10 a.m. with a matchup against UConn.
