Saturday, March 31
Akron, OHIO
Noon
Ball State University
22-10, 4-1
9
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1
Akron (GM1)
1-25-1, 0-5
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5
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H
E
Ball State
1
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9
11
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Akron
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5
1
Photo by: Robert Goldberg
Softball Completes Sweep of Akron with Pair of Big Saturday Wins
March 31, 2018 | Softball
AKRON, Ohio - - It was another explosive day for Ball State softball's offense, which scored 25 combined runs in a doubleheader sweep of Akron Saturday afternoon at Lee R. Jackson Field.
In the opener, four different Cardinals (23-10; 5-1 Mid-American Conference) hit a home run to lead the team to a 9-1 (5) victory. However, things could have went drastically different if not for a clutch performance from sophomore Alyssa Rothwell in the circle.
Ball State led 6-0 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, but a leadoff home run, a pair of singles and a hit batter gave the Zips (1-26-1; 0-6 MAC) a chance to get back into the game. Enter Rothwell, who struck out the first two batters she faced before inducing a foul out to junior catcher Olivia Huffman to end the Akron threat.
In shutting down the Zips over the final two innings, Rothwell picked up her fifth save of the season which ties the Ball State single season record set by Elizabeth Milian in 2008. She also raised her career saves total to eight, which is one shy of the program record nine set by Nicole Steinbach (2013-16).
In the nightcap, the Cardinals found themselves trailing 5-1 entering the third inning. However, senior second baseman Maddy Labrador blasted her eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot with two outs in the third, to spark a 15-0 Ball State scoring barrage to end the game and hand the Zips their 14th consecutive loss.
Ball State's 16 runs in the nightcap were a season high and the most runs the Cardinals have scored in a regular season MAC game since a 17-4 (5) win over Bowling Green on April 23, 2010.
In addition, the Cardinals finished the three-game series sweep of Akron with 30 total runs, which is the most for Ball State in a MAC series in the current three-game format. The previous best total was 23 runs last weekend at Bowling Green.
FROM COACH BARTLETT:
"We were very tough one through nine from the plate today. We were free-swinging and hitting our pitches. It was fun to watch. Our composure from the plate in game two was particularly nice to see.
"We take a lot of pride in our offensive preparation and in our offensive ability. In the second game, we did a great job sticking to the process and making the mistakes hurt. I was very proud of the composure we showed, especially coming back after trailing 5-1 early in the game.
"Alyssa is such an asset to the battery. She does a great job spinning the ball and making it incredibly tough for opposing batters to square up. When she is on her game and can command her rise ball for a strike, she is nearly untouchable.
This is the role she plays on our pitching staff, and the type of performance we expect from her. We are very excited about her ability to step up in those big-time situations."
BREAKING DOWN GAME 1: Ball State 9 - Akron 1 (5)
• All nine Ball State batters record at least one hit in Saturday's opener, with eight of the nine recording a multiple base hit. The Cardinals finished the game with four home runs and four doubles.
• The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning courtesy of a sacrifice fly from sophomore first baseman Janae Hogg. Sophomore left fielder Haley Dominique scored on the play after singling to open the game and moving to third on a single from freshman shortstop Hailey Demnianiuk.
• Olivia Huffman made it a 4-0 game with a three-run home run with one out in the second inning. Huffman's second home run of the season also drove in junior right fielder Madison Lee who walked and junior designated player Annie Robinson who singled.
• Robinson blasted Ball State's second home run of the game, and her second of the season, with a one-out solo shot in the top of the fourth to extend the lead to 5-0.
• Three batters later, a two-out RBI double to left field from Hogg upped the advantage to 6-0. Huffman scored on the hit after walking and stealing second.
• Akron opened the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run, cutting the Ball State lead to 6-1, and went on to load the bases with no outs. Cue Rothwell, who entered the game in relief and tallied back-to-back strikeouts and a foul pop to end the inning and keep the Cardinals' lead at five runs.
• Ball State's offense countered with back-to-back home runs from sophomore center fielder Kennedy Wynn and freshman third baseman Stacy Payton to open the fifth. It was Wynn's fifth homer of the season and Payton's third.
• After an Akron pitching change, Lee doubled to center field, advanced to third on a groundout by Robinson and scored the game's final run on a passed ball.
• Wilmes picked up the win in the opener, improving to 8-4 on the season, after allowing just four hits and one run over the first 3.0 innings. She also struck out three batters in the game.
• Rothwell limited the Zips to one hit while recording three strikeouts over her 2.0 innings of work.
BREAKING DOWN GAME 2: Ball State 16 - Akron 5 (5)
• The Cardinals pounded out 15 more hits in the nightcap, including four more doubles and a home run. Dominique led the Cardinals with a 4-for-4 effort at the plate, with two doubles, four runs scored and a pair of RBIs.
• Ball State scored the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly from Labrador. Dominique scored on the play after singling to center field and advancing two bases on an Akron error.
• The Zips countered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and added three more in the second to pull ahead 5-1.
• Ball State would not be deterred, however, staring with Labrador's eighth home run of the season which was a two-out, two-run blast in the third.
• The Cardinals offense then exploded for seven more runs in the fourth inning, upping its total to 66 runs in the inning on the season.
• The fourth started with Payton reaching on an error. Freshman pinch runner Taylor Castleberry moved to second on an infield single by Robinson, before scoring on Dominique's first double of the game.
• After a walk to Demnianiuk loaded the bases, Hogg drove in the second run of the inning with a RBI fielder's choice.
• Labrador then upped her RBI total to five in the game with a two-run single to center field making the score 7-5 Ball State.
• Wynn followed with a two-run double to left field, extending Ball State's lead to 9-5. Payton then drove in the final run of the inning with a RBI single up the middle, pushing the score to 10-5.
• Robinson kicked-off a six-run fifth inning with a single through the right side, while freshman pinch runner Katie Janiga moved to second on a single through the left side by Huffman. Janiga scored on next play, a RBI double from Dominique.
• After Demnianiuk was hit by a pitch for the league-leading 10th time this season, a two-run single between three Akron fielders from Hogg gave Ball State a 13-5 edge.
• Wynn added her second RBI double in as many innings, while a RBI groundout from Payton pushed the score to 15-5. Ball State's final run crossed the plate on a RBI single from Lee.
• Despite giving up nine hits and five runs (three earned) over 4.0 innings, junior pitcher Aeshia Miles improved to 13-4 on the year with her fifth consecutive victory.
• Miles also struck out nine batters in the game to raise her season total to 104. Over her last five starts, Miles has 33 strikeouts to just one walk.
• Rothwell threw the final inning of the game, striking out two of the four batters she faced.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Ball State's batters recorded 26 total hits on the day for a .456 batting average. Of the 26 hits, eight were doubles and five were home runs.
• Haley Dominique extended her current hitting streak to a career-long 10 games with two hits in the opener and a 4-for-4 effort in the second game. She also reached base safely in each of the last 12 games which ties as her longest streak of the season.
• Janae Hogg also recorded a hit in each game, extending her streak of reaching base safely to a career-high 16 games.
• All 10 Ball State batters who recorded an at bat in the game recorded at least one hit, while 11 different Cardinals scored at least one run.
• Eight different Cardinals logged at least one RBI on the day, with five each from Maddy Labrador and Janae Hogg.
• With nine fourth-inning runs on the day, the Cardinals have out-scored opponents 66 to 23 in the fourth inning this season.
NEXT UP
The Ball State softball team opens the home portion of the 2018 season Tuesday with a scheduled 1 p.m. MAC doubleheader versus Northern Illinois.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSB.
In the opener, four different Cardinals (23-10; 5-1 Mid-American Conference) hit a home run to lead the team to a 9-1 (5) victory. However, things could have went drastically different if not for a clutch performance from sophomore Alyssa Rothwell in the circle.
Ball State led 6-0 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, but a leadoff home run, a pair of singles and a hit batter gave the Zips (1-26-1; 0-6 MAC) a chance to get back into the game. Enter Rothwell, who struck out the first two batters she faced before inducing a foul out to junior catcher Olivia Huffman to end the Akron threat.
In shutting down the Zips over the final two innings, Rothwell picked up her fifth save of the season which ties the Ball State single season record set by Elizabeth Milian in 2008. She also raised her career saves total to eight, which is one shy of the program record nine set by Nicole Steinbach (2013-16).
In the nightcap, the Cardinals found themselves trailing 5-1 entering the third inning. However, senior second baseman Maddy Labrador blasted her eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot with two outs in the third, to spark a 15-0 Ball State scoring barrage to end the game and hand the Zips their 14th consecutive loss.
Ball State's 16 runs in the nightcap were a season high and the most runs the Cardinals have scored in a regular season MAC game since a 17-4 (5) win over Bowling Green on April 23, 2010.
In addition, the Cardinals finished the three-game series sweep of Akron with 30 total runs, which is the most for Ball State in a MAC series in the current three-game format. The previous best total was 23 runs last weekend at Bowling Green.
FROM COACH BARTLETT:
"We were very tough one through nine from the plate today. We were free-swinging and hitting our pitches. It was fun to watch. Our composure from the plate in game two was particularly nice to see.
"We take a lot of pride in our offensive preparation and in our offensive ability. In the second game, we did a great job sticking to the process and making the mistakes hurt. I was very proud of the composure we showed, especially coming back after trailing 5-1 early in the game.
"Alyssa is such an asset to the battery. She does a great job spinning the ball and making it incredibly tough for opposing batters to square up. When she is on her game and can command her rise ball for a strike, she is nearly untouchable.
This is the role she plays on our pitching staff, and the type of performance we expect from her. We are very excited about her ability to step up in those big-time situations."
BREAKING DOWN GAME 1: Ball State 9 - Akron 1 (5)
• All nine Ball State batters record at least one hit in Saturday's opener, with eight of the nine recording a multiple base hit. The Cardinals finished the game with four home runs and four doubles.
• The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning courtesy of a sacrifice fly from sophomore first baseman Janae Hogg. Sophomore left fielder Haley Dominique scored on the play after singling to open the game and moving to third on a single from freshman shortstop Hailey Demnianiuk.
• Olivia Huffman made it a 4-0 game with a three-run home run with one out in the second inning. Huffman's second home run of the season also drove in junior right fielder Madison Lee who walked and junior designated player Annie Robinson who singled.
• Robinson blasted Ball State's second home run of the game, and her second of the season, with a one-out solo shot in the top of the fourth to extend the lead to 5-0.
• Three batters later, a two-out RBI double to left field from Hogg upped the advantage to 6-0. Huffman scored on the hit after walking and stealing second.
• Akron opened the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run, cutting the Ball State lead to 6-1, and went on to load the bases with no outs. Cue Rothwell, who entered the game in relief and tallied back-to-back strikeouts and a foul pop to end the inning and keep the Cardinals' lead at five runs.
• Ball State's offense countered with back-to-back home runs from sophomore center fielder Kennedy Wynn and freshman third baseman Stacy Payton to open the fifth. It was Wynn's fifth homer of the season and Payton's third.
• After an Akron pitching change, Lee doubled to center field, advanced to third on a groundout by Robinson and scored the game's final run on a passed ball.
• Wilmes picked up the win in the opener, improving to 8-4 on the season, after allowing just four hits and one run over the first 3.0 innings. She also struck out three batters in the game.
• Rothwell limited the Zips to one hit while recording three strikeouts over her 2.0 innings of work.
BREAKING DOWN GAME 2: Ball State 16 - Akron 5 (5)
• The Cardinals pounded out 15 more hits in the nightcap, including four more doubles and a home run. Dominique led the Cardinals with a 4-for-4 effort at the plate, with two doubles, four runs scored and a pair of RBIs.
• Ball State scored the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly from Labrador. Dominique scored on the play after singling to center field and advancing two bases on an Akron error.
• The Zips countered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and added three more in the second to pull ahead 5-1.
• Ball State would not be deterred, however, staring with Labrador's eighth home run of the season which was a two-out, two-run blast in the third.
• The Cardinals offense then exploded for seven more runs in the fourth inning, upping its total to 66 runs in the inning on the season.
• The fourth started with Payton reaching on an error. Freshman pinch runner Taylor Castleberry moved to second on an infield single by Robinson, before scoring on Dominique's first double of the game.
• After a walk to Demnianiuk loaded the bases, Hogg drove in the second run of the inning with a RBI fielder's choice.
• Labrador then upped her RBI total to five in the game with a two-run single to center field making the score 7-5 Ball State.
• Wynn followed with a two-run double to left field, extending Ball State's lead to 9-5. Payton then drove in the final run of the inning with a RBI single up the middle, pushing the score to 10-5.
• Robinson kicked-off a six-run fifth inning with a single through the right side, while freshman pinch runner Katie Janiga moved to second on a single through the left side by Huffman. Janiga scored on next play, a RBI double from Dominique.
• After Demnianiuk was hit by a pitch for the league-leading 10th time this season, a two-run single between three Akron fielders from Hogg gave Ball State a 13-5 edge.
• Wynn added her second RBI double in as many innings, while a RBI groundout from Payton pushed the score to 15-5. Ball State's final run crossed the plate on a RBI single from Lee.
• Despite giving up nine hits and five runs (three earned) over 4.0 innings, junior pitcher Aeshia Miles improved to 13-4 on the year with her fifth consecutive victory.
• Miles also struck out nine batters in the game to raise her season total to 104. Over her last five starts, Miles has 33 strikeouts to just one walk.
• Rothwell threw the final inning of the game, striking out two of the four batters she faced.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Ball State's batters recorded 26 total hits on the day for a .456 batting average. Of the 26 hits, eight were doubles and five were home runs.
• Haley Dominique extended her current hitting streak to a career-long 10 games with two hits in the opener and a 4-for-4 effort in the second game. She also reached base safely in each of the last 12 games which ties as her longest streak of the season.
• Janae Hogg also recorded a hit in each game, extending her streak of reaching base safely to a career-high 16 games.
• All 10 Ball State batters who recorded an at bat in the game recorded at least one hit, while 11 different Cardinals scored at least one run.
• Eight different Cardinals logged at least one RBI on the day, with five each from Maddy Labrador and Janae Hogg.
• With nine fourth-inning runs on the day, the Cardinals have out-scored opponents 66 to 23 in the fourth inning this season.
NEXT UP
The Ball State softball team opens the home portion of the 2018 season Tuesday with a scheduled 1 p.m. MAC doubleheader versus Northern Illinois.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSB.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wilmes, Carolyn (8-4)
L: VERTZ, Kooper (0-9)
S: Rothwell, Alyssa (5)
Batting:
2B: Dominique, Haley 1 ; Hogg, Janae 1 ; Labrador, Maddy 1 ; Lee, Madison 1
HR: Wynn, Kennedy 1 ; Payton, Stacy 1 ; Robinson, Annie 1 ; Huffman, Olivia 1
RBI: Hogg, Janae 2 ; Wynn, Kennedy 1 ; Payton, Stacy 1 ; Robinson, Annie 1 ; Huffman, Olivia 3
SF: Hogg, Janae 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dominique, Haley 1 ; Wynn, Kennedy 1 ; Payton, Stacy 1 ; Lee, Madison 2 ; Robinson, Annie 2 ; Huffman, Olivia 2
SB: Huffman, Olivia 1
Batting:
2B: JASCOE, Sydney 1
HR: CLOWDUS, Maddy 1
RBI: CLOWDUS, Maddy 1
SH: LAKINS, Laura 1
Base Running:
RUNS: CLOWDUS, Maddy 1
SB: JASCOE, Sydney 1 ; RODRIGUEZ, Kimberly 1 ; GILLESPIE, Cassie 2
HBP: LAKINS, Laura 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
dp/1b
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
OF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF/OF
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