Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Ball State
Softball Splits Twinbill With Ball State
4/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 16, 2014
Box Score (Game One) | Box Score (Game Two) | Highlights (Game One)
Site: Bloomington, Ind. (Andy Mohr Field)
Score: Game One: Indiana 3, Ball State 2, Game Two: Ball State 6, Indiana 3
Records: Indiana 13-30-1 (4-10 B1G), Ball State 25-15 (4-2 MAC)
Next IU Event: Friday, April 17 at Northwestern (Sharon J. Drysdale Field) 5 p.m. ET
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana softball team split its non-conference midweek doubleheader with visiting Ball State this evening, taking game one 3-2 before dropping the second game of the evening, 6-3. The Hoosiers move to 13-30-1 on the season, while the Cardinals are now 24-15 overall.
Indiana's offense outhit Ball State in each game, combining for 20 through both contests and registered lead off hits in 9-of-13 innings played. The Hoosiers bats also tallied at least one hit in 11 of those 13 innings which included five for extra bases.
Kelsey Dotson paced Indiana at the plate with multiple-hit performances in both contests including her fourth homerun of the season in the nightcap, while Brianna Meyer reached base in her 15th-straight game and hit .571(4-for-7) in the twinbill with a double and an RBI. Breanna Saucedo's hit-streak improved to a team-best, 10 games with singles in each meeting, tying her previous 10-game stretch from March 14-30 earlier this season.
GAME ONE: Indiana 3, Ball State 2
Aside from a two-run homerun in the fourth, Lora Olson provided a solid, complete-game effort with six shutout innings for the Hoosiers in game one. The junior struck out five and allowed just one earned on five hits through 7.0 innings en route to her fifth win of the year.
Indiana's bats provided just enough run support for Olson including a key three-run spot in the third. Erin Lehman led off the frame with a single to right before stealing second. Meyer drew a walk, sending Saucedo to the plate with runners on first and second and no outs. She laid down a sacrifice that moved the runners, but the throw to get her at first was off target and flew into right field. Lehman scored from second on the play to give IU a 1-0 advantage. With runners on the corners, Saucedo took off to second and slid in safely for her 15th swipe of the season. The throw down to get her was late and too high, allowing Meyer to score from third. CaraMia Tsirigos capped off the three-run inning with an RBI-single to right.
The Cardinals cut the Hoosiers' lead to one on a two-run homerun from Audrey Bickel in the top of the fourth, but Olson tamed the BSU bats to just two hits through the next three innings to help secure a 3-2 victory.
GAME TWO: Ball State 6, Indiana 3
Meaghan Murphy (5-12) pitched five shutout innings and held the Cardinals to just three runs through six, but a three-run homerun in the top of seventh would prove to be the difference in the Hoosiers' 6-3 setback in the night cap. Murphy ended the game with four strikeouts and scattered six hits in 7.0 innings in the circle.
Indiana posted double-digit hits for the eighth time this season (12), including multiple-hit performances from four different Hoosiers. Meyer's 3-for-4 outing led all IU hitters, while Jenna Abraham, Shelby Gogreve, and Dotson earned two hits apiece.
After three scoreless innings, Ball State posted three runs in the top of the fourth. A single and a homerun built a 2-0 lead for the Cardinals before a base hit and a fielding error pushed another run across, setting Indiana back 3-0.
Indiana began to chip away with runs in the next two consecutive outings. Dotson's solo shot in the fourth cut the BSU lead to two. In the fifth, Natalie Lalich singled and was later driven in on Meyer's RBI-double to left. With two outs and Meyer still on second base, Michelle Huber brought her around on a base hit to tie the ballgame at three.
Ball State's three-run shot in the seventh brought IU to its final at bat trailing 6-3. Meyer started the inning with a single, but the three straight outs that followed ended the contest.
The Hoosiers will be back in action this weekend as they continue conference play at Northwestern in a three-game series. First pitch for Friday's game is slated for 5 p.m. CT.
