Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Ball State
Indiana Drops Mid-Week Battle to Ball State, 19-9
4/21/2015 1:50:00 PM | Softball
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MUNCIE, Ind. - The Indiana softball team dropped a 19-9 contest to Ball State in five innings on Tuesday afternoon. Sophomore Erin Lehman turned in a 3-for-3 outing in the contest.
The Hoosiers (14-32) jumped up quickly, plating five runs in the first inning off four hits and a trio of walks. After freshman Rebecca Blitz earned her 18th walk of the season, a double by junior Kelsey Dotson down the left-field line scored the first run of the game. A walk to sophomore CaraMia Tsirigos put runners on the corners for junior Michelle Huber, who hit a bloop single to shallow left field to score Dotson. Following a walk to senior Brianna Meyer, sophomore Erin Lehman hit a bases-loaded single up the middle to score Tsirigos and Huber. Meyer plated the fifth run of the inning on a single to shallow right field by freshman Rachel O'Malley.
Ball State (25-21) responded quickly, knocking two homers in the bottom of the frame. Selena Reyna led off the frame with a home run to right, followed by a three-run blast from Shelbie Scamihorn to score Jessica Craft and Hanne Stuedemann to cut the Indiana lead down to 5-4.
The Cardinals put up a five-run second inning to grab a 9-5 lead. Four-straight RBI base knocks plated four runs, followed by an RBI groundout by Sammi Cowger. The inning featured two singles, a double from Emily Dabkowski and a triple by Jessica Craft.
Back-to-back singles by Meyer and Lehman put the Hoosiers back in business in the third inning. After juniorKatelyn Conenna was put in to run for Meyer, she advanced to third on a Taylor Uden flyout before scoring on a Ball State throwing error.
However, three consecutive Ball State singles and a two-run home run by Scamihorn pushed the Cardinals' lead back up to 12-6 before adding their 13th run on an Indiana fielding error in the fourth frame.
Conenna led off the fifth inning with a double to left field, followed by Lehman's third knock of the day to put the Hoosiers on the corners. After freshman Taylor Uden reached first on a passed ball on a third strike, Conenna scored to make it 12-7. O'Malley then recorded an RBI on a shallow single to second base to plate Lehman. The third Hoosier run of the inning came on a dropped infield fly ball hit by Dotson.
A six-run inning in the bottom of the fifth ended the game early as an RBI triple by India Steward and an RBI double from Scamihorn scored a pair of runs before a grand slam from Reyna gave the Cardinals the victory.
Uden made her collegiate pitching debut in the final frame, giving up a pair of runs while striking out a Cardinal.
The Hoosiers return to action tomorrow evening as they play host to Purdue in a previously rescheduled doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. Due to the timing of the rescheduled games, the contests will not count as conference games and will not affect either team's conference record.
Media contact: Caitlin Davis, davis288@indiana.edu
