Cardinals Top Falcons, 5-0, Saturday Afternoon

Saturday, April 11

Bowling Green, Ohio

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

13-18, 4-5

Ball State

20-19, 6-2

Ball State

Bowling Green

Game action - Meserve Field - April 10 2015 v Miami

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

April 11, 2015 | Softball

Box Score

Steinbach escapes first-inning jam to keep BG bats at bay

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Ball State University pitcher Nicole Steinbach worked out of a first-inning jam, and the Cardinals went on to a 5-0 victory over the Bowling Green State University softball team Saturday afternoon (April 11). The Mid-American Conference game was held at Meserve Field.

Steinbach threw a complete-game four-hit shutout, but she allowed three of those four hits to the first three batters of the game. After the Cardinals (20-19, 6-2 MAC) scored a run in the top of the first, the Brown and Orange loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning. Steinbach worked out of that jam, however, and allowed only one more hit the rest of the afternoon.

Senior Jamie Kertes took the loss for the Falcons (13-18, 4-5 MAC), allowing two runs (one earned) and just three hits in four innings of work. Kertes struck out two batters and did not issue a walk.

"Our defense in the first inning really set the tone," said BGSU head coach Shannon Salsburg. "I thought we played not to lose, and that's not going to work against Ball State.

"Offensively, when we have opportunities, we have to push those runs across. When we didn't, it really bit us, for sure. But, at the end of the day, it was the defense. When you play at home, that's the first chance you get to set the tone, and we set a very poor tone today."

In this weekend's first three games so far (Friday's doubleheader vs. Miami and Saturday's BSU contest), Kertes has an earned-run average of just 0.62 in 11 1/3 innings in the circle. She has allowed opponents to hit just .229 against her in that time.

"Jamie pitched a good game today, there's no doubt about it," said Salsburg. "Ball State has a very potent offense, and I thought she kept them off balance. We had plenty of outs to get; we just didn't get them. I want her to stay exactly where she is, because she's in a very good place right now."

The Cardinals broke on top with an unearned run in the first. Selena Reyna, who scored two of BSU's five runs on the day, led off with a double into the gap in right-centerfield. Loren Cihlar reached base on an infield error, putting runners at the corners. Then, on a stolen-base attempt, Cihlar was safe at second, and Reyna trotted home when the throw went into shallow center.

Kertes and the Falcons got Emily Dabkowski to pop up to second base for the first out, but Hanne Stuedemann reached on an infield hit, and Jessica Craft was hit by a pitch to load the bases. But, Kertes struck out Leigh McAnally, then got Sammi Cowger to hit a grounder to short, with BG freshman Katee Hinkle firing the ball to first for the third out.

The home team quickly loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning. Sophomore Aspen Searle hit Steinbach's second pitch of the game, blooping a ball down the right-field line for a leadoff single. Junior Molly Holliday bunted the next pinch toward the circle, and the speedy rightfielder beat it out for an infield single.

Then, junior Marina Cobbs lined the next pitch right back at Steinbach. The BSU junior blocked the ball with her glove, and as her glove came off, the ball rolled toward second baseman Dabkowski. She grabbed the ball and whipped it to first, but Cobbs was safe, and after just four pitches, the bases were loaded.

But, Steinbach responded in a big way, getting a strikeout, then a foul pop and another strikeout to somehow get out of the inning unscathed.

After the teams combined for five hits in the first inning, neither Kertes nor Steinbach would allow a baserunner until the fourth. Kertes mowed down the Cardinals in the second, with a strikeout and back-to-back infield popups. Then, she retired the side in order again in the third. Cowger reached on a BG error with two outs in the fourth, ending a streak of 10-straight batters retired by Kertes, but the Falcon senior got the third out as sophomore Haley Schrock ran down a liner to leftfield by Julia Bailey.

But, Steinbach was equal to the task. She worked one-two-three innings of her own in both the second and the third. In the latter inning, she was aided by a nice defensive play by Bailey at third base. Bailey grabbed a hard-hit ball by Cobbs, throwing to first for the third out.

Senior Chloe Giordano led off the Falcon half of the fourth inning by lining a pitch to left for a single. Pinch-runner Amanda Durham advanced to second on a wild pitch, and the sophomore tagged and took third on a fly ball to right-center by freshman Morgan Evangelista. Centerfielder Taylor Cooley made the catch, but was knocked to the ground as she and rightfielder Stuedemann bumped into one another. Durham easily reached third on the play.

But, once again, Steinbach worked out of the inning. She got a strikeout for the second out, then won a lengthy battle with Schrock. Schrock lined the second pitch of the at-bat, but the ball went just foul as it whizzed past the third-base bag. Two pitches later, Schrock ripped another foul ball, this time sending it toward the batting cages down the left-field line. Finally, Schrock hit another hard shot, but the liner was hit directly at Dabkowski, and the second baseman made the catch for the third out.

The Cards doubled the lead in the fifth. After Cooley's leadoff single, sophomore Briana Combs replaced Kertes in the circle. Cooley stole both second and third base, sandwiched around an infield popup by Reyna. Cihlar hit a shot back toward the circle, and Combs knocked the ball down, but Cooley scored as Combs threw to first for the second out. Another grounder ended the half-inning.

BSU doubled the lead once again in the sixth inning. Craft drew a leadoff walk, but Combs got a pair of outs, as McAnally hit a soft liner to left, and a Cowger fielder's choice saw Craft forced at second. But, Bailey homered on the 11th pitch of her at-bat, hitting a 3-2 pitch over the left-field fence to give the visitors a 4-0 lead.

The Cardinals scored an unearned run in the seventh, without hitting a ball out of the infield. Combs had two strikeouts in the inning, but Reyna reached on a BG error to start the inning and eventually came around to score.

Meanwhile, Steinbach retired the Falcons in order in each of the final three innings, with two strikeouts in the fifth and three in the seventh. Giordano hit a liner to left in the sixth, but Cihlar tracked it down, making the catch for the third out.

Steinbach faced just four batters over the minimum, with 63 of her 84 pitches going for strikes. She struck out 10 and did not walk a batter.

At the plate, Dabkowski was 2-for-4 to lead the seven-hit BSU attack. Each of the top four players in the Falcons' batting order had one hit on the day.

The Falcons and Cardinals return to Meserve Field to conclude their two-game series on Sunday afternoon (April 12). First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

"The challenge to our team is to believe in themselves, to show up and to take care of business," said Salsburg. "We've got to raise our level. We know we're capable of it; but we've got to raise our level and keep it there."