While the Ball State University softball team cannot get above .500 in the Mid-American Conference, it has continued setting offensive records.
Ball State (15-25, 6-6 Mid-American Conference) swept the University of Toledo and then was swept by Bowling Green State University this weekend. The Cardinals remained at .500 in the MAC for the third consecutive week.
"I thought we played pretty well," coach Craig Nicholson said. "There's always room for improvement."
While they remained average in the standings, the Cardinals continued to set unprecedented marks offensively.
Trailing 7-1 as they entered the final inning of the second game against Toledo, the Cardinals came back to win with their biggest offensive feat of the season. Ball State scored 16 runs on 12 hits in the seventh inning and went on to win 17-10.
"I've probably never seen anything like that happen," junior catcher Abby Gross said.
The Cardinals hit around twice in the inning and had five singles, five doubles and a pair of home runs. The Cardinals also had four walks and a hit batter in the inning.
Gross led Ball State with an RBI double and a grand slam in the inning. Junior Amanda Pick, who pitched and played first base in the game, added four RBIs on three hits. She had two doubles and a two-run homer in the inning.
Ball State had 10 players go to the plate in the inning and eight of them got hits. The designated player, freshman Amber Wolf, was hit by a pitch and senior Taylor Yancey, who plays third, was 0-1 with a walk in the inning.
Yancey contributed to the Ball State offense by hitting a home run in the fourth inning.
It was the first time this season the Cardinals reached double-digits runs in a game. It was also the first time they came back from a deficit entering the seventh inning.
"It was amazing," Yancey said. "It was so much fun."
In addition to the season-high runs, the Cardinals ended the game with a season-high 15 hits. They also committed a season-high five errors in the game.
Ball State also took the first game of the doubleheader against the Rockets 6-4. Yancey went 2-2 in the game and led the Cardinals with a two-run homer in the fifth inning.
Yancey's home runs gave her seven on the season, tying her with fellow senior Kelli Jeziorski for the Ball State single season record.
Gross' grand slam was her fifth home run of the season and twelfth of her career, which ties Jeziorski for the Ball State record. Yancey has 11 home runs for her career, one shy of Jeziorski and Gross.
"I'm excited that we have so many players up there [in the record books]," Gross said.
The Cardinals did not find the same success against Bowling Green as they did against Toledo. The Cardinals lost 5-0 to the Falcons Saturday and 7-3 Sunday.
The Cardinals struck out 18 times in the two games compared to six hits.
"We probably took too many pitches and weren't quite aggressive enough," Nicholson said.
The Cardinals committed an error in all four games this weekend. Their 10 errors this weekend brings their total to 69 on the season.
Ball State has not split a series against a MAC team this season. Also, the Cardinals have ended all three of their conference weekends with a 2-2 record.
Ball State is satisfied being even in the MAC and improving from last year, Yancey said.
The Cardinals have 10 MAC games remaining on their schedule, all at home.
"To be in that spot right there, you're in pretty good shape," Nicholson said.
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