Mistakes have prolonged innings and hampered the Ball State University softball team, coach Craig Nicholson said.
An error with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday led to four unearned runs and a 4-3 loss for Ball State (11-20, 2-2 Mid-American Conference).
The Cardinals did not play the mentality of getting 21 outs in the game and it directly led to the loss, Nicholson said.
"To me, we absolutely have to do a better job of taking care of the ball," he said. "You give teams extra outs and if they're a decent team, they're going to make you pay for giving them those extra outs."
Nicholson said one of the most important things for Ball State is to play to 21 outs and not let up.
Junior Amanda Pick said the Cardinals begin to cruise when they get a lead, which leads to errors and a lack of concentration.
"How you recover and how you respond after you make those mistakes is just as important as the mistake itself," Nicholson said.
This season, the Cardinals have committed 52 errors and have a fielding percentage of .945.
Ball State's fielding percentage is tied for third worst in the MAC with the University of Toledo. The University of Buffalo has the conference's worst fielding percentage, .919, and the University of Akron is second worst at .943.
"Obviously we've made more errors than I would like us to make," Nicholson said.
In the Cardinals' 11 wins, they have committed 16 errors (1.45 a game). In the Cardinals' 20 losses, they have committed 36 errors (1.8 a game).
When the Cardinals do not commit any errors, they win more than 42 percent of their games (4-5). When they commit an error, they win less than 32 percent of their games (7-15).
However, Ball State wins more games when it commits multiple errors compared to one. When the Cardinals commit one error in a game, they win less than 17 percent of their games (1-5). When the Cardinals commit multiple errors in a game, they win more than 37 percent of their games (6-10).
The situation in which the error occurs affects how it will affect the game, Nicholson said.
"It really depends on when it happens or where it happens or what exactly the mistake is," he said. "It's hard to kind of generalize everything into one big group."
Pick said defense is her favorite part of softball. She said she is aggressive and not tentative when fielding.
Pick is the lone player on the Ball State roster who has played in the field and not committed an error.
However, she has to deal with errors that her teammates make while she is on the mound.
"For me as a pitcher, that does frustrate me," Pick said. "I get a lot of ground balls, but I just have to turn around and get pumped up and tell them that they're OK and go for that next out."
Ball State is getting better defensively, Nicholson said. He said the team is making fewer errors on routine plays.
Ball State is also getting better at bouncing back from mistakes, he said.
"We have a young team and that will be corrected as the season goes on," Pick said.
This weekend is important for Ball State to get back on track and back going in the right direction, Nicholson said.
Ball State will host a double-header against Western Michigan University (9-11, 1-3 MAC) today. The Cardinals will then host Northern Illinois University (13-14, 3-1 MAC) Saturday and Sunday.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
