This weekend made it more difficult for the Ball State University softball team to make the Mid-American Conference tournament, but it did not ruin the Cardinals' chances.
Ball State went 1-3 on the weekend, losing two games to Kent State University Friday and splitting a series against the University at Buffalo Saturday and Sunday. The 1-3 weekend dropped the Cardinals' conference record to 6-8 on the year.
Coach Craig Nicholson said he is not sure what effect the weekend will have at the end of the season, but the team definitely put itself in a tougher position for the final two weeks.
"We still have eight games left so we have plenty of opportunities left to win games and make the tournament," he said.
Ball State began the weekend with a 2-1 loss to MAC leader Kent State in nine innings Friday. Both the Cardinals and Golden Flashes scored in the fourth inning, but neither team was able to put a runner across the plate again until the second extra inning.
Elizabeth Milian picked up the loss after pitching 8.2 innings and allowing two runs on eight hits, four walks and six strike outs.
Tiffany Garofano then picked up the loss in the second game as the Cardinals fell 4-2. Garofano allowed four runs on six hits, two walks and six strike outs in six innings.
Milian then lost another extra-inning game Saturday against Buffalo 4-3. In eight innings, she allowed four runs on nine hits, two walks and nine strike outs.
Milian said she realized she was a little tired after the game Saturday from pitching two extra-inning games, but it did not affect her on the mound.
"I just approached it like any other game," she said. "It wasn't any more difficult than any other game."
Ball State avoided going winless on the weekend by getting a 6-1 win Sunday. Garofano pitched seven innings for the win, allowing one run on five hits, two walks and six strike outs.
Nicholson said he thought the Cardinals played well most of the weekend.
"I think we were kind of up and down a little bit," Nicholson said. "We were good [Sunday] and we played pretty well at Kent State. [Saturday] we came out flat."
Milian said the team is still in good position to make the MAC tournament. If the team wins four of its remaining eight games, which are against Eastern Michigan University, Central Michigan University, Western Michigan University and Northern Illinois University, it has a very good chance at making the tournament, she said.
"We're going to go hard at it the next two weeks," she said. "We're not going to settle for four but four is definitely the goal."
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