Muncie weather decided to hold off long enough for the Ball State University softball team to win the first game of its doubleheader against Valparaiso University Wednesday.
The second game of the doubleheader, which were Ball State's first scheduled home games of the season, was canceled after half an inning.
Fresh off her selection as Mid-American Conference West Pitcher of the Week, Elizabeth Milian struck on out 11 en route to a Cardinal victory.
Coach Craig Nicholson said Milian struggled at the beginning of the game, but after a little pep talk on the mound late in the first inning, she settled in.
"She was throwing with a lot of velocity, and it is hard to harness that sometimes," Nicholson said. "I told her to settle down and relax a little bit. I felt like her release point was off just a little. She may have been hyped up, so I was just trying to get her calmed down and relaxed."
The pep talk seemed to work as Milian finished the first inning and came back in the second to strike out the first two batters.
Nicholson said when Milian is on the mound, she will keep the Cardinals in the game, provided the offense does its part. Offense is an area in which Nicholson said his team has been somewhat inconsistent so far this season, but his squad did a much better job of producing runners and runs against the Crusaders.
"We had some chances to score that we didn't capitalize on," Nicholson said. "We made a minor base running mistake in the first inning, but we did a better job offensively today. The top of our lineup was very good today."
The Cardinals managed to produce four runs off of 10 hits on the day. The Cardinals' first four batters accounted for six of the 10 hits, all four runs and three of the RBIs. Milian also helped her own cause going 2-for-3 from the plate with an RBI.
Jen Reifschneider, who came into the game one home run shy of tying the Ball State single season record, went 0-3 on the day. Nicholson said nerves might have played a role in her subpar performance.
Nicholson also said Valparaiso's starting pitcher, Alex Lagesse, did not give Reifschneider much to hit from, and Reifschneider's hitting was a little off her norm.
"She was a little in front of [Lagesse]," Nicholson said. "She may have pressed a little bit and typically that's not her. She had good swings at balls; she just missed them a little bit."
The Cardinals are next in action Tuesday when they travel to the University of Notre Dame.
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