Though Ball State softball kicked off its third day of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) softball championship with a 5-4 victory over No. 6 Akron Friday afternoon, the No. 4 Cardinals ended their postseason run with an 8-0 loss to No. 1 Miami.
In the Cardinals’ win over the Zips, it was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish. Akron started the day with a 2-0 lead in the top of the first after a passed ball and an RBI single.
But in the bottom half of the frame, the Cardinals (33-18, 18-10 MAC) took a 3-2 lead thanks to RBI doubles from senior Kara Gunter, redshirt junior McKenna Mulholland and an RBi triple from junior Ashlee Lovett.
Throughout the rest of the contest, the Zips and Cardinals continued to dance. While Akron recorded two more runs, Ball State sophomore Maia Peitrzak scored two runs with an RBI triple in the fourth and an RBI single in the sixth. That hit would go on to be the decider.
“I think I learned that my teammates always have confidence in me, even when I don't have confidence in myself,” Pietrzak said. “Whenever I'm having a hard time, I just lean on my teammates.”
With the victory, Ball State matches up with Miami who fell to No. 2 Ohio earlier in the tournament. The Cardinals and Redhawks played Thursday afternoon, with the Redhawks taking the first game.
In the second game between the two Redbirds, Miami’s offense started with momentum. After jumping to a 2-0 lead on a two-run home run at the bottom of the first, they repeated the play at the bottom of the second to take a 4-0 lead.
While the Redhawks found success on offense — they scored four more runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a walk and a bases-clearing triple — the Cardinals could not get anything going. Due to that, the game ended as a run-rule victory in which Miami starting pitcher Lea Chevrier tossed a no-hitter.
With the season over, multiple Cardinals’ careers have come to an end. For redshirt senior catcher McKaya Timmons, who was named the MAC’s Defensive Player and Player of the Year, leaves behind a career of success that includes many stats on the program's top charts.
For others like Mulholland, there is still the possibility of a fifth year, and she confirmed she is thinking about the opportunity. Whatever the future holds, she knows one thing is for certain; how much the team, the program and Ball State University means to her.
“This program has been here through the lowest of my lows and the highest of my highs. They've been my family when I needed one and all these seniors have been there with me every step of the way,” she said. “This coaching staff is amazing. They care about each individual on this team. Ball State has just given me so much to learn from and it’s helped me grow. They've motivated me for my future, and they turned me into the woman that I am today.”
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.
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