Ball State’s second matchup of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship was originally planned to start at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. However, due to multiple rain delays throughout the day, the contest did not start until 9:35 p.m.

However, fans who waited to watch the game did not get to see all seven innings as the No. 2 Ohio Bobcats defeated the No. 6 Cardinals in five with an 8-0 run-rule victory.   

It did not take long for the Bobcats to gain momentum as they scored two innings in the top of the first following a two-RBI double. In the inning, Ball State’s starting pitcher, senior Francys King, threw 39 pitches. She was replaced in the circle at the bottom of the second after surrendering another run. 

After that, the Bobcats never took their foot off the gas pedal as they continued to catch fire against the Cardinals’ defense. Ohio finished the contest with 11 hits.

For the Cardinals, multiple things went wrong. The Cardinals only had three hits and had two errors on defense. One came when redshirt junior catcher Mckayla Timmons missed graduate student Samantha-Jo Mata at first base, which allowed the ball to roll to the right field wall, scoring a run. 

In another instance, a hard grounder bounced off of Ball State second basemen graduate student Jazmyne Armendariz. The ball rolled to the warning track. The Cardinals seemed to find some energy when the lights went out during the top of the fourth. This caused a dance party – led by Ball State sophomore Grace Spencer – for both teams. 

However, when the lights returned at Fire Stone Stadium, the Cardinals' new-found spirit vanished as the Bobcats tacked on more runs to finish the job. 

Ball State will return tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. to face No. 5 Central Michigan. With one loss under their belt, the red and black will face elimination the rest of the tournament. 

Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on X @ZachCarter85.

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