Cardinals hassle Hoosiers

Fresh off of Tuesday's no-hit victory against Miami of Ohio, the softball squad fell 4-1 to in-state foe Ball State Wednesday in the Hoosiers' final non-conference game. The loss drops IU to 15-33 on the season. \nThe Cardinals jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning on RBI singles by Katie Shea and Kasey Angulo, which turned out to be all they would need to seal the victory. \nTrailing 4-0 in the fifth inning, Hoosier coach Diane Stephenson pulled starting pitcher Alison Cooke, a junior, in favor of senior Jen Smith, who had been struggling. But Smith was on her game, giving up just one hit in two innings to keep IU within striking distance.\nThe Hoosiers threatened in the seventh, as Smith, now serving as a pinch runner, scored on a wild pitch to pull the Hoosiers within three runs. But the lone run was all the Hoosiers could muster.\nBall State reliever Randi Freese fended off the surging Hoosiers to give Ball State the victory.\nThe game was scheduled for a doubleheader, but was changed to a single game this week.