ATHENS, Ohio ? After waiting a full week to play softball because of weather conditions, the Bobcats? defense came out rusty, but with the strength of Michelle Sauter?s arm and Shannon Weidner?s bat, the team was able to split a doubleheader with Ball State 3-1, 2-5.

Even though the Bobcats (18-32, 4-12) were playing in chilly weather in late April, Sauter (6-9) was able to pitch her ninth complete game of the season, scattering four hits, while Weidner provided the run support with three RBI, two coming off a single in the bottom of the fifth that broke a 1-1 deadlock with the Cardinals (17-33, 4-12).

In the second game, Zoe Heim (4-11) pitched a gem ? giving up only one hit ? until the fifth inning when the Bobcats committed three costly errors after two outs that allowed the Cardinals? offense to break out by scoring four runs to take the lead for good.

In the first game, Courtney Waters left a blazing trail in her wake as she stole second and third for her team leading 12th and 13th steals of the season after her single to lead off the first inning. After Marian Davis? walk, Weidner got her first RBI of the season with a groundout to shortstop. With Davis at second, Amy Brownfield was able to get out of the inning by striking out Jennifer Tisevich and Robin Miller.

In the top of the inning, Sauter struck out the first batter but faced a difficult situation as Emily Futscher committed three consecutive errors to load the bases. Showing composure, Sauter rebounded by inducing Kelli Jeziorski to pop up to first and Katie Pilger to lineout to short. She came back in the second, striking out the side, while giving up one hit in-between.

The Cardinals? offense finally got their bats going in the third inning as Alyssa Huffman and Amanda Pick lead off with back-to-back singles. After Abby Gross grounded out to Sauter, Kelli Jeziorski was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the second time of the game. Though Pilger hit into a fielder?s choice, Huffman was able to score and tie the game, but that would be the team?s sole run of the game.

Waters and Tisevich were able to get hits in the third and fourth inning respectively, but the Bobcats were unable to bring them in. However, in the fifth inning, the temperature rose as Maureen McKelvey hit a single to center field and then advanced to third on a fielding error by Sarah McGregor. After witnessing Waters? bunt single and Davis hit by pitch, Weidner broke the game open with the two RBI single through the right side, scoring McKelvey and Waters and giving Amy Brownfield (7-10) the loss. On the following play, Davis tried to score from third on Tisevich?s fly out to right, but Jeziorski?s bullet to home got her out to end the inning.

Brownfield was able to prevent any more bleeding in the sixth after Futscher reached first on a fielding error by Huffman and advanced to second on a single by Futscher. Sauter and McKelvey were unable to bring in a run, but that was inconsequential as Sauter got her third 1-2-3 in the seventh to earn her sixth victory of the season.

Heim continued in the second game what Sauter started in the first by shutting out the Cardinals through the first four innings. In the first inning though, in a sign of things to come, the Bobcat defense committed two consecutive errors followed by a wild pitch to put Huffman and Pick at third and second respectively. Heim stood her ground and struck out Jeziorski after making Abby Gross pop out to second.

The Bobcats took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth as Weidner walked to lead off. After Tisevich?s fly out to left, pinch runner Danielle Kelley advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Robin Miller and then would score on a RBI single by Futscher through the left side. Futscher would try to get to second on the throw, but Nicki Hellem (8-10) cut off the ball and threw her out to end the inning.

In the fifth inning, things started out nicely for Ohio as the Cardinals? Quincy Duran struck out swinging and McGregor walked but was caught stealing at second by a perfect throw from catcher Maghan Lansford. At the bottom of the lineup, Taylor Yancey hit a single up the middle and advanced to second on a balk and to third on a wild pitch. Cortney Patteson followed with a walk. In what should have ended the inning, Huffman bunted the ball down the first base line to Miller who picked the ball up and threw it to first, but Tisevich was not able to cover the bag in time to get the force out, allowing Yancey to score.

This provided the Cardinals the opening they needed as Pick followed with a single to center field, sending Patteson to third, who would then score on a fielding error by Debbie Szalejko. Natalie Armstrong came on in relief of Heim, but started off with a wild pitch, putting runners at third and second. This was followed by a RBI single up the middle from Abby Gross, scoring Huffman. On the same play, Pick was able to advance to third and then score on a fielding error by Szalejko, which was the third error of the inning for the Bobcats defense. Armstrong would finally get out of the inning by striking out Pilger.

The Bobcats tried to answer back in the bottom of the fifth as Kelly Rodriguez doubled to center field and advanced to third on a pinch-hit single by Cathy Walters. Waters then struck out swinging, and McKelvey flew out to left, stranding two runners.

Sarah McGregor led off the sixth for the Cardinals with a walk. She would score from first as Tisevich committed the team?s sixth error of the game trying to field the ball between first and second base, which would allow Quincy Duran to reach third. Tisevich rebounded quickly though on the play by throwing out Duran at home on a fielder?s choice by Yancey. Patteson walked next, and then Huffman followed with a sacrifice bunt down the third base line, putting runners at second and third. Armstrong would prevent anymore damage by making Pick fly out to left.

In the sixth inning, the Bobcats had runners at second and third because of a walk by Tisevich and a doubled to center field by Miller with one out. However, Rodriguez and Futscher would be unable to bring either of them home.

Hellem would provide a gift to the Bobcats in their last at-bat by walking both Waters and Davis. McKelvey would load the bases by reaching on a fielding error by Huffman at short. Weidner would get her fourth RBI of the day by hitting into a fielder?s choice, but the run proved to be meaningless as the Bobcats could not score anymore runs with Tisevich flying out to center to end the game.

The Bobcats will welcome back their own as former Bobcat player and assistant coach Julie Wright (1990-1994, 1996-1999) leads the Akron Zips in her first season as head coach in a conference match-up. The three game weekend series begins with a doubleheader scheduled to start at 2 p.m. on Saturday. This will be the last home series in Athens for seniors Kelly Barnhart, Kerri Harley, Jennifer Hodson, Miller, and Tisevich.