(NOTRE DAME, IN) – Ball State’s softball Cardinals beat 16th-seeded Notre Dame 6 to 3, Friday evening, at Melissa Cook Stadium on the Fighting Irish’s campus.  The victory was the first in the Cardinals’ program history in an NCAA regional tournament.  This is BSU’s third appearance in an NCAA softball regional.

The Cardinals (34-23) out-hit the 21st-ranked Fighting Irish (40-14) by a 10-6 margin, including a pair of home runs and a triple. With the win, Ball State becomes the first team to defeat a national seed in its opening game, since the 2012 season, when four different seeded teams lost their opening game.

The Cards return to action today (Sat.) at noon, when they play Kentucky for the right to advance directly to the championship game of the NCAA South Bend Regional. The Wildcats earned a 5-4 victory over Northwestern in their opening game of the regional, prior to the Cardinals’ win.