Ball State University Athletics
UAB 10, BSU 4
February 17, 2006 | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Ball State University baseball team (0-1) opened its 2006 season with a loss to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Friday evening at Young Memorial Field, falling 10-4.
Redshirt-sophomore Ben Snyder (Bellevue, Ohio/Bellevue) started the season-opener on the mound for BSU, against UAB sophomore pitcher Heath Tapscott.
The Cardinals started the top of the first inning with a groundout, strikeout and flyout, while two Blazers walked to become the first base runners of the year for either team. Third baseman Zac Ward capitalized by driving in both runners on a fly to right field.
Ball State senior first baseman Brad Miller (Muncie, Ind./Central) was walked in the second inning, but a double play groundball to the short stop and a flyout to right-center ended any scoring threat the Cardinals may have posed. UAB posted a hit in the bottom of the second, but failed to score.
In the top of the third inning, sophomore short stop Phil Bednar (Monroe Falls, Ohio/Stow) singled to left field for the Cardinals' first hit of the season. An error by UAB's third baseman on a line drive by senior left fielder Brian Meyer (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) moved Bednar to second base. Senior center fielder Mike Sullivan (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) then singled to right field to knock Bednar in and cut the UAB lead to 2-1.
Miller opened the fourth inning with a double to left-center, followed by a walk of junior right fielder Eric Earnhart (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana). However, the Cardinals failed to score as Miller was picked off while attempting to steal third base for the third and final out. The Blazers failed to record a hit in the bottom of the fourth.
BSU and UAB both went three-up, three-down in the fifth.
After a leadoff walk of Sullivan in the sixth inning, the Blazers turned a Singleton grounder into a double play. Senior second baseman Kyle Dygert (
Junior pitcher Richie Fralick (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) relieved Snyder with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning and a runner on second base. Fralick walked designated hitter Steven Turner, who then advanced to third base after first baseman Billy Lichtner doubled to left field. Turner then scored on a wild pitch, giving the Blazers a 6-1 edge.
Senior DH Chris Pestle (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) walked and Bednar singled to advance him to third base. Redshirt-sophomore Justin Rogers (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham) walked in a pinch-hitting role to load the bases. Sullivan grounded to first for an out, but drove Pestle in on the hit to cut the score to 6-2.
Senior pitcher Jeff Michael (Elkhart, Ind./Concord) came on in the bottom of the seventh. Sawyer walked, followed by a Ward single, which drove in left fielder Levi Patmon. Right fielder John Wayne Donahue tripled to score Sawyer and Ward. Lichtner singled up the gap to drive in Donahue and move the score to 10-2. After an error and a hit, Earnhart ended the inning by reeling in a fly ball to right field.
After Dygert walked, Miller cranked a home run -- the 30th of his career -- over the left field wall to cut the deficit to 10-4 in the eighth.
Freshman pitcher Ryan Schmidt (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont) entered the game in the bottom of the eighth. Schmidt walked Bond and gave up a single to Sawyer, but followed that with strikeouts of Ward and Donahue.
Sullivan got a single in the ninth, but three groundouts ended Ball State's chances.
Snyder finished with 5.2 innings pitched, surrendering five hits and four earned runs, while walking three and fanning five in the loss. Fralick gave up one hit, one run and walked two in 0.1 inning. Michael went 1.0 inning with four hits, four earned runs and one walk. Schmidt also completed one full inning, striking out two batters while giving up one hit and walking one batter. UAB's Tapscott earned the victory.
BSU, which won the Mid-American Conference West Division crown last season, is now 3-4 all-time versus UAB. The Cardinals swept the series last season in Birmingham, while UAB earned a series sweep in 2003.
The Cardinals and Blazers continue their three-game series tomorrow, with first pitch slated for 2 p.m.
