Ball State University Athletics
Minnesota 2, BSU 0
March 11, 2006 | Baseball
Minnesota registered the first hit of the game as Bryan Jost singled to center field in the bottom of the second. Ball State junior shortstop Eric Earnhart (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) doubled down the first base line in the top of the third for the Cardinals' initial hit.
Earnhart posted another hit with a single to right field in the top of the fifth, but BSU couldn't capitalize on the base runner. The same was true for the Golden Gophers, as they left two runners on following a hit batter and a walk in the bottom of the fifth.
Senior catcher Matt Singleton (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) came close to adding a run to the scoreboard with a shot to the left field warning track in the top of the sixth, but his strike fell just short into the left fielder's glove.
In the bottom of the sixth, Minnesota's Andy Hunter hit a fielder's choice RBI to first base, which drove Matt Nohelty across home plate under Singleton's tag for the first run of the game. The Gophers added another run as Nate Hanson nailed a sac fly to left field, giving Dan Lyons time to tag up and race home for a 2-0 U of M lead.
Sophomore Tyler Pritchard (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) made his third start of the season, going 6.0 innings with two strikeouts, two hits, two walks and two earned runs.
Senior pitcher Kory Bucklew (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern), who earned the win in Wednesday's 9-2 victory over Evansville, entered in the seventh inning and sat the Gophers down one-two-three, including a strikeout of the first batter.
Junior designated hitter Matt Gard (Muncie, Ind./Central) singled up the middle in the top of the eighth, extending his current hitting streak to three games, but couldn't advance after the hit.
Bucklew repeated his seventh-inning performance in the eighth, getting three straight outs from Minnesota's batters.
In the ninth inning, senior second baseman Kyle Dygert (Angola, Ind./Angola) singled to right-center for BSU's fourth hit of the game, but the Cardinals couldn't even the score.
Pritchard (0-1) took his first loss of the season, while Minnesota's Cole DeVries (2-1) pitched a complete game shutout with six strikeouts, four hits and only one walk.
BSU is 1-9 all-time versus the U of M, with the last meeting on March 28, 2001, going the Golden Gophers' way in a 15-11 contest.
The Cardinals, who defeated Illinois State 9-2 Friday afternoon, play Vermont (0-5) tomorrow at 10 a.m. (CST).
