Ball State University Athletics
Cardinals Drop MAC Contest to Kent State
April 14, 2006 | Baseball
Three early errors cost the Cardinals just one run in the first, as Kent State's Emmanuel Burriss scored after reaching on a fielding error, advancing to third on a fielder's choice and throwing error, then scoring on another fielding error.
The Golden Flashes added a second run in the next inning after a triple to left center by Chris Tremblay knocked in Todd Balduf, who doubled to right center.
Kurt Eichorn tripled to center field in the third to move the KSU lead to 4-0, then Andrew Davis doubled off the high wall in right center to score another run. Balduf drove a sac fly to right, then Tremblay set down a sac bunt to score the final run of the inning for the Golden Flashes. After three innings, KSU led 7-0.
Ball State used the long ball to climb back into the game with two runs in the fifth inning as seniors C.J. Webb (Mascoutah, Ill./Mascoutah) and Chris Pestle (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) each hit solo shots. Webb drove his third home run of the season to right field, while Pestle followed that two batters later by nailing his sixth of the year over the left field wall.
Back-to-back doubles in the sixth by seniors Mike Sullivan (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) and Brad Miller (Muncie, Ind./Central) led to BSU's third run. Sullivan's hit extended his streak to 11 games, the second highest this season for a Ball State batter. Two straight walks of Webb and senior Kyle Dygert (Angola, Ind./Angola) loaded the bases with just one out. Pestle drove in another run with a single to left, scoring Miller from third base to cut the score to 7-4.
In the eighth, Dygert drilled a two-run shot over the right field wall to cut it to a one-run game. He drove in Webb, who singled to center field, on his third homer of the year.
Sullivan led off the ninth with a single through the left side, but the Cardinals couldn't advance him before the end of the game.
Redshirt-sophomore Ben Snyder (Bellevue, Ohio/Bellevue) (3-3) pitched seven innings, giving up six hits, six earned runs and one walk with five strikeouts in the loss.
KSU's Chad Wagler (5-3) picked up the win after going 5.1 innings, surrendering seven hits, four earned runs, two walks and posting two strikeouts.
The Cardinals and Golden Flashes will square-off at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, both at Schoonover Stadium.
