Ball State University Athletics
Baseball Two Outs Away From Tourney Win Versus Central Michigan
May 25, 2006 | Baseball
The Cardinals lead 12-5 with one out in the ninth inning against Central Michigan in a game delayed by weather. Play will resume Friday at 10 a.m. The winner will advance to face Kent State immediately following the conclusion of the game.
Ball State played long ball Thursday to open up its lead against the Chippewas.
Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, senior Kyle Dygert gave Ball State the lead with a three-run blast. After Mike Sullivan singled to leadoff, and Justin Rogers later walked, Dygert sent a Ty Dunham pitch high and deep over the right field fence to give the Cardinals a 6-3 lead.
After Central Michigan closed the gap with a run in the top of the seventh inning, Ball State responded with six runs in the bottom of the inning.
The Cardinals loaded the bases, and Justin Rogers and C.J. Webb followed with run-scoring walks. Chris Pestle then stepped to the plate and hammered a grand slam to left center field to extend Ball State's advantage to eight runs. It was Pestle's 10th home run of the season.
On the mound, Tyler Pritchard is in line for the win for Ball State after allowing three runs in six innings of work. Pritchard gave up all three runs in the second inning as Central Michigan jumped out to an early lead.
Pritchard then held the Chippewas without a hit for the next four innings. Kory Bucklew entered from the bullpen to throw the seventh and eighth innings, and Jeff Michael came in to get the first out in the ninth.
After Central Michigan had taken the early lead, Ball State used a two-out rally to score three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the game. Brad Miller doubled to right center, and Justin Rogers drew walk. C.J. Webb and Kyle Dygert followed with RBI singles to cut the deficit to one. With runners on the corners, Dygert broke for second base and got caught in a rundown, allowing Webb to score the tying run from third.
