Ball State University Athletics
Early Home Runs Lift Baseball Team Over Indiana State
May 09, 2006 | Baseball
Ball State played long ball in Tuesday's 9-4 victory over Indiana State at Ball Diamond in the team's final home game of the season.
The Cardinals scored their first six runs of the game on four home runs, including two by catcher Matt Singleton. Singleton's blasts were his first of the season on his way to a 4-for-4 effort at the plate.
On the mound, Cardinals' starting pitcher Jay Broughton threw 5.1 innings of shutout baseball, allowing four Sycamore hits, to earned his third win of the season. Out of the bullpen, Jeff Michael, Kory Bucklew and Kyle Heyne combined to close out the game.
The Cardinals extended their winning streak to seven games and will look to match their season-high of eight consecutive victories when they travel to Cincinnati for a non-conference contest Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Against Indiana State, Singleton got the scoring started in the first inning with a two-run home run to left center field. His homer scored Eric Earnhart, who had drawn a walk to lead off the bottom of the inning.
Two innings later, right fielder Justin Rogers belted a solo home run to nearly the same spot to extend Ball State's lead to 3-0.
Two more home runs in the sixth inning put the game out of reach. Second baseman Kyle Dygert led off the inning with a solo blast to right field. Later in the inning, Earnhart reached on a single to center, and Singleton drove him home again on a homer to left. Singleton's bomb pushed the Ball State lead to 6-0.
Indiana State put runners in scoring position in both the third and fourth innings, but Broughton was able to work out of both jams.
In the sixth inning, the Sycamores put runners on first and second with one out and their clean-up hitter Nevin Ashley coming to the plate. Jeff Michael entered the game and induced Ashley to ground into an inning-ending double play. Ashley, who entered the game batting .404, went 0-for-4 from the plate on the day.
The Cardinals picked up another run in the seventh inning on an RBI groundout by Dygert that scored Brad Miller from third base. Miller had reached on a double to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a Rogers single.
Indiana State finally got on the board in the final innings. The Sycamores broke through with three runs in the eighth inning and added another in the ninth. But Ball State had already scored all the runs it would need.
The Cardinals picked up two insurance runs in their final at bat. Nate Fields led off the inning with a walk, stole second base and scored when Earnhart reached on a throwing error. Earnhart later came home on an RBI single by center fielder Mike Sullivan, scoring the Cardinals final run of the day.
