Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Vanderbilt
Baseball Falls To No. 1 Vanderbilt, Visits Belmont Sunday
February 24, 2007 | Baseball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - In chilly, rainy conditions at Hawkins Field, the Ball State baseball team lost Saturday to Vanderbilt on the second day of the Music City Challenge.
The Cardinals fell to the top-ranked Commodores 15-3.
Ball State scored its three runs late in the game. The Cardinals loaded the bases in the top of the ninth inning on singles from Joe Mack, Jeremy Hazelbaker and Matt Gard. Justin Rogers then doubled to left field to bring two runs home. After pinch hitter Mike Ayala had walked to load the bases again, Kory Benbow drew a base on balls to score Ball State's third run.
Vanderbilt, however, had already taken command of the game. After building a 4-0 lead with two runs each in the first and third innings, the nation's No. 1 team expanded its advantage with a five-run fourth.
Vanderbilt notched three hits in the inning and received some help with three Ball State errors. Andrew Giobi and Alex Feinberg each knocked in two Commodore runs in the inning with RBI singles.
The Commodores added one run each in the fifth and sixth innings and then tacked on four more in the eighth.
Ryan Flaherty led the way for Vanderbilt with three RBI, and Kurt Lipton topped the Commodores with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate.
Nick Christiani started the game for Vanderbilt and threw six shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out nine batters, to earn the win. Ball State used four pitchers on the day. Of the 15 runs charged to Cardinal pitchers, only seven were earned.
Matt Gard led the Ball State effort at the plate with three hits in five at bats, and Ryan Chenoweth went 2-for-3 on the day.
The Cardinals gave themselves other chances but were unable to push more runs accross.
In the top of the second inning, Ball State loaded the bases with two outs, but the Cardinals couldn't do any damage. In the third inning, the Cardinals put runners at first and third with one out, but Christiani struck out the next two batters to end the threat. Again in the fifth inning, Ball State put runners in scoring position, loading the bases with two outs. But again, the Cardinals were unable to score a run.
With the loss, Ball State drops to 1-5 on the season, while Vanderbilt improves to 9-0. The Cardinals close out the Music City Challenge Sunday at Belmont with the first pitch slated for 2 p.m. Muncie time.
