Ball State University
Belmont
Baseball Falls One Run Short In Loss At Belmont
February 25, 2007 | Baseball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Ball State baseball team fought back from a three-run deficit Sunday at Belmont, but the Cardinals comeback fell one run short in a 5-4 loss.
Ball State threatened to even the score in the eighth inning after a leadoff single from Matt Stoeklen put the tying run on first base, but the Cardinals were unable to bring him home.
Later in the inning, Ryan Chenoweth hit the ball hard but right at Belmont left fielder Ben Petsch. The Cardinals had one more chance in the ninth inning when Zach Dygert laced a ball deep to left field, but Bruin outfielder Kane Simmons made a circus catch at the wall to take away an extra base hit.
Chenoweth, Stoeklen and Kory Benbow each had two of Ball State's nine hits as a team. It was Chenoweth who provided much of the Cardinals' offense on the day.
Trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning, Ball State had two outs before Benbow got a rally going with his second single of the game. After Benbow stole second base, Chenoweth blasted a home run to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. The ball sailed over the left center field fence for Chenoweth's second home run of the season.
After Belmont took the lead back on a Branson McCall two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth and expanded the lead to 5-2 with a two-run fifth inning, Chenoweth helped Ball State chip away at the deficit. The freshman laced an RBI double in the sixth inning to score Justin Rogers, cutting Belmont's lead to 5-3.
In the seventh inning, another Ball State freshman was in the middle of the action. Jeremy Hazelbaker notched a one-out double and later advanced to third base. With runners on the corners, Hazelbaker came home when Belmont catcher Brady Manifold threw the ball into center field, attempting to catch Ball State's Wayne Bond stealing second. Hazelbaker's run, Ball State's last run of the day, cut Belmont's lead to one run.
While the Cardinals were coming from behind, Ball State relief pitcher Richie Fralick was shutting down the Belmont hitters. Fralick entered the game in the fifth inning and threw the final four innings for Ball State without having a run charged to him. The senior allowed just four hits in his four innings of work.
With the loss, Ball State drops to 1-6 on the season and wraps up its play in the Music City Challenge. The Cardinals return to action next weekend with a three-game series at Austin Peay.
