Ball State University
Louisville
Ball State Loses Battle Of The Cardinals 8-2 At Louisville
March 20, 2007 | Baseball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In its final tune-up for conference play, the Ball State baseball team lost 8-2 Tuesday to Big East opponent Louisville.
After pounding out season-highs with 11 runs and 18 hits Sunday, Ball State could manage only two runs on five hits Tuesday. Five players recorded one hit each for Ball State against Louisville.
Ball State returns to Muncie to open the Mid-American Conference portion of its schedule this weekend. The Cardinals will host Akron in a three-game series with the first game scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m.
Ball State fell behind 4-0 early in Tuesday's game. After going scoreless with only three baserunners through the first six innings, the Cardinals found some offense in the top of the seventh.
Ball State sent seven batters to the plate in the seventh and picked up three hits on the way to scoring two runs. The Cardinals recorded their first hits since the first inning with back-to-back one-out singles from Eric Earnhart and Kory Benbow. Joe Mack then reached on an error to load the bases for Zach Dygert, who singled through the right side to score Ball State's two runs.
But as quickly as Ball State had picked up two runs, the Cardinals gave them back. Louisville responded with two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-RBI single off the bat of pinch hitter Alec Lowrey to regain its four-run lead at 6-2.
Louisville then tacked on two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and sent Ball State down in order in the ninth to secure the win.
Louisville starting pitcher James Belanger earned the win, while Ball State's Brad Piatt picked up his first loss of the season.
Louisville scored its first four runs in the first four innings. In the third inning, Louisville broke open a scoreless tie with two runs on two hits and one Ball State error. In the fourth inning, Louisville picked up two more runs on a Chris Dominguez RBI single and a Pete Rodriguez sacrifice fly.
In the loss for Ball State, Wayne Bond extended his hitting streak to five games, but Matt Stoeklen's streak came to an end at nine games.
