Cards Drop Game Two Of Weekend Series At Western Michigan

Saturday, April 28

Kalamazoo, Mich.

1 p.m.

Ball State University

Western Michigan

Cards Drop Game Two Of Weekend Series At Western Michigan

April 28, 2007 | Baseball

By: Ball State Athletics

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Ball State baseball team got off to a quick start Saturday but lost its second straight game to Western Michigan, 7-2.

Wayne Bond led off the game with his second home run of the season to give the Cardinals the early lead. Ball State, though, managed only one more run the rest of the day. Zach Dygert plated that run on an RBI double in the fourth inning.

Ball State (15-27, 4-13 MAC) and Western Michigan (15-19, 8-6 MAC) will close out their weekend series Sunday at 1 p.m.

Saturday's game turned in Western Michigan's favor in the fifth inning. With Ball State trailing 3-2 in the top of the fifth, the Cardinals put runners on second and third base after a single from Bond and a double from Eric Earnhart. But the Cardinals left those runners stranded, and Western Michigan maintained the lead.

The Broncos then rode that momentum from keeping Ball State off the board into a three-run bottom of the fifth. Western Michigan scored one run on a Chris Lewis RBI fielder's choice ground ball. The Broncos then added two more runs on a Joe Sheets two-RBI triple to take a 6-2 lead.

Western Michigan picked up an insurance run in the sixth inning, which was more than enough for Bronco starter Billy Morrison. The right-hander pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on eight hits to earn the win. Morrison held Ball State without a hit over the final four innings.

At the plate, Matt Abro led Western Michigan with three hits. Abro, Lewis and Sheets each recorded two RBI.

Bond, Earnhart and Dygert each had two hits for Ball State, while Matt Stoeklen doubled in the fourth inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, matching the longest streak for a Cardinal this season.