Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Toledo
Cards Fall Victim To Toledo Comeback In Friday's Opener
May 04, 2007 | Baseball
TOLEDO, Ohio - The Ball State baseball team built a four-run lead Friday at Toledo only to watch it slip away in the late innings.
The Rockets (20-21, 9-10 MAC) came from behind to deal the Cardinals (16-28, 5-14 MAC) a 6-4 loss in the first game of this weekend's three-game series.
Game two of the series is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday.
Ball State took a 4-0 lead Friday in the top of the seventh inning, but Toledo found the scoreboard with one run in the bottom of the seventh and then poured on five runs in the eighth for the win.
The Rockets recorded four hits in the eighth inning and had the aid of two Ball State errors and two hit batters. All five of the runs in the inning were unearned. Joel Visser brought home the game-tying run with a single, and Josh Johnson plated the winning run on a fielder's choice ground ball. Jake Oester followed with a run-scoring single to provide some insurance and give the Rockets a 6-4 advantage.
Jeff Cinadr came out of the bullpen for Toledo in the ninth inning to send the Cardinals down in order and pick up the save. Justin Collop earned the win after throwing a scoreless eighth inning.
For Ball State, Brenden Stines was the hard-luck loser. Stines gave up five runs on five hits, but only one of the five runs was earned. After giving up a single to lead off the bottom of the first inning, Stines settled in and didn't allow another hit until the seventh inning. He allowed only one baserunner during that stretch on a walk but immediately induced a ground ball double play to cancel that runner out.
After issuing that walk in the second inning, Stines retired the next 13 batters in order. He finished the game with six strikeouts and just one walk in 7.1 innings.
Toledo managed two hits and one run off of Stines in the seventh inning before exploding for its five-run eighth.
Ball State was led at the plate by Wayne Bond, Eric Earnhart and Nate Fields with two hits each. Matt Stoeklen and Tyler Rogers both logged two RBI.
The Cardinals built their lead with one run in the first inning, two in the sixth and one in the top of the seventh. Stoeklen plated the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Rogers brought home the two sixth-inning runs on a single down the right field line. Stoeklen then singled in the seventh inning to bring home the Cardinals' fourth run.
Stoeklen's single extended his hitting streak to 15 games, the longest streak for a Cardinal this season. On a day with the win blowing in, however, Stoeklen had his 11-game extra base hit streak snapped. No player in Friday's game recorded an extra base hit.
