Ball State University
Coastal Carolina
Baseball Drops 7-3 Decision Friday At Coastal Carolina
March 14, 2008 | Baseball
CONWAY, S.C. -- The Ball State baseball team fell 7-3 Friday at No. 20 Coastal Carolina on the first day of the Chanticleers' Centex Homes Invitational.
Coastal Carolina (14-1) used a six-run fourth inning to take control of the game. Ball State (7-7) managed three runs in the fifth to cut into the lead but could not climb all the way back.
Center fielder Wayne Bond Jr. led the Cardinals with two hits in the game.
Austin Fleet earned the win for Coastal Carolina after allowing three runs in six innings, while Brenden Stines took the loss for Ball State.
Coastal Carolina took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the third inning, breaking a scoreless tie on an opposite field, solo home run off the bat of left fielder Chance Gilmore.
The Chanticleers then opened up a commanding 7-0 lead with six runs in the fourth inning. Designated hitter Tommy Baldridge led off the inning with a solo home run to the exact location Gilmore had homered an inning earlier. Coastal Carolina then went on to bat around in the inning, collecting four more hits and plating five more runs. Chanticleer catcher Dock Doyle, who led all players in the game with three hits, closed the scoring with a two-run homer.
Ball State bounced back quickly with three runs in the top of the fifth inning to close the gap. The Cardinals plated runs on RBI groundouts from catcher Alex Schmid and shortstop Dean Anna. Bond then brought home the third run on an RBI single.
The Cardinals tried to rally in the top of the ninth inning with back-to-back singles from second baseman Jeremy Hazelbaker and designated hitter Kolbrin Vitek to lead off the frame. Coastal Carolina's Nick McCully then induced a ground ball double play and struck out the final batter to preserve the win and earn a save.
Stines pitched six innings and held Coastal Carolina in check with the exception of the fourth inning. Tom Mueller came out of the Cardinals' bullpen to throw the final two innings, allowing just one hit.
Ball State returns to action Saturday with a pair of games. The Cardinals will play 25th-ranked Michigan at 11 a.m. and then face Presbyterian College at 6 p.m. Ball State will close the weekend with another contest against Presbyterian College Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
