Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Kent State
Baumet's Ninth-Inning Blast Propels Baseball To Sweep
March 30, 2008 | Baseball
KENT, Ohio -- Ball State freshman third baseman T.J. Baumet picked a good time to hit his first career home run.
With Ball State and Kent State tied 5-5 in the top of the ninth inning Sunday, Baumet stepped to the plate with two outs and cranked a pitch over the left field wall for what proved to be the game-winning run.
That run was all Ball State closer Kyle Heyne needed. Heyne entered in the bottom of the ninth inning and shut the door on the Golden Flashes to preserve the 6-5 win. The fifth-year senior picked up his second save in as many days.
With the win, Ball State completed a three-game sweep of Kent State in the first Mid-American Conference series for both teams.
Baumet's home run atoned for a pair of unearned runs the Cardinals allowed in the late innings. Ball State led 5-3 through six innings, but the Golden Flashes scored an unearned run in the seventh and one more in the eighth to tie the game heading into the ninth.
Ball State starting pitcher Kolbrin Vitek pitched well and was in line for the win until Kent State knotted the game. The freshman right-hander pitched seven strong innings. He allowed four runs, but only two of them were earned. Vitek struck out six batters and walked just one as Ball State improved to 6-0 in games he has started.
As it had done the first two days of the series, Ball State took the game's first lead. Left fielder Kory Benbow took a second-inning pitch deep over the left field wall to put the Cardinals on top 1-0.
Unlike the first two games of the series, however, Kent State responded in the bottom of the second inning to take its first lead of the weekend. The Golden Flashes picked up a pair of runs on RBI doubles from center fielder Jared Bartholomew and second baseman Doug Sanders to grab a 2-1 lead.
Kent State extended its lead in the fifth with an unearned run on an RBI groundout from left fielder Anthony Gallas.
Ball State's big inning came in the sixth, when the Cardinals scored four runs to take a 5-3 lead. Shortstop Dean Anna was hit by a pitch, and center fielder Wayne Bond Jr. followed with a single. After the pair advanced on a balk, they came home to score on double from right fielder Justin Rogers to tie the game 3-3. Benbow then drew a walk and later came home, along with Rogers, on a double from designated hitter Nate Fields as Ball State took the lead.
Relief pitcher Tom Mueller earned the win for Ball State after entering with the game tied to pick up the final out of the eighth inning. Mueller improved his record to 2-0 on the season.
Kent State's Chris Tremblay led all players in the game with three hits. Rogers and Fields each recorded a game-high two RBI.
Ball State now returns to Muncie for five straight games at Ball Diamond. The Cardinals host Indiana Tech on Tuesday and Dayton on Wednesday. Both games are slated to start at 3 p.m. Ball State then remains home for a weekend MAC series with Buffalo starting Friday.
