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Western Michigan
Baseball Closes Series At Western Michigan With 7-6 Win
April 27, 2008 | Baseball
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Ball State baseball team earned a 7-6 victory Sunday at Western Michigan to close the weekend on a high note and take two of three games from the Broncos in the weekend series.
The Cardinals (24-16, 9-6 MAC) scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning and then turned the game over to closer Kyle Heyne for the final three frames.
Heyne eased through the seventh and eighth innings and then pitched out of a jam in the ninth to finish off the win. Western Michigan loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Heyne induced an infield pop up and a ground out from the next two batters to end the game.
Heyne earned his eighth save of the season, while reliever Tom Mueller earned the win. Mueller came out of the bullpen to pitch 1.1 innings without allowing a run or a hit.
Third baseman Matt Stoeklen led Ball State at the plate with a pair of hits and three RBI. As a team, the Cardinals were out-hit 10-6, but they made the most those six hits.
Western Michigan (21-15-1, 6-9 MAC) plated the game's first run in the second inning when center fielder Kyle Galbraith scored first baseman Matthew Abro on an RBI ground out.
Ball State then took the lead in the third inning, scoring two runs without a hit. The Cardinals drew two walks in the inning and had two batters hit by a pitch. Third baseman Matt Stoeklen brought the first run home on a bases-loaded walk, and designated hitter Joe Mack plated the second with an RBI ground out.
The Cardinals then exploded for four runs with two outs in the fourth inning to extend their lead to 6-1. Center fielder Wayne Bond Jr. and catcher Zach Dygert logged a pair of run-scoring singles, and Stoeklen ripped a two-RBI double as Ball State built a five-run lead.
Western Michigan, however, responded quickly. The Broncos plated five runs in the fifth inning to knot the game at 6-6. Second baseman Zach Gentile ripped a two-RBI double in the inning, and left fielder Chris Lewis brought a run home on an RBI single. Galbraith finished the scoring for the inning with a two-RBI single that evened the contest through five innings.
After a scoreless sixth inning, the Cardinals then scored what proved to be the game-winner in the seventh. With runners on first and third, the Cardinals put a double steal play in motion. Stoeklen broke from first base, drawing a throw that allowed Dygert to score from third.
For Western Michigan, Abro led all players with four hits, while Galbraith logged a team-high three RBI.
Ball State now has four days off for final exams. The Cardinals will return to action next weekend at Ball Diamond with a three-game series against MAC-leading Eastern Michigan.
