Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Toledo
Baseball Falls Victim To Toledo Comeback In Thursday Loss
May 15, 2008 | Baseball
TOLEDO, Ohio -- The Ball State baseball team scored five runs in the first inning Thursday at Toledo. The Cardinals, however, could not manage a run the rest of the way and fell 6-5 in 11 innings.
Left fielder Kory Benbow led Ball State offensively with two hits and two RBI, while five other Cardinals recorded one hit. Ball State tallied three hits in its five-run first inning, but the Cardinals managed just four hits over the final 10 frames.
Toledo plated the tying run in the eighth inning, and then the teams traded scoreless innings until the 11th. In the bottom of the 11th inning, the Rockets loaded the bases with no outs. Designated hitter Aaron Dudley then came to the plate and hit a ground ball through the right side of the infield for the game-winner.
Toledo first baseman Josh Colliver led all players in the game with four hits, while Dudley posted a team-high two RBI.
Ball State (26-22, 11-10 MAC) wasted no time getting started Thursday, breaking things open with five runs in the top of the first inning. Shortstop Dean Anna led off the inning with a single and later scored on an RBI single from designated hitter Justin Rogers. The Cardinals then loaded the bases with a walk and a hit batter before Benbow brought two more runs home with a double. Ball State tacked on another two runs on a passed ball and a double steal play to build a 5-0 advantage.
After that opening inning, Toledo starter Justin Collop settled in and pitched 8.1 scoreless innings. Collop wound up with a no-decision, while Chris Fields earned the win after pitching the final 1.2 innings.
Toledo (17-30, 9-12 MAC) started to chip away immediately at the Cardinals' early lead. The Rockets plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning, one run in the second and one more in the third on a solo home run from center fielder Drew Hoisington, cutting the Ball State lead to 5-4.
The game then turned into a pitchers' duel through the middle innings with neither team able to manage a run until Toledo broke through in the eighth.
A pair of singles in the eighth put Toledo runners on first and second, and a wild pitch moved them to second and third. Second baseman Chris Dudics then recorded an RBI ground out to tie the game 5-5.
After a scoreless ninth inning, both teams had an opportunity to score in the 10th. In the top half, Ball State loaded the bases with one out, but a strikeout and a pop out ended the inning. In the bottom half, Toledo moved the potential winning run to third base with one out, but Ball State pitcher Kyle Heyne also recorded a strikeout and a pop out to preserve the tie.
The Cardinals then put the leadoff runner on base in the 11th inning and moved runners to first and third with two outs, but they were again unable to plate a run.
The 11-inning game was the longest for Ball State since and 11-inning contest against Kent State in the 2006 MAC Tournament semifinals. It was the first loss for the Cardinals in their last eight extra-inning games.
One highlight for Ball State came in the fifth inning. With a one-out double, Ball State center fielder Wayne Bond Jr. broke the school record for most consecutive games with a hit. Bond extended his hitting streak to 25 games, surpassing the previous record of 24, which was set by former Cardinal Larry Bigbie in 1999.
Ball State and Toledo are back in action Friday with the second game of a three-game series. The first pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
