Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Michigan
Baseball Drops Final Non-Conference Game Of Regular Season
May 19, 2010 | Baseball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Ball State baseball team closed out the non-conference portion of the 2010 regular season Tuesday evening with a 16-10 loss at Big Ten power Michigan. The loss drops the Cardinals to 27-25 overall while Michigan improves to 32-19 on the year.
Sophomore Ian Nielsen (La Porte, Ind./La Porte) drove in three runs and tallied three hits in the loss, including his 10th home run of the year. Freshman Blake Beemer (Clayton, Ohio/Northmont) reached base three times and drove in two runs as the Cardinals posted 14 hits in the loss. Michigan was paced by Ryan LaMarre's four hits as it notched 22 hits in the victory.
Ball State came out of the gate swinging against Michigan right-hander Kyle Clark in the top of the first inning. Junior T.J. Baumet (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) and Beemer opened the game with back-to-back singles to put two aboard.
Junior Kolbrin Vitek (Bryan, Ohio/Bryan) drove in the game's first run as he grounded out to shortstop to plate Baumet. Nielsen put the Cardinals in front by a 3-0 score as he hit a towering two-run home run over the brick wall in left field for his 10th long ball of the season.
Michigan answered back in the bottom of the first inning against senior right-hander Brad Piatt (Galveston, Ind./Lewis Cass). The Wolverines posted three straight base hits to open the inning as they narrowed the gap to 3-1on an RBI single by LaMarre. Piatt buckled down and worked his way out of the inning without any more damage as he stranded the bases loaded.
Ball State retook a three-run lead in the top of the third inning. Beemer struck for the Cardinals' second home run of the game as he hit a full count pitch over the right center field wall for his second of the season.
Michigan tied the score in the bottom of the third inning and chase Piatt from the game. LaMarre led off the inning with a single and Chris Berset drew a walk to put two aboard. Coley Crank followed with his team-leading 11th home run of the season to left field to tie the game at 4-4.
Ball State took a 5-4 lead in the top of the fourth inning to chase Clark from the game. The Cardinals took advantage of a hit by pitch and a walk to put two aboard. Senior Ryan Chenoweth (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) quickly loaded the bases against left-handed reliever Eric Katzman as he reached on a bunt single. The Cardinals scored their fifth run of the game as Beemer drew a bases loaded walk.
Michigan responded in the bottom half of the inning against three BSU relievers as it sent 11 batters to the plate. The Wolverines scored seven runs in the inning as they strung together five straight singles to lead off the inning and got a three-run home run from Crank to take an 11-5 lead.
The Cardinals chipped away at the deficit in the top of the fifth inning as freshman Stephen Claypool (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child) ripped an opposite field one out double. After a walk to Kirby Campbell (Muncie, Ind./Cowan) put two aboard, sophomore Tim Issler (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) dropped a single up the middle to plate Claypool.
Ball State narrowed the gap to 11-7 as freshman Kevin Franchetti (Highland, Ind./Andrean) dropped a single into right center field to plate Campbell. Michigan added four more runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 15-8 lead.
The Cardinals threatened for the final time in the top of the eighth inning as it scored two runs and had the bases loaded before Michigan thwarted the threat. Nielsen drove in his third run of the afternoon with a ground ball out and Issler picked up an RBI as he drew a bases loaded walk. Michigan brought in reliever Kolby Wood with the bases loaded and two outs in the inning before striking out pinch hitter Zach Dygert (Angola, Ind./Angola) to end the inning.
Brothers (2-3) was charged with the loss as he allowed four runs on four hits in 1.0 inning of work as he was one of six Cardinal pitchers. Eric Katzman (5-2) earned the victory as he worked two-thirds of an inning of scoreless baseball while Wood notched his second save by tossing 1.1 innings of shutout relief.
Ball State closes out the 2010 regular season this weekend with a pivotal three-game Mid-American Conference series at Toledo beginning Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. The Cardinals hold a one-game lead over both Toledo and Central Michigan heading into the final weekend for the top spot in the MAC with an 18-6 league record.
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