Baseball Drops Series Opener At SEMO

Friday, February 25

Cape Girardeau, Mo.

3 p.m. (CT)

Ball State University

0-4

Southeast Missouri

4-1

Ball State Cardinals

Southeast Missouri

Winkle Honored by College Sports Madness

February 26, 2011 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Ball State Athletics

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - - The Ball State (0-4) baseball team's late game rally fell short Friday afternoon, as the Cardinals suffered a 12-7 setback to Southeast Missouri State (4-1) in the opening game of a three-game series at SEMO's Capaha Field.

The Cardinals fell behind 3-0 after the first inning, only to tie the score by the fourth. However, a seven-run fifth inning from the RedHawks left Ball State trailing 10-3. BSU added a pair of runs in both the sixth and seventh innings, but could not force any more runs across, losing the game 12-7.

Sophomore center fielder Wes Winkle (Muncie, Ind./Yorktown H.S.) paced the Cardinals with three runs on the day, while going 2-for-5 at the plate and reaching on a fielder's choice. He also stole a pair of bases.

Junior designated hitter Cody Elliott (Florence, Ky./Beachwood H.S.) and sophomore third baseman Stephen Claypool (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn Divine H.S.) also collected a pair of hits each for the Cardinals, while sophomore left fielder Kirby Campbell (Muncie, Ind./Cowen H.S.) collected the game's only home run and drew a pair of walks.

Kenton Parmley and Michael Adamson each collected four hits for Southeast Missouri State, while Nick Harris collected a team-high three RBI.

After a rough first inning, in which he allowed three earned runs, BSU starting pitcher Cal Bowling (Muncie, Ind./Yorktown H.S.) settled into the game allowing just two hits in his final three innings of work, while striking out a pair of batters. Freshman Jacob Brewer (South Bend, Ind./South Bend H.S.) suffered the loss for the Cardinals, allowing four of the seven runs in SEMO's seven-run fifth.

Kirk Boeller picked up the win for SEMO, pitching 1.2 innings of relief for starter Jordan Underwood. Boeller gave up just two hits and two runs (one earned) in his time on the mound.

The RedHawks capitalized on a four early hits, as a pair of singles followed by back-to-back doubles gave the hosts an early 3-0 advantage. SEMO went on to load the bases with one out, but a timely double play started by BSU senior shortstop T.J. Baumet (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg H.S.) stopped the Southeast Missouri rally.

The Cardinals got two of the runs back in the top of the second frame thanks to back-to-back bases loaded errors from SEMO's shortstop Kenton Parmley. Junior second baseman Mitch Widau (Richmond, Ind./Richmond H.S.) started the Cardinals' rally with a one-out single. Two batters later, a single from Winkle gave BSU runners at first and second with two outs.

A Campbell walk loaded the bases, while Baumet and designated hitter Elliott followed with grounders that the SEMO shortstop bobbled to allow a pair of Cardinals' to score.

A pair of one-out stolen bases by Winkle helped Ball State tie the score in the top of the fourth, as a Baumet single to right field drove in BSU's center fielder to make the score 3-3.

Unfortunately, a seven-run fifth inning gave the RedHawks control of the scoreboard at 10-3.

Ball State got two of the runs back in the top of the sixth thanks to a lead-off home run from K. Campbell and a two-out bases-loaded walk from Widau.

One-out RBI singles from Elliott and Claypool in the top of the seventh cut the lead to three, at 10-7. With bases loaded after the Claypool single, a ground ball to the pitcher resulted in an inning-ending double play.

SEMO added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to reach the game's final score of 12-7.

The Cardinals and RedHawks continue their three-game series Saturday with a 1 p.m . (CT) first pitch at Capaha Field.