Baseball Drops Series Finale At Middle Tennessee 6-1

Sunday, March 11

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

1 p.m. (CT)

Ball State University

3-9

Middle Tennessee

10-6

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Ball State	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	11	0
Middle Tennessee	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	0	X	6	6	1

Baseball Opens Season With 4-3 Victory Over Dayton

Baseball Drops Series Finale At Middle Tennessee 6-1

March 12, 2012 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Ball State Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Despite only allowing six hits, the Ball State baseball team dropped the rubber game of the three-game series at Middle Tennessee Sunday afternoon at Reese Smith Jr. Field. The Cardinals out-hit the Blue Raiders 11-6 in the loss but left 10 runners on base while MTSU took advantage of four BSU walks.

Junior left fielder Dominick Catanzarite (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) posted a career-high three hits in the loss and was one of four Cardinals to post multiple hits. Six Cardinal pitchers combined to limit the Blue Raiders to six hits, including starter Chris Marangon (Maple Valley, Wash./Edmunds CC) who allowed three runs on two hits while working into the fifth inning. Marangon was making his second appearance of the weekend after recording the save Friday night in the Cardinals' victory.

Middle Tennessee (10-6) starter Jonathan Sisco improved to 3-0 on the season as he worked 6.0 innings and allowed one unearned run on seven hits while striking out four. Paul Mittura worked the final 3.0 innings of shutout baseball to earn his first save.

Ball State (3-9) took the lead in the top of the fourth inning. Freshman Brandon Estep (Selma, Ind./Wapahani) continued to swing a hot bat as he posted a two-out single. Catanzarite followed with a single but the throw to get Estep was errant allowing him to score an unearned run for the 1-0 lead. The single by Estep gave him a team-high five hits in the series and bumped his season average to .348.

Middle Tennessee scored all six of its runs in the bottom of the fifth inning against three Cardinals' pitchers. The Blue Raiders posted three hits in the inning and took advantage of two walks to open to a 6-1 lead. Ethan Williams had his second home run of the series in the inning, notching a three-run shot to cap the scoring.

Ball State returns to action next weekend as it continues its season-opening 20-game road swing with a three-game series at nationally ranked Louisville.

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