Baseball Suffers 7-6 Loss vs. West Virginia

Saturday, February 28

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

3:00 PM

Ball State University

5-4

West Virginia

4-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Ball State Cardinals	0	0	3	2	0	0	0	1	0	6	10	3
West Virginia	2	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	X	7	10	0

March 01, 2015 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Ball State Athletics

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After falling behind 7-0 early in Saturday's game vs. West Virginia, Ball State's baseball team rallied back with six runs but fell short and suffered a 7-6 loss in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

"Our boys battled all day long," Ball State head coach Rich Maloney said. "We are impressed by the number of guys contributing. The two games against Illinois had the feel of being in the NCAA Tournament. Two great pitching duels with both teams playing their hearts out. The game against West Virginia tested our resolve as we had to come from a 7-0 deficit to just fall short. Our kids compete and I love that."

The Cardinals rallied for three runs in the top of the third to close the gap to 7-3. Alex Maloney led off the inning with an infield single, and that was followed by a Ryan Spaulding RBI double off the wall in right field. Elbert Devarie was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second before Alex Call doubled to right to score Spaulding and close the gap to 7-2. With runners on second and third, Jarett Rindfleisch hit a grounder to third and was out via fielder's choice but scored Devarie to make it 7-3 after three.

Alex Maloney added a two-run homer over the left field wall in the top of the fourth and Ball State closed the gap to 7-5.

Sean Kennedy hit a solo HR on the first pitch in the top of the eighth to bring the Cardinals within 7-6, but Ball State could not tie the game in the ninth despite getting runners on first and second.

Ball State used five pitchers in the game with the last four holding West Virginia to no runs and four hits, while striking out seven. Trevor Henderson started the game and was credited with the loss, while Colin Brockhouse, Trevor Simon, David Current and B.J. Butler all saw action.

Alex Maloney was 3-for-4 on the day with two RBI and two runs scored. Kennedy, Spaulding and Call managed two hits apiece to pace the Cardinals' offense.

Ball State fell to 5-4 on the season, while West Virginia improved to 4-5 on the year.

The loss came only an hour after Ball State defeated 25^th-ranked Illinois 2-1 earlier in the day. The Cardinals will play Coastal Carolina at its home stadium Sunday at 1 p.m. before heading to Port Charlotte, Fla., for games Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the team's spring break trip.