Baseball Suffers 7-6 Extra Inning Loss

Sunday, March 1

Conway, S.C

1:00 PM

Ball State University

5-5

Coastal Carolina

7-3

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

March 01, 2015 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Ball State Athletics

Ball State's baseball team fell to Coastal Carolina by a 7-6 margin in a 10-inning battle Sunday afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.

After falling behind 4-1, the Cardinals rallied for four runs in the final three innings of regulation with a Zach Plesac two run home run giving Ball State a 5-4 lead, but a costly error in the ninth allowed Coastal Carolina to tie the game at 5-5.

After Coastal Carolina tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Alex Maloney's 10th-inning infield single up the middle scored Call from third and gave Ball State a 6-5 lead. Call had walked to start the inning and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Rindfleisch. Kennedy grounded out to second and advanced Call to third before he scored on the infield single.

In the bottom of the 10th, Coastal Carolina put runners on first and second and tied the game with a single to right field that scored the tying run on a close play at the plate on a throw from Call to Rindfleisch.

The Chanticleers won the game on a double to left center field to score the game winner from third and moved Coastal Carolina to the 7-6 victory.

Coastal Carolina scored four runs on two outs in the bottom of the third before the Cardinals put up their first score of the game in the fourth when Alex Call scored on an infield single by Sean Kennedy.

Down 4-1 heading into the seventh inning, Ball State scored two more runs to close the gap to 4-3. With Elbert Devarie at the plate and two outs, a wild pitch scored Plesac from third. Devarie's double to right center field scored Matt Eppers and the Cardinals pulled within one run at 4-3.

In the eighth inning, Jarett Rindfleisch walked and advanced to second on an Alex Maloney ground out before Plesac's first career HR went over the wall in left center field over the 400-foot marker and put the Cardinals ahead 5-4.

Plesac was 1-for-3 on the day with two runs-batted-in and two runs scored, while Maloney was 2-for-5 with one RBI.

Brendan Burns started the game on the mound for the Cardinals and pitched 4.0 innings, allowing four earned runs and striking out two. Devin Wilburn came on in relief for two middle innings and allowed no hits or runs before B.J. Butler finished the final 3.2 innings to suffer the loss and fall to 1-1 on the season.

Ball State will continue its Spring Break trip with a Tuesday game vs. Maine in Port Charlotte, Fla., at 4 p.m. The game can be heard live on www.ballstatesports.com with Luke Martin calling the play-by-play.