Baseball Wins at Western Michigan by 11-8 Margin

Saturday, May 2

Kalamazoo, Mich.

1:00 PM

Ball State University

26-18, 0

Western Michigan

18-23, 0

Ball State Cardinals

Western Michigan

Rindfleisch Leads Baseball to 4-0 Win over Miami U.

May 02, 2015 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Ball State Athletics

Ball State's baseball team tallied an 11-8 win at Western Michigan with the help of six runs in the final three innings to improve to 26-18 overall and 11-9 in the Mid-American Conference.

The Cardinals and Broncos will complete the three-game series Sunday with a 1 p.m. game in Kalamazoo, Mich., after splitting the first two contests.

Ball State raced out to a 5-1 lead after three innings before Western Michigan responded with a five-run fourth inning to take a 6-5 advantage. After the Broncos put up two more scores in the sixth to take an 8-5 lead, the Cardinals rallied for six runs in the final three innings, while holding WMU scoreless to secure the victory.

B.J. Butler pitched the final 3.2 innings to earn the win and even his record to 4-4 on the mound. He allowed zero runs on three hits and struck out three to seal the victory for the Cardinals.

With Ball State down 8-5 in the top of the seventh, Jarett Rindfleisch hit a two-out solo home run to pull the Cardinals within an 8-6 deficit.

In the top of the eighth, Scott Tyler led off with a double to right field. Brandon Estep and Ryan Spaulding walked to load the bases. Alex Maloney walked to score one and a pair of sacrifice flies by Sean Kennedy and Elbert Devarie put Ball State in the lead 9-8.

The Cardinals added two more runs in the ninth after Tyler was hit by a pitch and Estep pounded a two-run homer to secure the win for Ball State as Butler sent the Broncos scoreless for a third straight inning in the bottom half of the ninth.

Rindfleisch was 4-for-5 with two runs-batted-in and two runs scored. Estep was 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.