Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
31-23
Toledo
24-32
Baseball Wins MAC Tourney Opener; Faces Akron Thursday
May 21, 2015 | Baseball
Behind an outstanding pitching performance from Zach Plesac and timely hitting by the Ball State baseball team, the Cardinals tallied a 3-2 win in their first game of the Mid-American Conference Tournament in Avon, Ohio.
The Cardinals will face Ball State vs. the Akron Zips at 8 p.m. Thursday in All Pro Freight Stadium in a winner's bracket contest.
Ball State jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with one run in the top of the second inning on a Scott Tyler single to left center that scored Jarett Rindfleisch. Rindfleisch opened the inning with a single to center field and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ryan Spaulding. Tyler's single scored the run, but he was thrown out trying to stretch the play into a double to end the inning.
In the top of the third, Alex Maloney's single to right center advanced Matt Eppers, who had walked to lead off the inning, to third and put runners on the corner. Elbert Devarie ripped a single to center to score Eppers and the Cardinals led 2-0 on four hits in the first three innings.
Ball State continued the scoring with another run in the sixth on a Tyler single to center field that scored Rindfleisch, who walked to lead off the inning. The RBI by Tyler increased the Cardinals lead to 3-0.
Toledo mounted a rally in the bottom of the sixth and scored its first run of the game with the help of two Ball State errors and only the Rockets' second hit of the game. With the score, the Cardinals lead was reduced to 3-1 through six innings.
The Rockets threatened again in the seventh before Kennedy ended the possible rally with a diving stab of a line shot down the third base line to end the inning with runners on first and second.
But Toledo did manage to pull within 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth with one run on one hit and one Ball State error.
Plesac, who did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the fourth inning, lasted into one batter in the ninth, allowing only two runs on five hits and striking out seven. B.J. Butler came on in relief and inherited a 2-0 count on the first batter that eventually walked, which was charged to Plesac. Butler got the next batter out on a sacrifice bunt and the following batter moved the runner to third on a deep fly to center field. With two outs and a runner on third, Butler got the final batter of the game to ground out to second and secure the Ball State win.
Scott Tyler was 2-for-3 from the plate with two RBI, while six additional Cardinals tallied one hit apiece in the victory.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Plesac, Zach (5-4)
L: PALMER,Cameron (6-8)
S: Butler, BJ (7)
Batting:
2B: Stayton, Caleb 1
RBI: Devarie, Elbert 1 ; Tyler, Scott 2
SH: Spaulding, Ryan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Rindfleisch, Jarett 2 ; Eppers, Matt 1
SB: Tyler, Scott 1
CS: Call, Alex 1
HBP: Kennedy, Sean 1
Batting:
2B: HANSEN,Matt 1
RBI: TANSEL,Deion 1
SH: SOKOL,Lucas 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MARTILLOTTA,John 1 ; SOKOL,Lucas 1
