Baseball Loses Game One Saturday; 8 p.m Second Game

Saturday, May 23

Avon, Ohio

1:00 PM

Ball State University

32-24

Akron

28-29

Ball State Cardinals

Akron

Baseball Adds Seven, Including Six Pitchers

Baseball Loses Game One Saturday; 8 p.m Second Game

May 23, 2015 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Ball State Athletics

Ball State's baseball team took an 8-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but gave up eight runs to suffer a 9-8 loss to Akron in Saturday's Mid-American Conference Tournament Semifinal contest.

With the Cardinals first loss of the tournament, they will now face Akron in an 8 p.m. game Saturday with the winner advancing to Sunday's noon championship game against Ohio.

After earning the save in Thursday night's game, Scott Baker pitched 8.1 innings, allowing only one run into the ninth inning and four in the game, while striking out six. But the Ball State bullpen used three pitchers and allowed five runs in the loss.

A Scott Tyler two-run homer in the ninth appeared to be insurance runs in the game, but only increased the Cardinals lead to 8-1 before the ninth inning Akron rally.

Ball State's Brandon Estep laced a two-out single in the sixth inning and the Cardinals three-run seventh inning boosted the Cardinals to 5-1 lead after seven. Estep laced a two-out single down the left field line in the sixth to score Zach Plesac, who entered the game to play first base after an injury to Caleb Stayton, and put Ball State in an early 2-1 lead.

In the seventh inning, Alex Maloney led off the inning with a double down the right field line and an Elbert Devarie high chopper infield single moved Maloney to third. An Akron passed ball scored Maloney and the Cardinals led 3-1. With no outs and Devarie at second, Ball State's leading hitter Alex Call bunted for a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jarett Rindfleisch hit a sacrifice fly to right field and the Cardinals led 4-1. Ryan Spaulding executed a perfect squeeze bunt and scored Devarie to stretch the lead to 5-1.

All was going the Cardinals way until the epic ninth inning rally by Akron and forced a second game Saturday.

Rindfleisch was 3-for-4 in the game with two runs-batted-in and one run scored. Tyler was 2-for-2 with two RBI and one run scored. Maloney and Estep also added two hits apiece in the loss.