Cardinals Sweep Home Doubleheader From Dayton

Friday, March 18

Muncie, Ind.

1:30 PM

Ball State University

9-9

Dayton - GM 1

3-12

Dayton

Ball State

March 18, 2016 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Box Score - Game 1 Box Score - Game 2

By: Ball State Athletics

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team opened its 2016 home schedule with a pair of wins over Dayton Friday afternoon by scores of 9-3 and 6-1.

Solid starting pitching and a big fifth inning highlighted both games for Ball State (10-9), which won its home opener for the fourth consecutive season.

Junior starting pitcher Kevin Marnon (3-2) worked through a shaky first inning in game one, but settled down to pitch seven innings, striking out five and giving up three runs.

The Cardinals only managed two hits over the first four innings before coming alive in the fifth. Ball State batted around that inning and scored six times, all with two outs. Junior Jarett Rindfleisch started the rally with an RBI double down the left field line. Junior Alex Maloney followed with a two-run single to center field to put Ball State ahead for good, 3-2.

Juniors Matt Eppers and Sean Kennedy also came through with clutch hits to stretch the cushion to 6-2 before Dayton (3-13) could get out of the inning.

Rindfleisch added a two-run home run to right field in the sixth inning to make the score, 9-2. The catcher finished game one 3-for-5 at the plate with a home run, double, three RBIs and two runs scored.

The second game saw Ball State jump out in front in the first inning on junior Caleb Stayton's RBI single and the Cardinals never looked back. Stayton chipped in with another RBI in the third to extend the lead to 2-0.

In the fifth inning, the Cardinals capitalized on a pair of walks and three doubles to score four more times. Rindfleisch, Eppers and Kennedy all tallied two-baggers in the inning to help Ball State break open the game.

Sophomore pitcher Colin Brockhouse (2-2) equaled a team season high with eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings to pick up his second win. The only run allowed by Brockhouse came in the seventh inning off a Mark Giesler leadoff home run.

The two teams will continue their four-game series tomorrow, March 19 with a single game beginning at 2 p.m.

For the most up-to-date information on the Ball State baseball team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateBB and @CoachMaloney.