Ball State University
31-24
Northern Illinois - GM 1
24-29
Ball State Concludes Regular Season With 4-3 Win
May 21, 2016 | Baseball
DeKALB, Ill. – The Ball State baseball team split a Friday doubleheader at Northern Illinois, dropping the opener by a score of 3-2, but rebounding to take the finale, 4-3. The Cardinals wrap up the 2016 regular season with a record of 32-24.
Junior Alex Call was a major factor in the win as the right fielder went 3-for-5 with a home run, double and two RBIs. He led off the game with his team-leading 13th home run. In the fifth, Call ripped an RBI double down the left field line to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
After Northern Illinois (24-30) tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, Ball State took the lead for good with two runs in the eighth. Junior Jarett Rindfleisch brought home fellow junior Alex Maloney with a sacrifice fly for the go-ahead run. Junior Caleb Stayton scored an insurance run a few pitches later, which proved to be huge as the Huskies mustered one more run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Ball State's bullpen held Northern Illinois to just two hits the final four innings. Junior pitcher BJ Butler (6-0) picked up the win as the righty blanked NIU in the seventh and eighth innings.
In game one, Northern Illinois scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. The Huskies worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth and then limited the Cardinals to only two hits the final four frames.
This was just the third time all year Ball State lost a game when holding the opposition to three runs or less (21-3).
Call led the offense once again, going 3-for-5 with a pair of triples. Rindfleisch and senior Scott Tyler notched Ball State's two RBIs.
Sophomore Mitch Gibson gave the Cardinals a chance to win the game. The reliever tossed the final four innings and allowed only one hit.
The Cardinals will be the No. 2 seed in next week's MAC Tournament. Ball State will find out its opening opponent after tomorrow's games are complete. The MAC Tournament runs from May 25-29.
For the most up-to-date information on the Ball State baseball team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateBB and @CoachMaloney.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: OLSON, Ryan (6-7)
L: Burns, Brendan (5-4)
S: BLANTON, Ryne (9)
Batting:
3B: Call, Alex 2
RBI: Rindfleisch, Jarett 1 ; Tyler, Scott 1
SH: Kennedy, Sean 1
SF: Tyler, Scott 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Maloney, Alex 1 ; Stayton, Caleb 1
SB: Call, Alex 1
CS: Spaulding, Ryan 1
HBP: Stayton, Caleb 1
Batting:
2B: HOOK, Tommy 1
RBI: SISLER, Brian 2 ; LETZ, Stephen 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HOOK, Tommy 2 ; ZUBEK, Johnny 1
SB: SISLER, Brian 1 ; LETZ, Stephen 1 ; BRANDNER, Tony 1
