Saturday, May 19
Muncie, Ind.
11 a.m.
Ball State University
31-24, 17-10
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Western Michigan
23-25, 12-13
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Western Michigan
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Ball State
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Photo by: Michael Hickey
Blankenberger’s Two-Run Bomb Proves The Difference in Ball State’s 6-4 Win
May 19, 2018 | Baseball
MUNCIE, Ind. – Pinch hitter Tim Blankenberger took the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the eighth inning and delivered it over the left center field wall for a two-run home run to give the Ball State baseball team a 6-4 victory over Western Michigan in the regular season finale Saturday afternoon at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
Ball State (31-24, 17-10 MAC) concluded the regular season by winning 12 of its final 14 league games to secure the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament. Western Michigan (23-25, 12-13) needed a win today to claim one of the final two spots in the league tourney.
"I thought the guys continued to show their resiliency," Ball State head coach Rich Maloney said. "We lost the first game and came back to win the next two. It's what they do. Lots of guys contributed today and it was very fitting for Tim Blankenberger, a guy who doesn't get many chances, to come in and hit a pinch-hit home run. It was dramatic."
The Broncos jumped out in front with three runs in the top of the first inning. From there, the Ball State bullpen held WMU to just four hits in the final eight frames. Long reliever Nick Floyd gave the Cardinals a chance at the comeback by pitching five scoreless innings and striking out five batters.
It took Ball State five innings to figure out Western Michigan starting pitcher Jacob Piechota. Three straight hits in the fifth, including back-to-back doubles from sophomore Noah Powell and junior Chase Sebby, finally put Ball State on the board with two runs.
Senior Colin Brockhouse hit a laser shot over the left field fence, his team leading 10th home run, to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning and level the score at 3-all.
After the two teams exchanged runs in the seventh, Blankenberger was summoned as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighth with one out and a runner on second base. The redshirt freshman went the other way with his first collegiate home run to put the Cardinals ahead for the first time in the game.
Junior reliever T.J. Baker (4-0) made sure the lead would hold as the righty shut down Western Michigan in the ninth inning.
Five seniors were honored before the start of the game for their contributions to the team – Brockhouse, Seth Freed, Justin Kirkpatrick, Jeff Riedel and Trevor Simon.
"We are excited to be a part of the tournament and compete," Maloney said. "It's going to come down to who plays the best baseball in a weekend series."
Ball State will next travel to Avon, Ohio, for the MAC Tournament. The Cardinals will play No. 6 seed Eastern Michigan in the opening round on Wednesday, May 23. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ beginning at 12:30 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on the Ball State baseball team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateBB and @CoachMaloney.
Ball State (31-24, 17-10 MAC) concluded the regular season by winning 12 of its final 14 league games to secure the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament. Western Michigan (23-25, 12-13) needed a win today to claim one of the final two spots in the league tourney.
"I thought the guys continued to show their resiliency," Ball State head coach Rich Maloney said. "We lost the first game and came back to win the next two. It's what they do. Lots of guys contributed today and it was very fitting for Tim Blankenberger, a guy who doesn't get many chances, to come in and hit a pinch-hit home run. It was dramatic."
The Broncos jumped out in front with three runs in the top of the first inning. From there, the Ball State bullpen held WMU to just four hits in the final eight frames. Long reliever Nick Floyd gave the Cardinals a chance at the comeback by pitching five scoreless innings and striking out five batters.
It took Ball State five innings to figure out Western Michigan starting pitcher Jacob Piechota. Three straight hits in the fifth, including back-to-back doubles from sophomore Noah Powell and junior Chase Sebby, finally put Ball State on the board with two runs.
Senior Colin Brockhouse hit a laser shot over the left field fence, his team leading 10th home run, to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning and level the score at 3-all.
After the two teams exchanged runs in the seventh, Blankenberger was summoned as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighth with one out and a runner on second base. The redshirt freshman went the other way with his first collegiate home run to put the Cardinals ahead for the first time in the game.
Junior reliever T.J. Baker (4-0) made sure the lead would hold as the righty shut down Western Michigan in the ninth inning.
Five seniors were honored before the start of the game for their contributions to the team – Brockhouse, Seth Freed, Justin Kirkpatrick, Jeff Riedel and Trevor Simon.
"We are excited to be a part of the tournament and compete," Maloney said. "It's going to come down to who plays the best baseball in a weekend series."
Ball State will next travel to Avon, Ohio, for the MAC Tournament. The Cardinals will play No. 6 seed Eastern Michigan in the opening round on Wednesday, May 23. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ beginning at 12:30 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on the Ball State baseball team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateBB and @CoachMaloney.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Baker, T.J. (4-0)
L: TOWNSEND-CHASE, Jim (1-3)
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Batting:
2B: FORESTELL, Jesse 1 ; DUNN, Blake 1
RBI: FORESTELL, Jesse 2 ; DUNN, Blake 1 ; DEVINE, Drew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: STONE, Andrew 1 ; SMITH, Connor 1 ; ROCHE,Jimmy 1 ; FORESTELL, Jesse 1
SB: DUNN, Blake 1 ; DEVINE, Drew 1
CS: DEVINE, Drew 1
PO: DUNN, Blake 1
Batting:
2B: Powell, Noah 1 ; Sebby, Chase 1 ; Riedel, Jeff 1
HR: Brockhouse, Colin 1 ; Blankenberger, Tim 1
RBI: Powell, Noah 1 ; Sebby, Chase 1 ; Brockhouse, Colin 2 ; Blankenberger, Tim 2
SH: Kirkpatrick, Justin 1
SF: Brockhouse, Colin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Powell, Noah 1 ; Sebby, Chase 1 ; Brockhouse, Colin 1 ; Jameson, Drey 1 ; Baker, William 1 ; Blankenberger, Tim 1
HBP: Baker, William 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
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RHP
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SS
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LHP
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