Friday, May 3
DeKalb, Ill.
4 p.m.
Ball State University
29-15, 0
6
at
2
Northern Illinois
14-30, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Ball State
0
2
0
3
0
0
0
1
0
6
10
0
Northern Illinois
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
7
2
Photo by: Mic Smith - Tim Cowie Photograph
Jameson, Ricotta Push BSU To Win At Northern Illinois
May 03, 2019 | Baseball
First place Cardinals have won 6 of last 8
DeKALB, Illinois - Happy Fri-Drey. Behind fireballer Drey Jameson's 16 strikeouts, Ball State kept pace at the top of the MAC standings with a 6-2 win at Northern Illinois on Friday evening.
Jameson, among the nation's leaders in strikeouts this season, dismissed a shaky start to hold the Huskies in check in front of an estimated 15-20 pro scouts. He pitched 8 innings and struck out 7 over his final 3 innings to lead the Cardinals to a key road win. He struck out the side in the 7th inning and fanned 2 more in the 8th.
"To Northern Illinois's credit, they started off with a bang. But Drey started mixing pitches and he was outstanding," head coach Rich Maloney said. "When he got it going, he just got better and better. It was fun to watch. Sixteen strikeouts is hard to do."
Jameson threw bullets and John Ricotta hit bombs. Ball State's first baseman, who will graduate on Saturday, clubbed a 2-run homer to left-center in the 4th inning that gave the Cardinals a 4-2 lead. He also had an RBI double in the 1st and siengled and scored in the 8th inning.
Freshman Ryan Peltier, who has been surging as a starter at 3rd base lately, went 3-for-4 and had an RBI single in the 8th. Justin Conant smacked an RBI triple in the 4th, his 2nd 3-bagger in the last 5 games. Maloney said those freshmen middle infielders have thrived since being asked to take on a bigger role.
"Peltier (has thrived) and so has Conant," the head coach said. "We haven't missed a beat with guys out of the lineup. They've given us a lift. Mack Murphy gave us a lift. We're feeling really good about that. A lot of guys are contributing, and that's what winning teams do."
BASEBALL PROGRAM RECEIVES ENHANCEMENT
Ball State University on Friday announced approval to build an indoor practice facility that will have a sizable impact for Cardinals across many sports.
"I'm really excited for Ball State University to get this facility," Maloney said. "It really helps football program and our other programs - which is great - but it will especially enhance our players. We play on a turf field and now we'll have a turf practice field. This is a big enhancement and kudos to everyone who helped make it happen."
MAC UPDATE
Heading into Saturday, the Cardinals are a half-game ahead of Central Michigan for 1st place in the MAC standings. Central is at Bowling Green this weekend and Friday's game was rained out. Ball State is currently in first place in both the league standings but also has the best mark among MAC teams in the RPI.
Ball State (29-15, 13-4 MAC) will play Saturday and Sunday at NIU at 2 p.m. ET. Don't miss First Merchants Bank Ballpark Fan Day on May 18 vs. Ohio. As always. check @BallStateBB on Twitter and Instagram for the latest on Cards baseball.
Jameson, among the nation's leaders in strikeouts this season, dismissed a shaky start to hold the Huskies in check in front of an estimated 15-20 pro scouts. He pitched 8 innings and struck out 7 over his final 3 innings to lead the Cardinals to a key road win. He struck out the side in the 7th inning and fanned 2 more in the 8th.
"To Northern Illinois's credit, they started off with a bang. But Drey started mixing pitches and he was outstanding," head coach Rich Maloney said. "When he got it going, he just got better and better. It was fun to watch. Sixteen strikeouts is hard to do."
Jameson threw bullets and John Ricotta hit bombs. Ball State's first baseman, who will graduate on Saturday, clubbed a 2-run homer to left-center in the 4th inning that gave the Cardinals a 4-2 lead. He also had an RBI double in the 1st and siengled and scored in the 8th inning.
Freshman Ryan Peltier, who has been surging as a starter at 3rd base lately, went 3-for-4 and had an RBI single in the 8th. Justin Conant smacked an RBI triple in the 4th, his 2nd 3-bagger in the last 5 games. Maloney said those freshmen middle infielders have thrived since being asked to take on a bigger role.
"Peltier (has thrived) and so has Conant," the head coach said. "We haven't missed a beat with guys out of the lineup. They've given us a lift. Mack Murphy gave us a lift. We're feeling really good about that. A lot of guys are contributing, and that's what winning teams do."
BASEBALL PROGRAM RECEIVES ENHANCEMENT
Ball State University on Friday announced approval to build an indoor practice facility that will have a sizable impact for Cardinals across many sports.
"I'm really excited for Ball State University to get this facility," Maloney said. "It really helps football program and our other programs - which is great - but it will especially enhance our players. We play on a turf field and now we'll have a turf practice field. This is a big enhancement and kudos to everyone who helped make it happen."
MAC UPDATE
Heading into Saturday, the Cardinals are a half-game ahead of Central Michigan for 1st place in the MAC standings. Central is at Bowling Green this weekend and Friday's game was rained out. Ball State is currently in first place in both the league standings but also has the best mark among MAC teams in the RPI.
Ball State (29-15, 13-4 MAC) will play Saturday and Sunday at NIU at 2 p.m. ET. Don't miss First Merchants Bank Ballpark Fan Day on May 18 vs. Ohio. As always. check @BallStateBB on Twitter and Instagram for the latest on Cards baseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jameson, Drey (4-3)
L: ANDERSON (1-5)
Batting:
2B: Ricotta, John 1
3B: Conant, Justin 1
HR: Ricotta, John 1
RBI: Ricotta, John 3 ; Sebby, Chase 1 ; Peltier, Ryan 1 ; Conant, Justin 1
SH: Murphy, Mack 1 ; Sebby, Chase 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Orselli, Andre 2 ; Ricotta, John 3 ; Peltier, Ryan 1
CS: Simpson, Aaron 1
Batting:
HR: SZCZASNY 1
RBI: SZCZASNY 1 ; DROBUSHEVICH 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SZCZASNY 1 ; LONTEEN 1
CS: LONTEEN 1
HBP: JOYCE 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
3
H
3
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
5
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
OF/RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballSS
/ Baseball1B
/ BaseballBaseball // 5 AM Workouts
Tuesday, August 26
Ball State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses the NCAA vs. House Settlement
Tuesday, July 01
Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses NCAA vs. House Settlement & Bill Richards Thank You
Friday, June 27
Baseball // Day 1 MAC Tournament Recap: Win vs. EMU
Thursday, May 22