Friday, March 5
Lexington, Ky.
4 p.m.
Ball State University
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Kentucky
6-1
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9
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Ball State
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Kentucky
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Photo by: Barry Westerman
BSU Arms Power Past Unbeaten Kentucky in Series Opener
March 05, 2021 | Baseball
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Ball State baseball team is relishing its early-season opportunities against traditional power conference teams … especially against those of the Wildcat variety.
The Cardinals impressively split a four-game series with the Pac-12's nationally-ranked Arizona Wildcats to open the season. Friday night, they added another one to the win column by taking the series opener, 3-2, against the SEC's Kentucky Wildcats at Kentucky Proud Park.
Ball State pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts, including 10 from starter Chayce McDermott, and shut down the Kentucky bats after the third inning. The Cardinals, after spotting the previously undefeated Wildcats a 2-0 lead, battled back. UK managed just one hit the rest of the way.
Trenton Quartermaine doubled for BSU's first hit of the day in the fourth and later scored on a Ross Messina sacrifice fly. Chase Sebby plated Decker Scheffler with a single in the seventh. And Messina drove home Justin Conant in the eighth with a two-out double that proved to be the game-winner for the Cardinals (5-3).
"What a great team effort in beating an outstanding Kentucky team," BSU head coach Rich Maloney said. "So many guys contributed. We have a gritty bunch, and their grittiness led them to victory. I'm proud of our guys."
McDermott, who worked hard and pitched out of a couple early jams, found his rhythm after Kentucky (6-1) pushed across two runs in the third. Still with nobody out, the junior right-hander went on to strike out three of the next four batters. And then all three the next inning. And then all three the inning after that.
McDermott finished the night with 10 strikeouts, one shy of his career high, after fanning nine of the final 10 batters he faced. After five innings of work, he gave way to the bullpen to carry it the rest of the way.
Tyler Schweitzer and Lukas Jaksich took BSU through the seventh. Then, after Messina put BSU ahead in the top of the eighth, the Cardinals went to All-MAC right-hander and projected Saturday starter John Baker in the eighth.
Kentucky made Baker work in the eighth, loading the bases, but Nick Powell tracked down a deep fly ball at the wall to keep BSU on top. Baker then breezed through the ninth, striking out the final two Kentucky hitters to finish it.
This weekend's series continues with game two Saturday and wraps up with game three Sunday. Both matchups are scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and air on SECN+ via WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
The Cardinals impressively split a four-game series with the Pac-12's nationally-ranked Arizona Wildcats to open the season. Friday night, they added another one to the win column by taking the series opener, 3-2, against the SEC's Kentucky Wildcats at Kentucky Proud Park.
Ball State pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts, including 10 from starter Chayce McDermott, and shut down the Kentucky bats after the third inning. The Cardinals, after spotting the previously undefeated Wildcats a 2-0 lead, battled back. UK managed just one hit the rest of the way.
Trenton Quartermaine doubled for BSU's first hit of the day in the fourth and later scored on a Ross Messina sacrifice fly. Chase Sebby plated Decker Scheffler with a single in the seventh. And Messina drove home Justin Conant in the eighth with a two-out double that proved to be the game-winner for the Cardinals (5-3).
"What a great team effort in beating an outstanding Kentucky team," BSU head coach Rich Maloney said. "So many guys contributed. We have a gritty bunch, and their grittiness led them to victory. I'm proud of our guys."
McDermott, who worked hard and pitched out of a couple early jams, found his rhythm after Kentucky (6-1) pushed across two runs in the third. Still with nobody out, the junior right-hander went on to strike out three of the next four batters. And then all three the next inning. And then all three the inning after that.
McDermott finished the night with 10 strikeouts, one shy of his career high, after fanning nine of the final 10 batters he faced. After five innings of work, he gave way to the bullpen to carry it the rest of the way.
Tyler Schweitzer and Lukas Jaksich took BSU through the seventh. Then, after Messina put BSU ahead in the top of the eighth, the Cardinals went to All-MAC right-hander and projected Saturday starter John Baker in the eighth.
Kentucky made Baker work in the eighth, loading the bases, but Nick Powell tracked down a deep fly ball at the wall to keep BSU on top. Baker then breezed through the ninth, striking out the final two Kentucky hitters to finish it.
This weekend's series continues with game two Saturday and wraps up with game three Sunday. Both matchups are scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and air on SECN+ via WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jaksich, Lukas (1-0)
L: Cole Daniels (0-1)
S: Baker, John (1)
Batting:
2B: Quartermaine, Trenton 1 ; Messina, Ross 1
RBI: Messina, Ross 1 ; Powell, Nick 1 ; Sebby, Chase 1
SH: Navarro, Noah 1 ; Sebby, Chase 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Quartermaine, Trenton 1 ; Scheffler, Decker 1 ; Conant, Justin 1
SB: Scheffler, Decker 1
HBP: Powell, Nick 1
Batting:
RBI: T.J. Collett 1 ; Oraj Anu 1
SH: Coltyn Kessler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Austin Schultz 1 ; John Rhodes 1
SB: Austin Schultz 1
HBP: T.J. Collett 1
PO: Drew Grace 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
IF-OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF/1B
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
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