Sunday, March 13
Muncie, Ind.
Noon
Ball State University
6-7, 1-0
2
vs
1
Eastern Michigan
2-8, 0-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Eastern Michigan
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
Ball State
0
0
0
0
2
0
X
2
5
0
Photo by: Elijah Houser
Cardinals Rely on Strong Pitching, Long Ball with Two Wins Against Eagles
March 13, 2022 | Baseball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team opened Mid-American Conference play on Sunday with a doubleheader against Eastern Michigan at the Ball Diamond at First Merchants Ballpark Complex. The Cardinals relied on timely hitting, home runs, and strong pitching to claim two victories over the Eagles.
BSU improved to 7-7 overall and started the conference 2-0, while EMU fell to 2-9 and 0-2 in MAC play. Zach Lane led the Cardinals with a 4-for-6 day at the plate. Amir Wright extended his streak of reaching base safely to 14 games. Nick Powell extended his hitting streak to four games.
Game One – Ball State 2, Eastern Michigan 1
The Eagles managed to get on the scoreboard first with a Gabe Denton solo home run to left center in the top of the second.
Tyler Schweitzer did not let the home run faze him and was resilient the remainder of his outing on the mound.
Lane led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to center field. Wright followed with a walk to move a runner into scoring position for BSU. Trenton Quartermaine grounded out to second but moved Lane and Wright up to third and second, respectively. Matthew Rivera came up with a huge pinch-hit single through the left side which scored Lane and Wright.
Schweitzer and Sam Klein held the Eagles scoreless the remainder of the game, as the Cardinals went on to win game one 2-1.
Justin Conant led the team with two hits in game one and posted a 2-for-3 game. Schweitzer recorded the win and improved to 2-2 on the year. He went 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and gave up one earned run on just two hits. Klein pitched a perfect 1 2/3 innings in relief with one strikeout on his way to his third save of the year.
Zach Fruit got the loss for EMU with a complete-game effort with five strikeouts. He gave up two earned runs on five hits.
Game Two – Ball State 6, Eastern Michigan 4
Ty Johnson started on the mound for game two for the Cardinals. He did not give up a hit until the third inning.
Trenton Quartermaine made an outstanding defensive play as he snagged a hard line drive down the first base line and stepped on first for an unassisted double play to keep the Eagles off the board in the top of the third.
Lane launched a no doubter to left field to put the Cardinals on the board first in the bottom of the third. Powell doubled to left center with two outs to keep the inning alive for BSU. Rivera followed with a rocket over the batter's eye in straight-away center, for a two-run homer, to put Ball State up 3-0.
The Eagles pulled within one, 3-2, in the top of the fourth as Denton hit a two-run shot to center field.
Adam Christianson drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the sixth to start things for the Cardinals. Conant grounded out to the pitcher to move Christianson to second. Lane produced his third RBI of the game with a single to right field that scored Christianson. The Cardinals were on top 5-2 after six innings of play.
Taylor Hopkins notched a two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Ryan Peltier gave the Cardinals an insurance run with a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the eighth.
Johnson picked up the win and improved to 2-1 on the year. He struck out five batters and surrendered two earned runs on just three hits. Nate Dohm went 2 2/3 innings in relief with three strikeouts. Dohm gave up two runs on two hits. Klein faced faced one batter and struck him out to pick up his second save of the day and fourth of the season.
Denton homered in back-to-back games for the Eagles. Dom Anderson recorded the loss for EMU. He went four innings with one strikeout. Anderson gave up four earned runs on six hits.
The Cardinals return to the diamond on Monday for another doubleheader with the Eagles. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
From the Coach – Head Coach Rich Maloney
"I think our guys came ready to play, there's no doubt about that. Whenever you're opening in the MAC, it's a whole new season. I thought Tyler Schweitzer did a really nice job. Sam Klein was outstanding in both games. Ty Johnson settled down and gave us a quality start. The play Quartermaine made in the second game was a game changer for us."
From the Student-Athletes – Junior Infielder #26 Zach Lane
"It's definitely awesome being able to help the team out. I knew today it was going to be cold, so every run counts. It means a lot for the team."
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BSU improved to 7-7 overall and started the conference 2-0, while EMU fell to 2-9 and 0-2 in MAC play. Zach Lane led the Cardinals with a 4-for-6 day at the plate. Amir Wright extended his streak of reaching base safely to 14 games. Nick Powell extended his hitting streak to four games.
Game One – Ball State 2, Eastern Michigan 1
The Eagles managed to get on the scoreboard first with a Gabe Denton solo home run to left center in the top of the second.
Tyler Schweitzer did not let the home run faze him and was resilient the remainder of his outing on the mound.
Lane led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to center field. Wright followed with a walk to move a runner into scoring position for BSU. Trenton Quartermaine grounded out to second but moved Lane and Wright up to third and second, respectively. Matthew Rivera came up with a huge pinch-hit single through the left side which scored Lane and Wright.
Schweitzer and Sam Klein held the Eagles scoreless the remainder of the game, as the Cardinals went on to win game one 2-1.
Justin Conant led the team with two hits in game one and posted a 2-for-3 game. Schweitzer recorded the win and improved to 2-2 on the year. He went 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and gave up one earned run on just two hits. Klein pitched a perfect 1 2/3 innings in relief with one strikeout on his way to his third save of the year.
Zach Fruit got the loss for EMU with a complete-game effort with five strikeouts. He gave up two earned runs on five hits.
Game Two – Ball State 6, Eastern Michigan 4
Ty Johnson started on the mound for game two for the Cardinals. He did not give up a hit until the third inning.
Trenton Quartermaine made an outstanding defensive play as he snagged a hard line drive down the first base line and stepped on first for an unassisted double play to keep the Eagles off the board in the top of the third.
Lane launched a no doubter to left field to put the Cardinals on the board first in the bottom of the third. Powell doubled to left center with two outs to keep the inning alive for BSU. Rivera followed with a rocket over the batter's eye in straight-away center, for a two-run homer, to put Ball State up 3-0.
The Eagles pulled within one, 3-2, in the top of the fourth as Denton hit a two-run shot to center field.
Adam Christianson drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the sixth to start things for the Cardinals. Conant grounded out to the pitcher to move Christianson to second. Lane produced his third RBI of the game with a single to right field that scored Christianson. The Cardinals were on top 5-2 after six innings of play.
Taylor Hopkins notched a two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Ryan Peltier gave the Cardinals an insurance run with a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the eighth.
Johnson picked up the win and improved to 2-1 on the year. He struck out five batters and surrendered two earned runs on just three hits. Nate Dohm went 2 2/3 innings in relief with three strikeouts. Dohm gave up two runs on two hits. Klein faced faced one batter and struck him out to pick up his second save of the day and fourth of the season.
Denton homered in back-to-back games for the Eagles. Dom Anderson recorded the loss for EMU. He went four innings with one strikeout. Anderson gave up four earned runs on six hits.
The Cardinals return to the diamond on Monday for another doubleheader with the Eagles. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
From the Coach – Head Coach Rich Maloney
"I think our guys came ready to play, there's no doubt about that. Whenever you're opening in the MAC, it's a whole new season. I thought Tyler Schweitzer did a really nice job. Sam Klein was outstanding in both games. Ty Johnson settled down and gave us a quality start. The play Quartermaine made in the second game was a game changer for us."
From the Student-Athletes – Junior Infielder #26 Zach Lane
"It's definitely awesome being able to help the team out. I knew today it was going to be cold, so every run counts. It means a lot for the team."
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Schweitzer, Tyler (2-2)
L: FRUIT, Zach (0-2)
S: Klein, Sam (3)
Batting:
HR: DENTON, Gabe 1
RBI: DENTON, Gabe 1
SH: EASTER, Shane 1
Base Running:
RUNS: DENTON, Gabe 1
Batting:
2B: Conant, Justin 1
RBI: Rivera, Matthew 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Wright, Amir 1 ; Lane, Zach 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
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