Friday, March 29
Muncie, Ind.
3 PM
Ball State University
16-12, 4-7
12
vs
3
Ohio
8-15, 4-7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Ohio
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
3
5
2
Ball State
0
3
0
0
2
0
4
3
X
12
13
1
Photo by: Nick Lawler/Ball State Athletics
Beeker Brilliant and Dobbins Dynamite in 12-3 Win over Ohio
March 29, 2024 | Baseball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team rode big performances from Merritt Beeker and Hunter Dobbins on its way to a 12-3 win over Ohio on Friday afternoon at the First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
The Cardinals (16-12, 4-7 Mid-American Conference) took down the Bobcats (8-15, 4-7 MAC) with the help of Beeker's 13 strikeouts in 7.0 innings of two-run ball and Dobbins' two home runs and five RBI. Dobbins pounded a grand slam to open up a 9-2 lead for Ball State in the seventh inning.
"Solid team win for our boys," head coach Rich Maloney said. "Merritt Beeker was outstanding, and Hunter Dobbins came up big with two home runs. We had several players make contributions."
The hosts got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the second as Nick Husovsky drove in Clay Jacobs with an RBI single before scoring on a wild pitch. Dobbins followed with a solo shot to center for his first homer of the day.
Blake Bevis and Jacobs extended the Cardinals' edge to 5-0 with RBI singles in the fifth inning. After the Bobcats scored twice in the seventh, Dobbins responded with a slam to right center that put Ball State in position to win its fourth straight game.
Michael Hallquist plated three on a home run to right field in the eighth for some insurance runs as part of a Cardinals offense that scored 10+ for the seventh game in 2024.
Beeker (3-2) didn't allow a hit and faced the minimum through the first five innings and struck out multiple Ohio batters in five innings. The lefty pitcher and MAC leader in punchouts struck out the side in the fourth.
Ohio starter Tim Knapschaefer allowed five runs in 5.0 innings to suffer the loss and drop his record to 2-1. The Bobcats' offense was limited to only five hits and three walks on the day.
The Cardinals will go for the sweep with the final game of the set scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The Cardinals (16-12, 4-7 Mid-American Conference) took down the Bobcats (8-15, 4-7 MAC) with the help of Beeker's 13 strikeouts in 7.0 innings of two-run ball and Dobbins' two home runs and five RBI. Dobbins pounded a grand slam to open up a 9-2 lead for Ball State in the seventh inning.
"Solid team win for our boys," head coach Rich Maloney said. "Merritt Beeker was outstanding, and Hunter Dobbins came up big with two home runs. We had several players make contributions."
The hosts got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the second as Nick Husovsky drove in Clay Jacobs with an RBI single before scoring on a wild pitch. Dobbins followed with a solo shot to center for his first homer of the day.
Blake Bevis and Jacobs extended the Cardinals' edge to 5-0 with RBI singles in the fifth inning. After the Bobcats scored twice in the seventh, Dobbins responded with a slam to right center that put Ball State in position to win its fourth straight game.
Michael Hallquist plated three on a home run to right field in the eighth for some insurance runs as part of a Cardinals offense that scored 10+ for the seventh game in 2024.
Beeker (3-2) didn't allow a hit and faced the minimum through the first five innings and struck out multiple Ohio batters in five innings. The lefty pitcher and MAC leader in punchouts struck out the side in the fourth.
Ohio starter Tim Knapschaefer allowed five runs in 5.0 innings to suffer the loss and drop his record to 2-1. The Bobcats' offense was limited to only five hits and three walks on the day.
The Cardinals will go for the sweep with the final game of the set scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Beeker, Merritt (3-2)
L: T Knapschaef (2-1)
Batting:
HR: AJ Rausch 1
RBI: AJ Rausch 2 ; W Lug 1
Base Running:
RUNS: G Antle 1 ; A Finney 1 ; AJ Rausch 1
HBP: J Cauthron 1
Batting:
2B: Jacobs, Clay 1
HR: Hallquist, Michael 1 ; Dobbins, Hunter 2
RBI: Hallquist, Michael 3 ; Bevis, Blake 1 ; Jacobs, Clay 1 ; Husovsky, Nick 1 ; Dobbins, Hunter 5
Base Running:
RUNS: Gregory, Nick 1 ; Hallquist, Michael 2 ; Scheffler, Decker 2 ; Jacobs, Clay 2 ; Husovsky, Nick 2 ; Dobbins, Hunter 2 ; King, Houston 1
SB: Hallquist, Michael 1
HBP: Hallquist, Michael 1 ; Scheffler, Decker 1 ; Dobbins, Hunter 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
5
Players Mentioned
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