Thursday, February 20
Sacramento, Calif.
5 PM ET / 2 PM PT
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Richter, Hutchinson, Harker Star In Series-Opening Win At Sacramento State
February 20, 2025 | Baseball
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Third baseman Alex Richter reached base five times and drove in a pair of runs on a game-winning, sixth-inning double, to support a strong pitching effort Thursday by starter Connor Hutchinson and reliever Garrett Harker. The trio led Ball State to a 4-3 win at Sacramento State in the first game of a four-game series in Northern California.
The Cardinals and Hornets will play a doubleader on Friday, and close the series with an afternoon bout on Saturday. Ball State returns to Indiana on Sunday prior to hosting a newly-announced home opener against Illinois State, next Tuesday, Feb. 25 (2:00 p.m.), in the first February home game ever played in Muncie.
"We got outstanding pitching by Hutchinson and Harker," said head coach Rich Maloney following his 991st career victory. "We got big two-out hits from [Blake] Bevis and Richter, and a few solid defensive plays helped a great team effort overall."
The leadoff-batting Richter was the Cardinals' catalyst for Ball State scoring opportunities in the first, third and sixth innings. He reached base during every plate appearance, beginning with a first-inning walk that led to the game's first run on a drive to center by Korbin Griffin. In the third, Richter walked again and was forced at second base on a fielder's choice by Clay Jacobs. But Jacobs stole second before scoring on a single by Bevis. Richter's big blow was a two-out double off the top of the wall in right field that plated Dylan Grego and Garrett Arnold with what proved to be the deciding runs.
While Richter did damage on the plate and bases, Hutchinson took his first start of the season into the sixth inning while yielding only two hits and two walks, and striking out six. Retiring 15 of the 19 batters he faced over 5+ shutout innings, the sophomore Hutchinson put down 11 of those 15 by either strikeout or ground out.
The Hornets logged two runs in the seventh inning as Cardinals' relievers Alex Burden and Jaden Bitter labored while allowing three walks and a single. Bitter induced a ground ball double-play to limit the damage.
With Harker on the hill seeking his second extended save in as many outings, the home team drew within a run with a walk and a triple in the ninth, after Harker retired the first two batters. With the tying run 90 feet from home plate, he finished the contest by handling a come-backer up the middle and delivering an underhand toss for the final out at first base. Harker fired 2.1 innings in relief, allowing three hits and a run.
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The Cardinals and Hornets will play a doubleader on Friday, and close the series with an afternoon bout on Saturday. Ball State returns to Indiana on Sunday prior to hosting a newly-announced home opener against Illinois State, next Tuesday, Feb. 25 (2:00 p.m.), in the first February home game ever played in Muncie.
"We got outstanding pitching by Hutchinson and Harker," said head coach Rich Maloney following his 991st career victory. "We got big two-out hits from [Blake] Bevis and Richter, and a few solid defensive plays helped a great team effort overall."
The leadoff-batting Richter was the Cardinals' catalyst for Ball State scoring opportunities in the first, third and sixth innings. He reached base during every plate appearance, beginning with a first-inning walk that led to the game's first run on a drive to center by Korbin Griffin. In the third, Richter walked again and was forced at second base on a fielder's choice by Clay Jacobs. But Jacobs stole second before scoring on a single by Bevis. Richter's big blow was a two-out double off the top of the wall in right field that plated Dylan Grego and Garrett Arnold with what proved to be the deciding runs.
While Richter did damage on the plate and bases, Hutchinson took his first start of the season into the sixth inning while yielding only two hits and two walks, and striking out six. Retiring 15 of the 19 batters he faced over 5+ shutout innings, the sophomore Hutchinson put down 11 of those 15 by either strikeout or ground out.
The Hornets logged two runs in the seventh inning as Cardinals' relievers Alex Burden and Jaden Bitter labored while allowing three walks and a single. Bitter induced a ground ball double-play to limit the damage.
With Harker on the hill seeking his second extended save in as many outings, the home team drew within a run with a walk and a triple in the ninth, after Harker retired the first two batters. With the tying run 90 feet from home plate, he finished the contest by handling a come-backer up the middle and delivering an underhand toss for the final out at first base. Harker fired 2.1 innings in relief, allowing three hits and a run.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hutchinson, Connor (1-0)
L: Carey, Sean (0-1)
S: Harker, Garrett (2)
Batting:
2B: Richter, Alex 1 ; Arnold, Garrett 1
RBI: Richter, Alex 2 ; Bevis, Blake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Richter, Alex 1 ; Jacobs, Clay 1 ; Grego, Dylan 1 ; Arnold, Garrett 1
SB: Jacobs, Clay 1 ; Griffiths, Brett 1
CS: Richter, Alex 1
HBP: Richter, Alex 1 ; Arnold, Garrett 1
Batting:
3B: Christiansen, Ryan 1
RBI: White, Tyler 1 ; Christiansen, Ryan 1
SH: Perazzo, Michael 1
Base Running:
RUNS: White, Tyler 1 ; Sewell, Cameron 1 ; Perez, Christian 1
SB: Sewell, Cameron 1
HBP: Smith, JP 1
Game Leaders
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RBI
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H
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RBI
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RBI
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Players Mentioned
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