Ball State University
13-5, 4-0
Toledo
5-11, 1-3
Cardinals Pull Away for 12-2 Win over Toledo
March 14, 2025 | Baseball
500 Conference Wins for Maloney
The Cardinals (13-5, 4-0 Mid-American Conference) run-ruled the Rockets (5-11, 1-3 MAC) thanks to scoring six runs in each of the fifth and sixth frames. Keegan Johnson worked five innings and struck out three while allowing three hits and a run to improve his record to 4-0.
Ball State broke open the floodgates with a Dylan Grego sacrifice fly to score Alex Richter in the bottom half of the fifth that tied the score at 1-1. Garrett Arnold followed that up with an RBI double to plate Houston King before Blake Bevis brought home Nick Husovsky on a groundout.
Korbin Griffin hit a 426-foot home run just to the right of dead center that also scored Arnold to give the hosts a 5-1 edge. Gavin Balius slapped an RBI knock to left for the final scoring of the frame.
Bevis had the big blast in the sixth, connecting on a three-run homer that went a projected 428 feet to give the Cardinals a 10-1 advantage. Husovsky (RBI double) and Richter (RBI single) also batted in runs during a second straight six-run inning. Ball State scored 12 unanswered runs as the Rockets got the first and last tallies of the day.
The hosts notched their seventh consecutive triumph and the 500th career conference win for head coach Rich Maloney, who has 360 in the MAC and 140 in the Big Ten.
Owen Quinn followed Johnson and struck out two in 2.0 innings of one-run ball. Toledo's Nathan Leininger (1-3) suffered the loss after giving up four runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Bevis belted four RBI on the day, while Griffin went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Grego, Husovsky, Arnold and Balius had a pair of hits each.
"Our boys played well," Maloney said. "Keegan Johnson battled without his best stuff to earn the win-that is what the good ones do. Sever hitters contributed and gave the run support we needed."
Ball State and Toledo are set to play at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the middle game of the set.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Johnson, Keegan (4-0)
L: LEININGER, Nathan (1-3)
Batting:
RBI: SCHOLVIN, Charlie 2
SH: SCHOLVIN, Charlie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: LUCEK, Brandon 1 ; WAGNER, JP 1
Batting:
2B: Grego, Dylan 1 ; Husovsky, Nick 1 ; Arnold, Garrett 1
HR: Bevis, Blake 1 ; Griffin, Korbin 1
RBI: Richter, Alex 1 ; Grego, Dylan 1 ; Husovsky, Nick 1 ; Arnold, Garrett 1 ; Bevis, Blake 4 ; Griffin, Korbin 2 ; Balius, Gavin 1
SF: Grego, Dylan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Richter, Alex 1 ; King, Houston 1 ; Grego, Dylan 1 ; Husovsky, Nick 2 ; Arnold, Garrett 2 ; Bevis, Blake 1 ; Griffin, Korbin 2 ; Jacobs, Clay 1 ; Balius, Gavin 1
SB: Griffin, Korbin 1 ; Jacobs, Clay 1
HBP: Richter, Alex 1 ; Grego, Dylan 1 ; Arnold, Garrett 1 ; Jacobs, Clay 1
