Tuesday, March 4
Tallahassee, Fla.
2 PM
Ball State University
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Florida A&M
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Ball State
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Rattlers
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Cardinals Power Past Rattlers in Tallahassee Twinbill
March 04, 2025 | Baseball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Ball State baseball swept both games of a doubleheader Tuesday in Tallahassee, playing a pair of 7-inning games ahead of inclement weather scheduled in the area for Wednesday. Ball State scored 25 runs over the final eight innings of the twinbill -- five in a comeback seventh inning of Game 1, and 20 in a Game 2 blowout.
Ball State (8-4) returns to Muncie where it hosts nine straight home games beginning Friday against Western Michigan. The three-game set against the Broncos opens play in the Mid-American Conference, and opens a homestand that includes a midweek game against Purdue-Fort Wayne, another three-game MAC series with Toledo, and two more midweek contests against Valparaiso and Butler. In the midst of those nine games is a hopeful celebration of Head Coach Rich Maloney's 1,000th college coaching win to become just the 10th active Division I coach to reach the milestone.
Maloney simplified Tuesday's doubleheader sweep: "Our boys catapulted themselves after Nick Husovsky's bases-loaded double to win game one, and carried that momentum into game two. Great team effort! A lot of guys contributed."
Indeed, a lot contributed as part of 7-3 and 20-2 victories.
Tuesday in Game 1, the Rattlers lead 3-2 through six innings, but the Cardinals loaded the bases to begin the seventh inning, and rallied for five runs on the strength of Husovsky's three-run double, followed by a two-run double, three batters later, by Garrett Arnold.
Drue Young opened the game on the mound and pitched two innings, before Alex Burden fired four innings in relief to pick up the win. Garrett Harker closed the door on Florida A&M in the bottom of the seventh, in a non-save situation.
Gavin Bailus was the only Ball State player with multiple hits in the first game, with two. Husovsky, with four, and Arnold, two, were the hitting stars while accounting for six of the Cardinals' seven runs batted in.
In the second game, a 20-2 rout, it was all Ball State as the Cardinals raced to a 10-0 lead through four innings. They put up a 9-spot in the sixth, and added another for good measure in the seventh. The Cardinals scored 20 runs and knocked 19 hits, including eight doubles. It was Ball State's highest scoring game since a 24-7 win over Butler last May.
Husovsky, Dylan Grego and Ty Davis each had three RBI in the early onslaught, with Davis' three-run homer the biggest blow in a six-run third inning. The Cardinals got nine runs on seven hits in the sixth alone, with doubles from Davis, Grant Miller, Brett Griffiths and Grego.
Ball State opened the scoring when Grego scored on Husovsky's single with two outs in the first. In the third, Bailus walked to open the inning before Alex Richter was hit by pitch and Houston King walked to load the bases. Then Grego's single drove in two runs. Husovsky's double drove in two more. And Davis' homer to left center added two more. In the sixth, with Ball State already on top 10-1, a merry-go-round ensued with 14 batters sent to the plate. In the seventh, Korbin Griffin doubled and scored for the Cardinals' final run.
When the dust finally settled, a total of 13 Cardinals had crossed the plate at least once. Six Cardinals scored at least twice. The biggest Game 2 hitting star was Grego's 4-of-4 batting with two doubles, three runs and four RBI. He reached base in all five plate appearances. Davis was 3-of-5 with four RBI and a pair of runs.
Lucas Letsinger struck out five batters over three innings pitched to start Game 2 for the Cardinals, followed by an inning apiece by Gabe Jones, Jaden Bitter, Davis and John Chambers.
Ball State (8-4) returns to Muncie where it hosts nine straight home games beginning Friday against Western Michigan. The three-game set against the Broncos opens play in the Mid-American Conference, and opens a homestand that includes a midweek game against Purdue-Fort Wayne, another three-game MAC series with Toledo, and two more midweek contests against Valparaiso and Butler. In the midst of those nine games is a hopeful celebration of Head Coach Rich Maloney's 1,000th college coaching win to become just the 10th active Division I coach to reach the milestone.
Maloney simplified Tuesday's doubleheader sweep: "Our boys catapulted themselves after Nick Husovsky's bases-loaded double to win game one, and carried that momentum into game two. Great team effort! A lot of guys contributed."
Indeed, a lot contributed as part of 7-3 and 20-2 victories.
Tuesday in Game 1, the Rattlers lead 3-2 through six innings, but the Cardinals loaded the bases to begin the seventh inning, and rallied for five runs on the strength of Husovsky's three-run double, followed by a two-run double, three batters later, by Garrett Arnold.
Drue Young opened the game on the mound and pitched two innings, before Alex Burden fired four innings in relief to pick up the win. Garrett Harker closed the door on Florida A&M in the bottom of the seventh, in a non-save situation.
Gavin Bailus was the only Ball State player with multiple hits in the first game, with two. Husovsky, with four, and Arnold, two, were the hitting stars while accounting for six of the Cardinals' seven runs batted in.
In the second game, a 20-2 rout, it was all Ball State as the Cardinals raced to a 10-0 lead through four innings. They put up a 9-spot in the sixth, and added another for good measure in the seventh. The Cardinals scored 20 runs and knocked 19 hits, including eight doubles. It was Ball State's highest scoring game since a 24-7 win over Butler last May.
Husovsky, Dylan Grego and Ty Davis each had three RBI in the early onslaught, with Davis' three-run homer the biggest blow in a six-run third inning. The Cardinals got nine runs on seven hits in the sixth alone, with doubles from Davis, Grant Miller, Brett Griffiths and Grego.
Ball State opened the scoring when Grego scored on Husovsky's single with two outs in the first. In the third, Bailus walked to open the inning before Alex Richter was hit by pitch and Houston King walked to load the bases. Then Grego's single drove in two runs. Husovsky's double drove in two more. And Davis' homer to left center added two more. In the sixth, with Ball State already on top 10-1, a merry-go-round ensued with 14 batters sent to the plate. In the seventh, Korbin Griffin doubled and scored for the Cardinals' final run.
When the dust finally settled, a total of 13 Cardinals had crossed the plate at least once. Six Cardinals scored at least twice. The biggest Game 2 hitting star was Grego's 4-of-4 batting with two doubles, three runs and four RBI. He reached base in all five plate appearances. Davis was 3-of-5 with four RBI and a pair of runs.
Lucas Letsinger struck out five batters over three innings pitched to start Game 2 for the Cardinals, followed by an inning apiece by Gabe Jones, Jaden Bitter, Davis and John Chambers.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Burden, Alex (0-1)
L: Carson Kelly (0-0)
Batting:
2B: Husovsky, Nick 1 ; Arnold, Garrett 1 ; Jacobs, Clay 1
HR: Giovannetti, Ben 1
RBI: Husovsky, Nick 4 ; Giovannetti, Ben 1 ; Arnold, Garrett 2
SH: Griffiths, Brett 1
SF: Husovsky, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Richter, Alex 2 ; Grego, Dylan 1 ; Husovsky, Nick 1 ; Giovannetti, Ben 1 ; Miller, Grant 1 ; Balius, Gavin 1
HBP: Richter, Alex 2
PO: Husovsky, Nick 1
Batting:
RBI: Josue Figueroa 1
SH: Jay Campbell 1 ; Josue Figueroa 1
Base Running:
RUNS: William Brown 1 ; Broedy Poppell 1 ; Jordan Brown 1
SB: Justen Crews 1
HBP: Justen Crews 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
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H
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RBI
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AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
4
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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