Pinch Hit Grand Slam Highlights Five-Run Ninth Inning Rally to Lead Baseball to 8-6 Win over Western Michigan

Saturday, March 21

Kalamazoo, Mich.

1 PM

Ball State University

11-10, 6-2

Western Michigan

10-10, 6-2

Ball State

Western Michigan

Photo by: Caden Vincent

Pinch Hit Grand Slam Highlights Five-Run Ninth Inning Rally to Lead Baseball to 8-6 Win over Western Michigan

March 21, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Trailing 6-3 entering the ninth inning, Jack Bakus hit a go-ahead pinch hit grand slam to lead the Ball State baseball team to an 8-6 win over Western Michigan on Saturday afternoon at Robert J. Bobb Stadium.

The Cardinals (11-10, 6-2 Mid-American Conference) scored five runs in the final frame as Gavin Balius (double), Brayden Huebner (walk) and Jacob Gillis (walk) reached base and came home on the bases-clearing homer by Bakus with one out in the top of the ninth. The blast was the first for Bakus this year.

Gillis got the scoring started with an RBI double in the first to plate Brett Griffiths, but Western (10-10, 6-2 MAC) tallied one run in the first, three in the second and one in the fourth to build a 5-1 lead.

The visiting Cardinals got two runs back in the seventh inning on an RBI groundout by Griffiths and an error that allowed Huebner to cross home plate to cut the deficit to 5-3. The Broncos tacked on a run in the bottom of the eighth before the Ball State comeback in the final frame.

Owen Quinn (2-0) struck out two in 5.0 innings of one-run ball out of the bullpen to earn the win for the Cardinals. The senior entered in the fifth and finished the game out. Keegan Johnson started on the mound for Ball State and collected five strikeouts in 4.0 frames of work.

The visitors pounded out five doubles on the day in addition to the home run from Bakus for six extra base hits among the eight total. Griffiths (two), Balius, Huebner and Gillis had the two-base hits for the Ball State offense.

Turner Duran (1-2) surrendered four runs and only got two outs in suffering the loss for the Broncos. Tanner Mally posted three hits to pace the Western Michigan batters again.

"Dramatic victory for our boys! Gritty bunch for sure," Ball State head coach Rich Maloney said. "The Jack Bakus pinch hit grand slam was amazing and Owen Quinn's relief performance was outstanding. Two pitchers, Garza and Hutchinson, played the ninth at second and third base respectively. Total team effort!"

Ball State and the Broncos are set to wrap up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.