Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
18-17, 12-6
Akron
15-20, 6-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 3 |
| Ball State | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
Baseball Falls 7-6 to Akron in Sunday Finale
April 12, 2026 | Baseball
The Cardinals (18-17, 12-6 Mid-American Conference) held leads of 2-0 and 4-3 early, but the visiting Zips (15-20, 6-12 MAC) escaped with the win to salvage the series finale after dropping the first two contests of the weekend.
Brett Griffiths started the scoring with a two-run double in the first inning to give Ball State a 2-0 edge. After Akron responded with a three-run inside-the-park home run from Mitchel Szymczak in the top of the second, the hosts plated two runs in the bottom half of the frame on a Brayden Huebner RBI fielder's choice and Brady Davidson sacrifice fly to regain a 4-3 lead.
The Zips hit solo shots in the fourth and fifth innings to go ahead 5-4, but Jacob Gillis had an RBI single through the left side in the sixth to bring Huebner home and knot the score.
Brody Chrisman hit what proved to be the game-winning homer in the seventh for a 7-5 advantage. Ball State's DJ Scheumann notched a pinch hit RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning, but neither team would score for the remainder of the day.
Jeremy Jones (1-3) allowed one run in two-thirds of an inning in relief to be hit with the loss.
Trieg Matthews (3-1) worked 4.0 innings of one-run ball for the Zips to earn the win. Chrisman and Szymczak both had three hits, including two home runs, on the day to lead the Akron offense.
The next game for Ball State is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at Butler.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Matthews, Trieg (3-1)
L: Jones, Jeremy (0-3)
S: McKenna, Floyd (3)
Batting:
2B: Chrisman, Brody 1
HR: Chrisman, Brody 2 ; Szymczak, Mitchel 2
RBI: Chrisman, Brody 3 ; Szymczak, Mitchel 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Lafferty, Austin 1 ; Chrisman, Brody 2 ; Phillips, Kelton 1 ; Szymczak, Mitchel 2 ; Bowen, Brady 1
SB: DeBoskie, Prince 1 ; Bowen, Brady 1
CS: Bowen, Brady 1
Batting:
2B: Griffiths, Brett 1 ; Huebner, Brayden 2
RBI: Griffiths, Brett 2 ; Huebner, Brayden 1 ; Scheumann, DJ 1 ; Gillis, Jacob 1 ; Davidson, Brady 1
SF: Davidson, Brady 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Griffiths, Brett 1 ; Balius, Gavin 1 ; Huebner, Brayden 3 ; Gillis, Jacob 1
SB: Balius, Gavin 1
HBP: Griffiths, Brett 1 ; Muizelaar, Ryan 1
