After both teams scored a run in the first inning, Ball State put up two in the fifth and four in the six, while Northern Illinois scratched only one run in its final eight chances, to give the Cardinals an 8-2 win. With yesterday’s triumph, BSU clinched the three-game series on Saturday afternoon’s Mid-American Conference game at Ball Diamond.
The contest had a feel of a pitcher’s duel through four frames as NIU’s Jeremy Gonzales and BSU’s Cal Bowling put up zeroes during the three-inning span after the first, each allowing just one hit. However, Bowling (6-3) was able to keep up it longer, allowing an unearned run on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 6.1 innings to earn the win.
Gonzales’ (3-4) troubles started and ended in the fifth after he hit leadoff hitter Blake Beemer and threw a wild pitch to move him to second. An out later, Zach Dygert roped a two-run home run to left-center. Gonzales finished the frame without anymore damage, but was replaced by Kyle Glancy to start the sixth after he gave up three runs on five hits and five walks with three strikeouts in the loss.
“Jeremy went out and battled,” said NIU head coach Ed Mathey. “He wasn’t even on his B-game today, but he battled for us. The hit-by-pitch hurt because their good hitters were coming up. He fell behind and Dygert hit it far, like he has done many times in his career. Jeremy competed hard, but it just wasn’t there and I decided to take him out early.”
Glancy was then touched for four runs in the sixth on three hits and a walk. He surrendered a leadoff walk to Cody Elliott, who then stole second. T.J. Baumet’s sacrifice bunt attempt turned into a hit on the next play as Jordin Hood could not make the bare-handed play at third. Beemer followed by clearing the bases with a double to left-center. Then the inning should have ended on the next two plays, but Jamison Wells dropped a shallow fly ball in center before Dygert struck out looking. Ian Nielsen capitalized on the extra opportunity by singling to right to score Beemer. After Tom Zelasko relieved Glancy, he picked off Nielsen at first, but it took a run-down to tag him out and Kolbrin Vitek was able to score from third before the out was recorded.
“Kyle was throwing the ball okay, but he wasn’t locating the way he should,” Mathey said. “Ball State is a pretty good hitting team. Their hits seemed to be clumped together today and Kyle wasn’t able to stop it.
“Their first-to-third play was a set play and our defense didn’t handle that correctly. To me, that was an indicator that we weren’t mentally ready to play this baseball game today.”
Down 7-1, the Huskies (20-30, 9-14 MAC)) never threatened with a rally in their last three at-bats as their second run came on a solo home run to right by Alex Jones to start the eighth inning. But the Cardinals (26-24, 17-6 MAC) matched with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame.
Dave Reynolds led the offense with two hits, including his career-high third triple of the season. Additionally, Hood had an RBI double in the first inning, while Jones’ long-ball marked his second of the season and week.
“Offensively, we just dint get it going,” Mathey said. “We had runners in scoring with the less than two out a few times early and got nothing. In this league, you have to fight for every run and I’m disappointed today. I take responsibility for that.”
