Ball State 20, Western Michigan 15
Boxscore
MUNCIE - The Ball State baseball team finished a series sweep - and 5-0 week at home - with a wild 20-15 slugfest win over Western Michigan. The Cardinals built a 20-3 lead at one point on Sunday and never trailed in the series on the way to a 3-0 start in MAC play.
Four different Ball State players had 4+ hits as the team banged out 28 hits, the second-most single-game total in school history. Ross Messina went 5-for-7 with 5 RBIs and hit a pair of home runs to lead the onslaught. Aaron Simpson, John Ricotta and William Baker each had 4 hits and combined to score 11 runs.
Messina smacked an RBI double in the 1st inning and a 2-run homer in the 3rd. He snuck in 2 singles before hitting a rocket home run to left in the top of the 8th. The Cardinals piled on the offensive totals with 19 runs over 6 innings and had the game well in hand before Western Michigan hit the ball well late. WMU scored 12 runs over the last 2 innings as a solid rain started to cover the field.
The offensive explosion was more than enough for Chayce McDermott to earn his 3rd win. McDermott struck out a career-high 13 and allowed 4 hits over 6.0 innings, leaving after throwing 100 pitches.
Sunday's win concluded an offensive week for the ages. Ball State (15-9, 3-0) scored 38 runs during the WMU series and 56 runs for the week. The Cardinals had 80 hits (28 XBH) and hit .410 as a team.
The Cardinals are 3-0 in MAC play for the first time since 2015 and are riding this current winning streak into an important week. After hosting Valparaiso Wednesday, March 27, defending MAC champion Kent State comes to Muncie next weekend March 29-31. The Kent State series should go along way in shaping what the top of the MAC standings will look like this year. If this week is any indication, the Cardinals have proven to be a tough out.
Bowling Green 6, Toledo 5
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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team completed its sweep of the University of Toledo on Sunday (March 24) afternoon with a walk-off victory. Freshman Mike Malewitz delivered the game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Falcons a 6-5 win.
Bowling Green entered the eighth inning down by a score of 5-2. With the bases loaded and one out, senior Joe McGuinness delivered the biggest hit of his BGSU career – a three-RBI double that cleared the bases and tied the score at 5-5.
Junior Jake Wilson began the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff triple, setting the stage for Malewitz. The freshman took two called balls to start his at-bat, and then promptly poked a single into center field that sent the Falcons into a frenzy.
Redshirt-junior Chase Antle earned the win for Bowling Green, as he allowed just two hits and one run over the final 4.0 innings of the ballgame. Antle struck out four. Redshirt-freshman Will MacLean picked up a no-decision. He was solid over 5.0 innings on the mound. MacLean allowed four runs – two of which were unearned – while striking out one and not issuing a walk.
Central Michigan 6, Ohio 2
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ATHENS, Ohio – Tyler Hankins was solid for six-plus innings on Sunday as the Central Michigan baseball team took the rubber game of its three-game Mid-American Conference series with Ohio, 6-2, at the Bobcats' Bob Wren Stadium.
The Chippewas (15-7, 2-1 MAC) rebounded from a 12-11 Saturday loss, when the Bobcats won on a walk-off grand slam. CMU won Friday's opener, 5-3.
Hankins (4-0), a 6-foot-9 junior left-hander, allowed two runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings, winning a Sunday series finale for the second-consecutive weekend.
"Tyler Hankins, for the second straight week, gave us a great start with our back a little bit against the wall," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "His fastball command was outstanding and he did a very nice job mixing in his off-speed pitches when needed."
The Chippewas scored twice in the fourth inning on RBI singles by Chase Rollin and Zach Heeke to seize a 2-1 lead. CMU upped its lead to 4-1 in the sixth on a Heeke sacrifice fly and a Zavier Warren run-scoring single.
Jacob Crum hit his third home run of the season in the seventh to make it 5-1, and Jason Sullivan singled in a run in the ninth.
The Chippewas outhit the Bobcats, 10-7. Warren and Griffin Lockwood-Powell each singled and doubled, and David Cole had two hits.
Lockwood-Powell, a sophomore from Sioux Falls, S.D., finished the weekend with eight hits in 11 at-bats. Among his hits were three home runs and a double, and he drove in seven runs.
Ian Leatherman relieved Hankins with two out in the seventh inning and worked out of a two-on jam.
MU reliever Jordan Patty got a strikeout to end the Ohio half of the eighth inning with the bases loaded. Patty, a sophomore, set down the Bobcats in order in the ninth for his first career save.
The Chippewas welcome Grand Valley State for their home opener at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium on Tuesday, March 26 (4 p.m.).
Northern Illinois 9, Eastern Michigan 4
Boxscore
DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University baseball team finished off its first Mid-American Conference series sweep in two seasons Sunday with a 9-4 win over the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Ralph McKinzie Field.
"Once you get into MAC play, it's a new season," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We played a really tough schedule on the front end of the season to prepare us for conference play. We're finally seeing the team we know we can be."
The Huskies are 3-0 in the MAC for the first time since sweeping its conference-opening series at Toledo March 24-26, 2017. Catcher Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) led the NIU offense going 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBI, including his second home run of the season. Jordan Larson (Dodgeville, Wis./College of DuPage) also hit a home run in the game. Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) and Malik Peters (Calumet City, Ill./Mount Carmel) each were 2-for-4.
NIU (7-16, 3-0 MAC) broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fifth. With a runner on first and one out, Dunham clubbed his second home run of the season over the left field fence to give the Huskies a 4-2 advantage. The Eagles closed to within one run in the top of the seventh when a Nick Jones groundout made the score 4-3. NIU answered with a Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to give NIU a 5-3 lead.
Eastern Michigan (3-19-1, 0-3 MAC) had a chance to take the lead in the top of the eighth. Cameron Cruz led off the inning by being hit by a Kyle Seebach (Rochelle, Ill./Rochelle Twp.) pitch. John Rensel then hit a single. Shane Easter reached on a fielder's choice, with Rensel safe at second on an error that allowed Cruz to score and put Eastern Michigan within one, 5-4. After a Devin Hager popout, Seebach walked Nate Jones to load the bases. Nate Thomas (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) then came into the game and got Josh Timko to ground into a double play, with Larson tagging first and throwing home to put out Rensel and end the inning.
"It's a team game, and today we played defense behind those guys," Kunigonis said about his bullpen's efforts Sunday. "It's not going to be one guy or one unit every game. You have to play as a team and that's what we've emphasized throughout the years. We're one group, 32 strong, and we're here for each other."
Larson led off the eighth with his second long ball of the season, hitting a home run to left field to make the score 6-4. Peters then singled to right field and got to second base on a Caleb Hester wild pitch. Josh Mutter (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) was hit by a pitch to give NIU runners at first and second. Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) then put down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners. Joyce then hit a single to bring in Peters and make the score 7-4. The Huskies then pulled off a double steal, with Joyce taking second and Mutter stealing home to put NIU ahead 8-4. Dunham tacked on another run for NIU with a two-out RBI single to make the score 9-4.
The Eagles had one last chance to tie the game in the ninth. Three straight hits with one out loaded the bases for Eastern Michigan. Ty Jandrowski (Kenosha, Wis./Madison College) came in from the NIU bullpen and locked up the win, getting Rensel and Easter to fly out to end the ballgame.
NIU starting pitcher William Anderson (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East) had seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. Tristan Michaels (Barrington, Ill./Triton College) got his first win as a Huskies, allowing one run on three hits in 2.1 innings with three strikeouts. Jandrowski earned his first save of the season.
The Huskies are in action Tuesday when NIU travels to UIC for a 3:05 p.m. game. Tuesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Miami 5, Kent State 1
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KENT, Ohio – The Miami University baseball team took the rubber match from Kent State, 5-1, on Sunday to get a series win in its Mid-American Conference opening weekend. The RedHawks improve to 18-4 overall and 2-1 in the MAC. The Golden Flashes fall to 9-12 overall and 1-2 in the MAC.
Senior pitcher Jack Corbell kept KSU at bay throughout the game. He allowed only five hits and one walk in 8.0 innings pitched, while striking out six. Only one runner advanced to third all day on him. Corbell improved his record to 4-0 and lowered his ERA to a miniscule 1.11.
The Red and White got on the board first in the top of the second inning. Freshman designated hitter Cole Andrews led off with a walk. A single by junior shortstop Will Vogelgesang moved him up to third. Junior catcher Cal Elvers followed with a double to score Andrews.
In the top of the third, redshirt freshman first baseman Reid Norberg led off with a walk. After an out was recorded, Norberg moved to second on a balk. A single up the middle by redshirt junior left fielder Kyle Winkler scored him. One batter later, a double to right center by Andrews brought home Winkler and made it 3-0.
It stayed that way until Miami got a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Vogelgesang led off with a walk. He advanced to second on a passed ball, and got to third off a single from redshirt junior second baseman Jordan Stephens. Sophomore right fielder Parker Massman put down a squeeze bunt to bring home Vogelgesang. While Stephens was caught stealing, a single to right field by Norberg scored Massman and made it 5-0.
Kent State was able to spoil the shutout in the bottom of the ninth, but senior pitcher Andy Almquist forced the fly out to left field to finish off the victory.
Eight different RedHawks had base hits on Sunday with five different players recording RBIs. Norberg led the way, finishing 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.
Miami returns to action Tuesday as it travels to fourth-ranked Louisville for a midweek game. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and it will stream online on the ACC Network Extra.
