MUNCIE, Ind. – Chicago State baseball continued its weekend series with Ball State Saturday afternoon at Ball Diamond with the Cougars (0-15) falling to the Cardinals (9-6) in a doubleheader by scores of 3-2 in the first game and 10-1 in the nightcap.
The home team posted an early 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a pair of RBI sacrifice flies from sophomore Kolbrin Vitek to score junior Jeremy Hazelbaker and junior Kory Benbow to plate senior Nate Fields. Hazelbaker led off the inning with a single through the right side, while Fields drew a walk and both runners advanced on stolen bases before scoring.
CSU managed to tie the score at 2-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the third. Freshman William Hill (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard South) (Wheaton, Ill.) lined a leadoff single to center field before crossing home plate on a BSU throwing error which also put redshirt freshman Albert Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) on base. Senior Preston Pires (Waipahu, HI/Kalani HS) (Waipahu, Hawai'i) later drove Carpen home with a double down the left field line to even the score. The Cardinals responded in the bottom half of the third with a game-winning RBI single by freshman Ian Nielsen to left center which plated Fields, who opened the inning with a double to right center.
The Cougars had a chance to tie the game in the top of the seventh as senior Jeremy Perez (Chicago, IL/Univ. of Dubuque) (Chicago, Ill.) drew a leadoff walk before fellow senior Kellon McFarlin (Chicago, IL/Meramec CC) (Chicago, Ill.) came into the game as a pinch runner for Perez. After Hill later walked and McFarlin stole third, Carpen lined into a double play to end the game as McFarlin was tagged out at home plate to end the game.
Pires went 3-of-3 at the plate and drove in a run to lead CSU, while junior Austin McDowell (Coal City, IL/Olney Central College) (Coal City, Ill.) hit 2-of-3. Junior Scott Balcer (Palatine, IL/Harper College) (Palatine, Ill.) fell to 0-5 on the year for the Cougars after giving up three runs on five hits in addition to walking two and striking out one.
Fields hit 1-of-2 offensively to pace Ball State while scoring a pair of runs. Senior Adam Quinn (1-1) earned the victory on the mound by recording eight strikeouts, but allowed two runs (one earned) on seven in five innings. Senior Tom Mueller captured the save by pitching the final inning with two walks and a strikeout.
BSU kicked off the second game by taking a 4-0 lead in the second inning that began with an RBI triple freshman Cody Elliott to bring home sophomore T.J. Baumet, who doubled a couple of plays earlier. After Hazelbaker and Fields drew walks, junior Zach Dygert tagged a double down the left field line scoring all three runners.
The visitors scored in the fifth inning when McDowell connected with a leadoff infield single, advanced to second on a single from freshman Jonathan Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) and moved to third on a Perez single. Hill later drove home McDowell with an RBI fielder's choice to slice CSU's deficit to 4-1.
The score remained the same until the sixth inning when the Cardinals posted six runs, highlighted by a two-run homer from Baumet that also scored freshman Nathan Koontz, who was on base via a walk, for the final margin.
McDowell finished with 1-for-3 day at the plate and scored a run for Chicago State. Albert Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (0-1) gave up eight runs on seven hits while walking five and striking out two to take the loss for the Cougars.
Dygert led BSU at the plate by hitting 2-of-4 with four runs batted in. Freshman Cal Bowling improved to 2-0 this season after holding CSU to one run on four hits to go along with three strikeouts and a walk, while redshirt freshman Perci Garner stuck out four and walked one to earn the save for the Cardinals.
Both teams will meet this afternoon in the series finale with a start time of 12 Noon, central.
~CSU~
