May 27, 2010
Final Stats
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio-Eighth-seeded Ohio outhit fourth-seeded Ball State but a ninth-inning rally ended three runs shy as the Cardinals picked up a 13-10 victory on the second day of competition at the Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament.
The victory was also BSU’s first MAC Tourney win over the Bobcats in six tries.
Ohio finished its season at 20-35 overall.
The Cardinals got a 5-for-5 effort with three RBIs and four runs scored from catcher Zach Dygert. First baseman Ian Nielsen also blasted a towering three-run homer to right in the sixth inning for his 12th homer of the season. Third baseman Stephen Claypool went 3-for-5 as well.
Ohio got three hits apiece from right fielder Jerod Yakubik, center fielder Gauntlett Eldemire and catcher Kris McDonough. Left fielder Robert Maddox III scored twice.
BSU reliever Derek Grabner (5-3) picked up the win, tossing one and two-thirds innings, allowing one run on four hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Ohio starter Rex Ingham (2-1) lasted four and two-thirds innings, yielding five earned runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
The Cardinals put up three in the top of the second, but Ohio responded with two in the bottom half of the frame on an RBI single up the middle by designated hitter Seth Streich and a sacrifice fly to right by shortstop Wesley O’Neill.
Ball State built a 7-2 lead with two runs each in the fourth and fifth innings, but Ohio bounced right back with four tallies in the bottom of the fifth. Eldemire crushed the first pitch he saw off the scoreboard in left field for his 16th homer of the season and his 44th career dinger overall, moving him within one of Marc Krauss for second on the school’s all-time list. First baseman Tyler Backstrom then laced a run-scoring single up the middle before McDonough ripped a two-run double to left center, his third of the game, to bring Ohio within one at 7-6.
The Cardinals got three more runs in the top of sixth, while Ohio countered in the bottom half with a run-scoring infield single by third baseman Bryan Barnes.
BSU added one more in the seventh and two in the ninth to nab a 13-8 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Ohio would not go quietly, however, as pinch hitter Doug Holmes ripped a run-scoring double to right and Yakubik followed with a two-run single to right center. The Bobcats were able to get the tying run to the plate, but reliever Kolbrin Vitek registered a strikeout to nail down his third save of the season.
Ohio had one more hit (19-18) than BSU, but also made three errors, while the Cardinals made just one.
With the win, BSU improved to 29-28 overall and advanced to Friday’s 9 a.m. losers’ bracket contest against the loser of Thursday’s 4 p.m. game between top-seeded Central Michigan and fifth-seeded Bowling Green.
