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FINAL: Ball State (16-12, 3-2 MAC) 17, Ohio (11-15, 2-3 MAC) 14 -- Muncie, Ind. (Ball Diamond at First Merchants Ballpark Complex)

OHIO STARTERS: Mitch Longo (LF), Manny De Jesus (CF), Ty Black (2B), John Adryan (3B), Cody Gaertner (C), Rudy Rott (1B), Tony Giannini (RF), Nate Squires (DH), Mateus Vakuda (SS), Jake Rudnicki (P)

BALL STATE STARTERS: Alex Call (RF), Ryan Spaulding (2B), Caleb Stayton (1B), Jarett Rindfleisch (C), Alex Maloney (SS), Matt Eppers (CF), Zach Plesac (LF), Scott Tyler (DH), Sean Kennedy (DH), Kevin Marnon (P)

THE BASICS
The Ohio baseball team (11-15, 2-3 MAC) could not hang on to a nine-run lead, falling to Mid-American Conference West Division foe Ball State (15-12, 2-2 MAC), 17-14, on Saturday (April 2) in the second contest of a three-game weekend set at Ball Diamond at First Merchants Ballpark Complex in Muncie, Ind.

The Cardinals evened the weekend series with the Bobcats with the win. Ohio defeated Ball State, 12-6, in 10 innings in the Friday (April 1) series opener.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The game featured wild weather conditions -- including steady wind with gusts approaching 40 and 50 miles per hour and intermittent snow and rain squalls.
• Offense was plentiful, with the two teams combining for 31 hits -- including 13 for extra bases -- and 11 different players posting multi-hit games.
• Sophomore right fielder Tony Giannini (Carmel, Ind.) led Ohio with a 3-for-6 effort that featured a double and a team-high three RBIs to go along with a run scored. His three RBIs set a new career high.
• Junior left fielder Mitch Longo (Mayfield, Ohio) put together a 3-for-4 performance that included a walk, an RBI and two runs scored.
• Freshman first baseman Rudy Rott (Holmen, Wis.) tallied three singles, walked and scored a run.
• Junior shortstop Mateus Vakuda (Sao Paulo, Brazil) belted his first home run of the year for one of his two hits and coaxed a walk.
• Redshirt senior catcher Cody Gaertner (Pittsburgh, Pa.) went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.
• Junior right fielder Alex Call finished a single shy of the cycle, drew two walks, drove in a game-high five runs and scored a game-high four runs to lead Ball State at the plate.
• Junior left fielder Zach Plesac homered for one of his three hits and finished with three runs scored for the Cardinals.
• Junior third baseman Sean Kennedy doubled twice, walked twice, drove in a run and scored three more for Ball State.
• Junior first baseman Caleb Stayton hit a home run for one of his two hits in addition to a walk and tallied two RBIs for the Cardinals.
• Junior catcher Jarett Rindfleisch went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBIs for Ball State.
• Senior designated hitter Scott Tyler compiled two singles, a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored for the Cardinals.
• Redshirt sophomore right-handed reliever Michael Klein (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) suffered the pitching loss for Ohio, falling to 0-2 on the year. He allowed three earned runs on two hits and three walks.
• Junior right-handed starting pitcher Jake Rudnicki (Toledo, Ohio) threw five innings, giving up eight earned runs on eight hits and four walks. He struck out four.
• Redshirt senior right-handed relief pitcher Eddie Fitzpatrick (North Attleboro, Mass.) permitted two earned runs on two his in 0.2 innings.
• Sophomore right-handed reliever Logan Jacik (Omaha, Neb.) gave up four earned runs on four hits and two walks in 1.2 innings.
• Junior right-handed pitcher BJ Butler picked up the win on the mound for Ball State, striking out two while giving up one hit and a walk in 1.1 innings of relief.
• Redshirt junior southpaw starting pitcher Kevin Marnon allowed six runs -- four of which were earned -- on three his and four walks over 3.2 frames for the Cardinals.
• Freshman right-handed reliever TJ Harmon gave up three runs -- two of which were earned -- on a hit and a walk for Ball State. He did not record an out.
• Sophomore righty Mitch Gibson surrendered four earned runs on seven hits and two walks in 2.1 innings of relief for the Cardinals. He registered one strikeout.
• Junior southpaw reliever Evan Korson allowed an earned run on three hits and struck out two over 1.2 innings.
• Ball State recorded the first of the game's 31 runs in the bottom of the first inning. Senior second baseman Ryan Spaulding sent a one-out double down the right field line and scored one out later by way of an infield single to short by Rindfleish.
• Ohio evened the score in the top of the third when redshirt junior designated hitter Nate Squires (Plain City, Ohio) shot a leadoff single through the left side and later scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore second baseman Ty Black (Waynesville, Ohio).
• The Cardinals took two-run lead in the third. Kennedy got things started with a leadoff double to center, and Call followed by drawing a walk. One out later, Stayton singled to right to bring home Kennedy. Call then scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1 in favor of Ball State.
• The Bobcats appeared to take command of the contest by exploding for nine runs in the fourth to grab a 10-3 advantage. The big inning began with Gaertner being hit by a pitch, then moving up to second on a wild pitch and scoring one out later on a base hit back up the middle by Giannini. Squires drew a walk, then Longo was hit by a pitch one out later to load the bases with Bobcats with two outs. Senior center fielder Manny De Jesus (Caguas, Puerto Rico) drew a walk to bump home Giannini and tie the game. Squires then scored on a passed ball to put Ohio in front. After Black drew a walk to reload the bases, senior third baseman John Adryan (Delran, N.J.) reached on a Ball State error, allowing Longo to score. De Jesus and Black both scored on a double to right center by Gaertner. After Rott coaxed a walk, Adryan scored by way of a wild pitch. Giannini then doubled home both Gaertner and Rott to complete the nine-run fourth for Ohio.
• The Cardinals got a run back in the home half of the frame when junior center fielder Matt Eppers drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored one out later on an RBI ground out to second by Tyler.
• The Bobcats answered right back with a three-run fifth to take a 13-4 lead. Vakuda led off with a round tripper to left. Longo followed with a double to left to set the table for Adryan's two-run blast two outs later -- his team-high eighth home run of the season.
• Ball State began to chip away at the Ohio lead in the bottom of the fifth. Call sent a leadoff double to center, then scored on a two-out double to center by Rindfleish.
• The Cardinals trimmed the Bobcat advantage to three runs with five runs in the sixth. Plesac set a leadoff home run center -- his first homer of the year. Tyler then singled to right center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Kennedy drew a walk, Call tripled home both he and Tyler. Call then scored on a wild pitch, and Stayten sent a solo shot to right to tally his fifth round tripper of the season and cap the big inning for Ball State.
• Ball State jumped back in front, 14-13, with four more runs in the seventh. Plesacent hit a one-out single to right, then advanced to second by way of an Ohio error. Tyler singled through the right side to plate Plesac. Kennedy followed with a double down the left field line, setting the table for a three-run blast down the right field line by Call -- his third home run of the season.
• Ohio responded once again, tying the game at 14-all in the eighth as Squires reached on a fielder's choice, moved to second on a base hit to right by Vakuda and scored on a base hit back up the middle by Longo.
• The Cardinals' bats stayed hot, though, posting a three-run bottom of the eighth to give Ball State a 17-14 lead. Junior shortstop Alex Maloney led off with a single to right, then moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Eppers. Plesac legged out an infield base hit to short, then Tyler loaded the bases by drawing a walk. After freshman CJ Anderson entered to pinch run for Tyler, Kennedy walked to push Maloney home. Pleasac then scored on a wild pitch, and Alexander followed by scoring on a fielder's choice that put Spaulding on.
• Rott tried to keep Ohio's hopes of a comeback alive with a two-out single through the right side in the top of the ninth but was left stranded on first.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
• Ohio's loss to Ball State snapped a three-game winning streak against the Cardinals for the Bobcats.
• The Bobcats have totaled at least 10 hits in a game 15 times in 2016.
• Giannini tallied his fourth multi-hit effort of the season and fourth multi-RBI game of the year.
• Longo logged his 10th multi-hit outing of the season -- tying hime for second on the team.
• Rott posted his ninth multi-hit game of the year.
• Gaertner recorded his eighth multi-hit game and fifth multi-RBI game of the season.
• Vakuda tallied his third multi-hit game of the year.
• Adryan notched his team-high seventh multi-RBI game of the season. He has now hit 15 career home runs.

UP NEXT
Ohio can still clinch its first MAC series win of the 2016 season when it takes on Ball State on Sunday (April 2) in a 1 p.m. ET rubber match at Ball Diamond at First Merchants Ballpark Complex in Muncie, Ind.

Senior righty Connor Sitz (Westerville, Ohio) is scheduled to get the start on the mound for Ohio. He's 2-2 with a 3.04 ERA and 15 strikeouts over six starts and 26.2 innings of work. He's set to oppose Ball State sophomore right-hander Brendan Burns, who is 3-1 with a 2.86 ERA and 22 strikeouts in six appearances and five starts and 28.1 innings.

'Voice of the Bobcats' Russ Eisenstein will have the call on WOUB-AM 1340 and online at OhioBobcats.com.

The Bobcats last took a series from the Cardinals in Muncie in 2006.

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