The midweek matchup between Ball State and Indiana State resulted in a 5-3 win for Indiana State (17-10).
Ball State (6-20) featured a different lineup than usual, as many regulars were on the bench.
"For T.J. [Baumet] and Mitch Widau specifically, I wanted those two guys to have a day off," coach Alex Marconi said. "They haven't hardly sat all year and today was an opportunity to get them a little bit of rest going into the weekend."
Despite dropping the game, Marconi said winning is the goal, no matter who he sends out onto the field.
"Every game we play, we want to win," Marconi said. "That's the intention, when we go out and play is to win the baseball game. Some might assume that we're throwing in the towel, but that's not the case. Those guys are just as capable of winning a baseball game as the guys who start every day."
Ball State used a total of nine pitchers in its loss to Indiana State, none of which tossed more than an inning.
Freshman left-hander Nestor Bautista started for Ball State, giving up a run in his only inning of work.
The Sycamores' sophomore second baseman Robby Ort drove an RBI single to right field, putting them in front 1-0.
Indiana State struck again with a run in the second and three runs in the third to take 5-0 lead.
In the third inning, the Sycamores' junior first baseman Jon Hedges hit a three-run home run, his third of the season.
Ball State got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning when junior second baseman Tim Issler drove an RBI single through the left side of the infield, scoring freshman first baseman Cody Campbell.
Campbell capped off a two-run sixth inning for Ball State when he drove an RBI double to left-center field, scoring freshman T.J. Weir to make the score 5-2 Sycamores.
Despite the loss, Marconi said he saw some great things from both his hitters and pitchers.
"I saw some good things today," Marconi said. "Some hitters [making] some adjustments that we've been talking about with their approach. On the mound, I saw some guys compete. While we had a little bit of a rough start to the game, from the fourth inning on [Indiana State] didn't score and that was successful for those guys who came in for those innings."
Ball State resumes Mid-American Conference action this weekend as it hosts Bowling Green in a three-game series.
Game 1 is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at Ball Diamond.
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