Behind three RBIs each from Brad Snyder and Marc Franz, and a solid pitching performance, the baseball team defeated Akron, 8-3, in Akron on Sunday to gain a split of a four-game series.
Ball State improves to 29-13 overall and 10-6 in the Mid-American Conference to remain on top of the West Division. Akron is now 18-22 and 9-7.
Freshman Joe Ness, making his first MAC starts, pitched five innings for the win and is now 4-1. Kory Bucklew hurled three innings and John Pettibone one of hitless relief.
Akron jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings on Sunday, but Franz's bases-loaded single in the third made it 3-2. Mike Sullivan doubled and came home on Ben Schroeder's triple in the fourth to tie the game. Snyder then put a shot over the centerfield fence to give BSU the lead for good.
Brad Miller added a solo shot in the fifth. Snyder doubled in Fry in the ninth before scoring on Franz's sacrifice fly.
In the first game on Friday, Akron plated four in the fourth to knock out Ball State starter Jason Paul (6-2) and build a 6-2 lead.
That was good enough for Zip ace Frank Mendoza (6-2), who yielded 11 hits but struck out 10 in 8 1/3 innings to keep the Cardinals at bay. Jason Bucholtz touched Mendoza for a three-run homer in the ninth to make it 7-5, but Akron closer Dan Swallie got two strikeouts to ensure the win.
Saturday saw Brian Lynch pitch his third consecutive complete game, as Ball State won 5-1. Lynch (5-3) gave up just two hits and struck out 10 in the seven-inning contest. Back-to-back Cardinal homers by Lucas Fry and Snyder broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Ball State held a 3-2 after five innings. The Zips then struck for three runs off BSU starter Mike Johnston (2-2) in the sixth, and scored four times against Andy Anderson in the seventh.
The Cards almost overcame that 9-3 deficit. Lorenzo Scott's two-run homer made it 9-8. With the tying run on second, Swallie struck out Fry to end the game.
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