In one-run games this season, Ball State is 0-7. So the Cardinals decided Sunday to not make things so close, scoring five runs in the ninth inning for a 7-1 win to salvage one win in a three-game series at Bowling Green.
Ball State (11-11, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) rapped a season-best 17 hits, all but one of them singles in grabbing its first league win of the season.
"We busted out a little bit," BSU coach Greg Beals said. "We struggled offensively on Saturday, but I felt like we had real good at-bats (today). We were threatening the whole game (10 runners left on base). It was just matter of time before we were able to bust through.
"Hitting is contagious, there's no double about that. The thing a like was how the guys competed."
Amidst all the hits, Andrew Anderson efficiently shut down Bowling Green (11-4, 2-1). The senior righthander, who improved to 3-1, scattered six hits and a walk over eight innings for the win, with John Pettibone pitching a scoreless ninth inning.
"I think that's probably the story; the win was due to great pitching we got," Beals said. "Andy Anderson was solid."
Bowling Green drew within 2-1 on Jeff Warnock's homer in the eighth, but BSU responded with five runs in the ninth to put the game away. The Cards strung together six singles, two sacrifices and a walk in that inning.
Friday's rain forced a doubleheader for Saturday, and naturally Ball State lost both games by one run, 5-4 and 2-1.
Lucas Fry batted in all of BSU's runs in the game one -- a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and a three-run homer in the eighth. But it was not enough to overcome Bowling Green tagging BSU starter Mike Johnston (1-3) for five runs on 10 hits.
The Cards drew first blood in game two when Matt Singleton's fifth-inning ground out scored Fry, who had reached on an error. Bowling Green responded with Steve Raszka's two-run single in the sixth. The Cards put a runner in scoring position in the eighth and ninth, but couldn't come up with the clutch hit.
Joe Ness (3-1) was the tough-luck loser for BSU, striking out seven in seven innings.
After the Falcons' doubleheader sweep, Beals gathered the seniors together for a meeting, and said they led the way on Sunday.
"Saturday was just two tough games," he said. "It's just the little things we didn't take care of; that was kind of battle cry for the seniors.
"We've lost too many one-run games. When you lose, you can look at every little thing. They may not seem that big, but when it's one run, their huge."
For one day though, those little things added up to a big win.
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