Down 3-1 to Anderson University going into the bottom of the second inning Wednesday, the Ball State University baseball team needed a boost.
The Cardinals gave themselves that boost by cranking five home runs in the inning, putting 11 runs on the board and building a lead the Ravens couldn't match, powering Ball State to a 20-12 win.
Ball State (9-9) sent 14 men to the plate in the decisive inning, banging out six hits, including the five homers. Right fielder Ryan Chenoweth went deep twice in the inning while second baseman Jeremy Hazelbaker cracked a grand slam.
"It shows our power and our depth more than anything," Hazelbaker said. "It was a big inning for us, definitely. I don't know how to explain it."
The Cardinals hit six total dingers in the game, two short of the team single-game record. Chenoweth's two were his first of the year, and catcher Alex Schmid also took one out for the first time this season.
"Offense is contagious," Cardinals' coach Greg Beals said. "They kept feeding us good pitches and we were taking good swings. The thing I like is only one of the home runs was a fly ball. The others were hard-hit line drives. I thought our approach offensively was very good today."
Although Ball State put 20 runs on the board, the Cardinals took notice of a number that was perhaps more important. Ball State put a zero on the board under the errors column. Considering the Cardinals' struggles defensively last season, the number stuck out to the team.
"It's huge to be able to play defense," Beals said. "The college game of baseball is an offensive game because of aluminum bats, and it can be tough on the pitchers at times. Our defense has got to help them. It's an integral part of a championship ball club."
Ball State will open Mid-American Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Kent State University, Beals' alma mater.
Hazelbaker said the Cardinals will enter the series on a high.
"We're coming in with a lot of enthusiasm," Hazelbaker said. "It's a big weekend for us. It's going to set the tone for the whole MAC. We're going to come in expecting to play hard."
Beals said Wednesday's victory will help build his team's confidence back up after a difficult non-conference schedule.
"We've had a tough schedule," Beals said. "Those games have a tendency to beat you down a little bit. Having a game like today, having a chance to build confidence a little bit to get us rolling into conference play ought to be good for us."
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