It looked like the Ball State University baseball team was headed to its third extra-innings game of the season as the team entered the ninth inning tied at four with Indiana University.
But junior center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker sent everyone home on time with a walk-off solo home run off Hoosier reliever Matt Carr. Ball State's second home run of the game gave it a 5-4 victory in the opener of the Austin Peay Invitational on Friday. Closer Morgan Coombs improved his record to 2-1 after retiring the final batter in the top of the ninth.
The Cardinals fell behind 4-0 after the Hoosiers scored two runs in the second and third innings. Starting pitcher Brad Piatt went four innings, giving up four runs on five hits. Two of the runs were unearned after shortstop T.J. Baumet's error in the second inning allowed Indiana to take the early lead.
Junior left fielder Kory Benbow put Ball State on the scoreboard in the fourth, driving in junior catcher Zach Dygert with a double. That was the only run allowed by junior Matt Bashore in his six innings.
Bashore was relieved in the seventh by sophomore Matt Carr who allowed Baumet a leadoff single. Hazelbaker drew a walk before sophomore third baseman Kolbrin Vitek's two-out single drove in both runners.
Freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen hit a solo home run to tie the game in the eighth off Carr. The reigning Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week went 3-4. Nielsen is hitting .619 and is slugging 1.095.
Fellow freshman Justin Warrington combined with junior Aaron Hammons, senior Tom Mueller and Coombs for five innings of shutout pitching. The Cardinals' bullpen allowed two hits while striking out four to keep the game close.
Indiana stranded 13 base runners, including six in the final three innings. The Hoosiers were led offensively by first baseman Jerrud Sabourin who went 2-4 with a run and was hit by a pitch.
Ball State improves to 3-2 on the season and Indiana falls to 2-2. The Cardinals also extended their winning streak against the Hoosiers to five games.
Ball State plays Cleveland State University to continue the tournament at noon Saturday.
Continue to check bsudailynews.com for game updates throughout the weekend and Monday's edition of The Ball State Daily News for complete coverage of the Cardinals in the Austin Peay Tournament.
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