The weather and the Ball State University baseball team put on their Sunday best, and Ball State defeated the University of Akron 5-1 to win the first Mid-American Conference series of the season.
The Cardinals took Friday's game 4-3 before losing on Saturday 10-8. The wins improve their record to 11-9 and the Zips fall to 4-17.
"Opening conference play with a series win is big," coach Greg Beals said. "It's a challenge every weekend."
In Sunday's season finale, the hosts took advantage of Akron miscues to bring three runs after two-outs had been recorded.
Zips starter Benjamin Danziger appeared to be have retired the side in the fourth inning, but first baseman Brian Kordal was unable to hold on to shortstop Kevin Haas' throw and third baseman Tim Issler reached base. A pair of doubles by junior center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker and senior second baseman Nate Fields brought home two runs to give Ball State a 4-1 lead.
In the seventh inning, sophomore pitcher Kolbrin Vitek singled and advanced to third after a wild pitch and a stolen base. A two-out error by second baseman Phil Bednar allowed Vitek to score the final run of the game.
The run support was more than enough for Vitek. In six innings, the pitcher/third baseman allowed one unearned run on six hits and struck out eight Zips.
"He's basically our ace, but it makes sense to pitch him on Sunday with his other responsibilities," Beals said. "He was his normal sharp self."
Vitek (2-1) was 7-for-13 at the plate during the weekend.
Despite two errors in each game by the Cardinals, Beals was pleased with his team's defensive effort.
"We were really good on Friday and not bad [Saturday]," Beals said. "We made a bunch of good plays, which was big for our pitching staff."
Friday, Akron senior starting pitcher Tom Farmer held Ball State to four hits, but was unable to pick up the win. Farmer threw a complete game, allowing three first-inning runs. Fields said Farmer kept hitters off balance at the plate.
"He was mixing his pitches pretty well," Fields said. "He did a good job, but we battled with it."
Junior starting pitcher Brad Piatt improve to 4-0, allowing two runs in 5 2/3 innings in the series opener. Junior closer Morgan Coombs closed out the Cardinals' fifth straight win to start MAC play and earn his first save.
"It was nice to do it in front of home fans," Coombs said.
Coombs was also the beneficiary of strong defensive efforts when Fields and sophomore shortstop T.J. Baumet made good plays to record the first two outs of the ninth inning. Coombs said the defense was a big bonus for him.
"It's a big help," Coombs said. "It gets you really amped up."
Ball State trailed from the beginning on Saturday after Haas opened the game with a home run. The Cardinals tied the game at one in the second when junior right fielder Ryan Chenoweth brought home freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen with a triple. Senior starting pitcher Brenden Stines (0-3) gave up five more runs in the fourth inning.
The loss prevented Beals from winning his 200th game. He has 199 victories in seven years as the Cardinals coach and said he hopes his team will be able to make some adjustments to be able to pick up the next win soon.
"We need to make some improvements with the offense," Beals said. "I'm not satisfied with the quality of swings and at bats. We need to keep things rolling."
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