CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Coming into the Mid-American Conference Tournament, the Ball State University baseball team was confident and eager to get the first win under its belt.
But after Wednesday's 6-4 loss to Bowling Green State University, any Mid-American Conference Tournament championship for Ball State will have to come from the losers' bracket. No. 4 Ball State will play Ohio University in an elimination game at 12:30 p.m. today.
The Cardinals (28-28) dropped their opening game in the double-elimination tournament for the third consecutive year. Because Ball State missed the conference tournament in 2007, it has not started in the winners' bracket since winning the tournament in 2006.
The Cardinals were unable to overcome a four-run third inning by the Falcons — an inning that probably should never have happened.
After retiring the first seven batters of the game, Perci Garner allowed back-to-back singles from Bowling Green's eighth and ninth hitters. He got leadoff hitter Logan Meisler to line out to third baseman Stephen Claypool. The freshman rushed his throw to double the runner off second base, extending the inning for the Falcons.
"We basically committed an error at third base," coach Greg Beals said. "It's not about one play, but that inning's not on Perci. Yeah, there were some things that happened, but we had a chance to get out of that inning."
The big blow came when Derek Spencer hit a three-run double with two outs.
Though Bowling Green (29-21) added another run in the fourth inning, Garner (5-3) was able to settle into a groove again. The junior pitched seven innings, the longest outing of his career, striking out seven in the loss.
"My arm felt great," Garner said. "My velocity, I thought, was a big key. You could tell they were a little late."
Ball State was unable to ever get to Bowling Green ace Brennan Smith. The Cardinals beat Smith 12-6 when the two teams met April 9. In that game, Ball State jumped on the 2009 MAC Pitcher of the Year early, chasing him after just 2 1/3 innings.
Smith (6-4) was much more effective Wednesday. The right-hander mixed his pitches and allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings.
"He had better control with his off-speed pitches," Beemer said. "He kept us on our back foot a little more."
Ball State first scratched the scoreboard with two runs in the fifth inning on a stand-up triple by Blake Beemer.
"For a second, I thought the second baseman was going to catch it," Beemer said. "I'm glad he didn't. We got the runs, it just wasn't enough."
Smith was able to induce a ground out from All-American Kolbrin Vitek to end the inning and strand Beemer at third base.
With Garner continuing to shut Bowling Green down, Ball State was able to cut the deficit to one on a two-run home run by T.J. Baumet.
But the Falcons' bullpen did its job. In 2 1/3 innings the Cardinals managed one single, quickly erased by a double play, against Nick Bruns and Patrick O'Brien, who earned his fifth save.
Bowling Green got an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a home run by Ryan Schlater. The ninth hitter in the Falcons' lineup, Schlater went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs.
Ball State's fourth loss in five games leaves it one loss away from ending its season.
"We've got to come out and compete," Beals said. "We're either going to stand in the corner and get beat up or we're going to come out swinging."
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