Ball State Baseball vs. Big Ten opponents this season
Feb. 27 - Illinois - 0-1 (L)
Feb. 28 - Illinois - 2-1 (W)
March 6 - Northwestern - 4-5 (L) 11 innings
March 8 - Indiana - 1-16 (L)
March 18 - Rutgers - 6-2 (W)
The Ball State baseball team broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning and went on to defeat Rutgers 6-2 on Wednesday at home.
“It was good to be back home,” head coach Rich Maloney said. “This was only our second home game in 19 games, but it’s definitely good to feel refreshed."
Ball State's defense stood behind freshman pitcher Trevor Henderson early on, as the first three Rutgers batters were thrown out by infielder Ryan Spaulding to first baseman Sean Kennedy.
Sophomore Alex Call got the offense going in the bottom of the first, hitting a deep home run over the left-field wall. A Kennedy RBI single scored sophomore Jarett Rindfleisch and extended the lead to 2-0.
In the fourth inning, sophomore outfielder Matt Eppers made two straight catches with runners on first and third to help the Cardinals get off the field without allowing a run.
Henderson's day ended the following inning, after allowing his third hit and walking two Scarlet Knight batters. He finished the day with 4.1 innings pitched, three strikeouts and four walks.
Senior relief pitcher Devin Wilburn stepped in with the bases loaded and one out. He hit the first batter he faced, sending in Rutgers' first run. Brandon After a sacrifice fly that tied the game, Wilburn recorded his first strike out to end the inning.
Wilburn continued to get outs, holding Rutgers scoreless in the sixth while picking up another strikeout. He allowed one hit in 1.2 innings of work.
As the Cardinals went hitless again in the sixth, freshman Colin Brockhouse was subbed in on the mound for Ball State. After holding Rutgers scoreless in his first two innings, Ball State broke the tie in the bottom half of the eighth inning.
Kennedy hit an RBI double to get the scoring started for the Cardinals. Eppers followed with a two-RBI triple before sophomore Alex Maloney knocked him in with a single to cap off a four-run effort.
Kennedy was 3-4 in the game with two RBIs. Eppers was 2-3 with two RBIs and Alex and Rindfleisch recorded two hits apiece.
Brockhouse struck out Rutgers' first two batters before forcing a flyout to end the game. He was credited with the victory, his first in a Ball State uniform.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 2-0 at home this season and 12-7 overall on the season.
“We expect to win," Rich said. "We are a very solid team."
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