RECAP: Ball State baseball vs. Butler
By Sam Barloga / March 28, 2017Ball State baseball was overpowered by Butler's offense in a 7-3 loss on Tuesday afternoon.
Ball State baseball was overpowered by Butler's offense in a 7-3 loss on Tuesday afternoon.
Ball State baseball looks to end its four-game losing streak when it hosts Butler in a mid-week non-conference game Tuesday. The Cardinals (11-13, 0-3 MAC) boast the best ERA in the Mid-American Conference (3.53), though the Bulldogs (16-7, 0-0 Big East) have a 3.15 ERA that's second in the Big East. Butler is on a five-game winning streak, including a 3-game sweep of Ohio (11-11, 0-0 MAC) over the weekend. Ball State was just swept by Kent State in its first series of MAC play. The Bulldogs hit .267 as a team, led by redshirt junior infielder Michael Hartnagel, who's on a six-game hitting streak. Hartnagel is hitting .410 on the season with 10 doubles. Ball State sophomore outfielder Roman Baisa carries a seven-game hitting streak into the matchup, hitting .275. He's also second on the team with 13 runs scored. Junior right-handed pitcher Brendan Burns (1-0) is expected to make his first start of the season for the Cardinals. He has a 2.61 ERA but has only pitched 10.1 innings. Primarily a starter last season (12 of his 14 appearances were starts), Burns went 5-4 with a 3.81 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday at Ball Diamond at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
The first inning of Ball State baseball's 9-4 loss to Kent State Sunday was symbolic of the entire series.
The Cardinals were swept in their first Mid-American Conference series.
Ball State baseball dropped the second game of it's Mid-American Conference-opening series against Kent State on Saturday.
Kent State needed a diving catch with the tying run on second base to seal the win.
Justin Wechsler was an All-MAC pitcher for Ball State before playing pro baseball and becoming a scout.
Ball State won the MAC West last year, while Kent State won the MAC East. Both were predicted to repeat in the MAC Preseason Poll.
The game-time temperature for Ball State baseball's 16-4 loss was 35 degrees, but Purdue's bats were anything but cold.
The Cardinals host the Boilermakers Wednesday at 3 p.m.
On a 37-degree day in March, senior pitcher BJ Butler pitched a complete-game shutout to give Ball State baseball (10-8) their ninth win of the season in the Cardinals' home opener. The last time a pitcher from Ball State’s roster pitched a complete-game shutout was March 26, 2016 by Zach Plesac for a 9-0 victory over Miami.
Ball State baseball plays its home opener Saturday in a doubleheader against Dayton. “It’s always better to be off the road,” head coach Rich Maloney said.
Ball State baseball’s Florida getaway was more like a homecoming for CJ Alexander. Over Spring Break, the Cardinals, along with 18 other Division-I schools, competed in the annual Snowbird Baseball Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida — about an hour away from Alexander’s home in Cape Coral.
The Cardinals are now 7-3 on the season after winning both legs of Saturday's doubleheader.
Ball State's starting pitchers allowed just 12 hits in four games this weekend.
The baseball and softball teams each spend the first month of their seasons on the road because it's normally too cold to use their fields.
The Cardinals and Chanticleers play at 4 p.m. Friday in the first game of the Caravelle Resort Tournament.
Colin Brockhouse and Matt Eppers were recognized by the Mid-American Conference for their performances last weekend.
The Cardinals are 2-1 after beating No. 22 Maryland and Alabama State the first weekend of the season.
Ball State baseball lost its first game of the season Sunday.
