BASEBALL: Comeback keeps Ball State in first place
May 21, 2010The Cardinals kept their MAC regular season championship hopes alive with an 8-7 victory in 10 innings Friday. Ball State (28-26, 19-7) came from behind twice to remain in first place.
The Cardinals kept their MAC regular season championship hopes alive with an 8-7 victory in 10 innings Friday. Ball State (28-26, 19-7) came from behind twice to remain in first place.
Four Ball State University seniors will play their final home games this weekend, but their focus continues to be on the Mid-American Conference championship.
After giving up a run in each of the first three innings, the Cardinals (24-24) were unable to ever get ahead and lost 8-4 Wednesday night.
Due to heavy rain in Kalamazoo, Mich., the opening game of Ball State University's series at Western Michigan University was suspended in the fourth inning Friday.
The Cardinals travel to Kalamazoo, Mich. to take on the last-place Broncos at 3 p.m. Friday. Ball State is tied for first place in the Mid-American Conference with the University of Toledo with just three weekends left before the conference tournament.
Eduardo Pavia, who was also named First Team All-MAC for the third straight year, had an 18-4 overall record in singles this season and was 4-0 in MAC play. He also had a 13-5 record in doubles play.
The Cardinals (36-13) swept Northern Illinois University in a double header on Friday before sweeping Western Michigan University on Saturday and Sunday to improve to 14-4 in Mid-American Conference play heading into the final week of the regular season.
Ball State lost yet another series finale, snapping its five-game winning streak with a 10-5 loss to Eastern Michigan. Instead of being happy they had won six straight Mid-American Conference series for their best start to conference play since 2005, the Cardinals focused on their missed opportunity.
The Cardinals carded a combined score of 1222 in the four-round event, 10 strokes ahead of last place Bowling Green State University and three strokes behind seventh-place University of Toledo (1219). Kent State University won the MAC Championship with an 1151.
Ball State University freshman Myron Green was arrested early Saturday morning by Indiana State Police and has been preliminarily charged with two misdemeanors – driving while intoxicated and minor consumption – officials at the Delaware County Jail confirmed Sunday morning.
With the loss Ball State has to endure another year stuck on 19 MAC championships.But looking ahead to the future, there is much to be excited about. Everyone is coming back for the Cardinals and expectations will only grow.
In last week's practices, coach Randy Heisler had his runners and throwers focus on one event instead of multiple. That approach resulted in positive results at the Stan Lyons Invitational in Indianapolis, including several lifetime bests. When Ball State travels to Terre Haute, it will be more of the same — shifting all focus to one event.
In other MAC news, No. 3 seed Western Michigan went on to not only upset, but sweep top-seeded Buffalo 4-0 to claim the MAC Tournament championship Saturday afternoon at the Cardinal Creek Tennis Center.
Ball State piled up 18 runs against Eastern Michigan to clinch its sixth straight Mid-American Conference series victory Saturday.
The Cardinals now have nearly two weeks to prepare for the MAC Championships, which are hosted by the University at Buffalo May 13-15.
Pitcher Elizabeth Milian allowed just three hits and three walks while striking out eight in five innings of work. The Cardinals (35-13, 13-4 Mid-American Conference), meanwhile, went scoreless in the first inning before busting out with eight runs in the second frame, giving Milian more than enough run support to cruise to the victory.
The No. 8 seed Cardinals were no match for the RedHawks, who came into the match with the No. 1 seed in the tournament and an impressive 8-1 record in the MAC.
Kolbrin Vitek capped a four-run Ball State comeback in the ninth inning with a walk-off home run. Ball State defeated Eastern Michigan 13-12 Friday.
