Final Stats

MUNCIE, Indiana - Another hot start by the NIU baseball team (22-32, 10-16 MAC) pushed the Huskies in front of Ball State (29-23, 13-13 MAC) Saturday afternoon but five unanswered runs carried the Cardinals to victory, 7-4. The game clinched BSU's berth in the Mid-American Conference Tournament and eliminated the Huskies.

"It was a tough loss today for Huskieball. Our guys battled all nine innings and we were one hit away from taking a lead a few times," said Head Coach Mike Kunigonis.

"We had an uphill battle to get into the MAC Tournament coming into the weekend. We put ourselves behind the eight ball in March and early April. This will be a hard lesson to learn but we need to learn from it. The margin for error is so small. Every game matters. Every inning matters. Every pitch matters," Kunigonis added.

"Our goal hasn't changed for the weekend series," he said, "we talk all year about winning weekends and we still have an opportunity to win the weekend tomorrow."

Johnny Zubek (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) and Nate Ruzich (Joliet, Ill./South Suburban College) each went 3-for-4 with a double. Zubek scored two runs and Ruzich drove in a run. Tony Brandner (Richfield, Wis./Winthrop) accounted for two RBI singles in the game. The Huskies totaled 10 hits in the game.

NIU struck first blood as it scored two runs in the top of the first inning, accounting for four hits and two runs in the frame. With one out, Zubek doubled and scored on the very next at-bat as Brandner singled. Following a double by Stephen Letz (Dyer, Ind./South Suburban College), Ruzich would record his first single of the game to score Letz and make it a 2-0 NIU game.

A two-run homer by Ball State in the bottom of the second tied the game, 2-2, as Ryan Spaulding popped up to left field as the ball was pushed by the wind over the fence to even the score for the Cardinals.

The Huskies responded in the top of the third with two more runs to go on top, 4-2, as the first three Huskies reached base, started by Brian Sisler (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) getting hit by a pitch.

Zubek would then single to third and advance to second on the play via error to put two runners in scoring position. Another RBI single by Brandner pushed the first runner across while a groundout by Letz brought the second run home to put the Huskies back on top, 4-2.

Ball State accounted for five unanswered runs over the next three innings, capped by a three run fourth, to give the Cardinals their first lead of the game. Caleb Stayton gave BSU the lead as he hit a towering ball to right field to make it a 5-4 game.

Despite getting two early outs in the top of the seventh, the Huskies had the Cardinals on the ropes as NIU loaded the bases on singles by Sisler and Zubek, and Brandner reaching base on a hit by pitch. The Huskies would strand the bases loaded however as relief pitcher Colin Brockhouse fanned the next batter stave off NIU's chance at reclaiming the lead.

With the series even, the Huskies and Ball State will close the series tomorrow at noon Central. First pitch at Ball Diamond is set for noon Central.