Jon Peacock went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored, but Illinois State could not stop the hot Ball State bats and dropped the first game Friday, 13-3, in its four-game, non-conference series with the Cardinals at Ball Diamond.
Illinois State falls to 11-20 overall, while Ball State improves its overall record to 24-10. The Redbirds recorded only four hits, while the Cardinals turned in 22 hits, the most allowed in a game this season by Illinois State.
It just wasnt a good day for Redbird baseball, said Illinois State head coach Jim Brownlee. We couldnt hit. We couldnt pitch. Ball State is playing really well right now and we just have to take this whipping and move on. Tomorrow is a brand new day.
Jon Peacock put Illinois State on the scoreboard in the top of the first by crushing a solo shot to right field for his fourth homer of the season. The Cardinals answered in the bottom of the inning by using three hits, including two doubles, to take a 2-1 lead into the second inning.
In the bottom of the second inning, Brownlee was ejected from the game following an argument with home plate umpire Dale Goodwin. A three-run homer by Ball States Marc Franz in the bottom of the third extended the Cardinals lead to four, 5-1.
Ball State put up two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings behind seven Cardinal hits, including home runs by Kyle Dygert and Lucas Fry respectively, to take a 9-1 lead into the sixth inning. Two more home runs in the bottom of the sixth and a run in the seventh by Ball State put the Cardinals ahead by 12, 13-1.
After Ball State reliever Dustin Ruhl walked the bases loaded to start the eighth inning, Peacock and Jay Molina recorded consecutive sac flies to score Scott Bialobreski and Nate Whitney respectively to narrow the Cardinals lead to 10, 13-3. Back-to-back, one-out singles by Blaesing and Bialobreski in the top of the ninth was not enough to spark any further Redbird runs as Whitney popped out to second base and Bob McNamara grounded into a fielders choice to end the game.
Illinois State continues its non-conference series with Ball State with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday. The first game will be seven innings followed by a nine-inning affair.
