Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Ball State
Hoosiers Fall to Cardinals in Sembower Finale
5/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 16, 2006
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Playing the final game of the 2006 campaign at Sembower Field, the Indiana baseball team came up short to Ball State, 5-3, on May 16. The Hoosiers (22-30) finished their home slate with a 12-10 mark, while the Cardinals won their 11th straight ballgame to improve to 32-18.
After an RBI base hit by third baseman C.J. Webb in the top of the second gave BSU a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first, freshman catcher Billy O'Conner moved the Hoosiers in front with a two-run single in the home half of the stanza. Senior first baseman Ryan Parker (walk) and sophomore Tyler Cox (single) came in on the play to make it 2-1.
With the help of some handy glovework from junior third baseman Michael Nilles, IU survived two jams into the top of the fourth. The Cardinals placed runners on second and third with nobody out when Webb hit a groundball to Nilles, who reached over to third to tag out first baseman Brad Miller for the first out of the inning.
BSU went on to load the bases before Nilles struck again. Catcher Jon Byerly hit a one-hop shot to the Mundelein, Ill., native to start an inning-ending, 5-4-3 double play.
Indiana starter Chris McCombs again stranded a pair of Cardinals in scoring position in the fifth. Miller, who owns 18 home runs and 65 RBI on the season, laced a ball that Nilles backhanded behind the bag and just nipped Miller with a long throw across the diamond.
A sacrifice fly from second baseman Kyle Dygert and a run-scoring base knock by shortstop Eric Earnhart put Ball State back in the lead entering the bottom of the sixth, but IU tied it up in the bottom of the frame. Cox snuck a two-out double inside the first-base bag, and freshman right fielder Chris Hervey garnered his first collegiate RBI with a single into center to plate Cox and square the game at 3-3.
The seesaw affair continued the next half inning as Dyget picked up his second RBI of the contest with a line shot into left field to drive home right fielder Justin Rogers with the game-winning run. Earnhart lifted his third home run of the season to dead center field in the eighth to close the scoring.
Cox went 2-for-2 with a pair of runs, and senior left fielder Jay Brant collected one hit in three at-bats to go along with a pair of steals to give him 25 on the season.
McCombs did not factor in the decision after surrendering three earned over six innings. BSU reliever Jeff Michael pitched a scoreless seventh to improve to 3-0, while right-hander Kyle Heyne threw the final inning for his ninth save.
Up next, Indiana looks to secure a spot in the Big Ten Tournament when it closes out the regular season at Minnesota on Friday-Sunday, May 19-21. The teams will play a four-game series with game one taking place on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CDT. Following a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m., the series finale will take place on Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
