12-Inning Marathon Ends in Tie

Wednesday, April 24

Muncie, Ind.

3:00 PM

Indiana University

Ball State

4/24/2024 7:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

MUNCIE, Ind. – After 4.5 hours of baseball on Tuesday (April 24) night in Muncie, the contest between Ball State and the Indiana Baseball team (22-18-1, 7-5 B1G) was called due to darkness. Ball State's home field doesn't have lights and it was determined a new inning couldn't start after the 12th frame was complete.

The game resulted in a 7-7 tie following 12 innings of action. It was the first tie in the Jeff Mercer era (since 2019) and the first for the IU program since two ties in 2017. Both of those games came on travel days for the visiting team and were called after drop-dead times.

IU used 11 pitchers on Tuesday evening with only one throwing more than a single inning. Because of the tie, there was no pitcher of record. Junior Brandon Keyster and freshman Seth Benes had perhaps the best outings with scoreless innings and a pair of strikeouts each. Sophomore Aydan Decker-Petty was the lone pitcher to toss two innings and gave up no runs.

The Hoosiers trailed 7-1 after seven innings but battled back to score six runs in the eighth and ninth combined. Junior designated hitter Jake Stadler had the biggest hit of the contest, a two-out double down the right field line to score the tying run in the ninth inning.

Junior third baseman Josh Pyne recorded his 200th career hit with a double into right field in the sixth inning. His 201st hit began the rally in the ninth inning. He is the 24th member of the 200-hit club in program history. He's just the 10th to do so in his first three years of college.

IU faces a quick turnaround as Rutgers visits for a crucial Big Ten series at Bart Kaufman Field. As of right now, Friday's first pitch is slated for 6:00 PM.

Scoring Recap
Bottom First
Ball State jumped all over IU starter Ethan Phillips in the first inning. Hunter Dobbins singled to bring home Michael Hallquist. Blake Bevis doubled into left field to bring home Dobbins. The Cardinals added a third as Nick Husovsky doubled into right field to score Bevis.
Ball State 3, Indiana 0

Bottom Third
Husovsky stayed hot with a single into left field to bring home Hallquist.
Ball State 4, Indiana 0

Top Fourth
Joey Brenczewski got the Hoosiers on the board after lacing a single over the shortstop's head to score Devin Taylor.
Ball State 4, Indiana 1

Bottom Fifth
The Cardinals threatened to break it open in the fifth with another pair of runs. Husovsky and Dylan Grego each had RBI-singles off of IU reliever Ryan Kraft to extend the lead.
Ball State 6, Indiana 1
Bottom Seventh
Bevis doubled into left field for his second RBI of the day as Dobbins scored another run for the hosts.
Ball State 7, Indiana 1

Top Eighth
The Hoosiers began to crawl back into the game in the eighth. Nick Mitchell grounded out to the first baseman but Taylor was able to score. Brenczewski hit a tapper back to the mound that was thrown away by the pitcher, bringing home Cerny on the error. Jake Stadler laced a single up the middle to bring home Brenczewski.
Ball State 7, Indiana 4

Top Ninth
The middle of IU's order answered the call in the ninth with their backs against the wall. The first three runners got on before Mitchell brought home Josh Pyne on a sacrifice fly. Taylor came home on a wild pitch before Stadler hit a clutch double down the right field line with two outs to tie the game.
Ball State 7, Indiana 7

Top Hoosier Performers
#8 Cerny, Tyler
3-7, 2 R

#44 Stadler, Jake
2-5, 2 RBI

#55 Decker-Petty, Aydan
2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 K

Notes to Know
• Junior third baseman Josh Pyne became the 24th member of the 200-hit club at Indiana with his sixth-inning double. He's the first to accomplish the feat since Logan Sowers (2018). In program history, he's just the 10th with 200 hits in his first three years.

• This was the first tie for IU since the 2017 season. That year, the Hoosiers tied twice, against Florida Atlantic and Nebraska. It is the first tie by a Big Ten team this year. It is the first 12-inning game since a road contest at Northwestern in May of 2023.

Up Next
After this lengthy midweek game, IU will have a quick turnaround before playing Rutgers on Friday night to begin a massive three-game series. The game will be streamed on BTN+ and can be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.