April 1, 2011
Box Score
By Drew Davis
OXFORD, Ohio - On a cold and rainy Friday evening at McKee Field, Miami couldn't solve Ball State pitcher Cal Bowling and fell 2-0 to the Cardinals in the opening game of a Mid-American Conference baseball series. RedHawk starter Mac Thoreson struck out six and surrendered five hits for two earned runs in 6.2 innings to take the hard luck loss.
Miami (12-13, 3-1 MAC) dropped into a first-place tie with Kent State in the MAC East standings while Ball State (5-18, 3-1 MAC) won its second straight conference game to move into a tie for second in the MAC West. Bowling pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout with six strikeouts.
The Cardinals jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first on a two-out single to left field by Mitch Widau and a run-scoring single to center by Kenny Mahala. Thoreson induced a popout to Adam Weisenburger to retire the side in the next at bat.
After a double by Ball State's Stephen Claypool to lead off the second inning, Thoreson settled down to retire the next 15 batters in a row to keep the Cardinal lead to 1-0 through the sixth inning.
Miami threatened in the fourth and sixth innings when centerfielder Ryan Brenner twice reached third base, but Bowling pitched his way out of trouble to keep the RedHawks off the scoreboard.
Brenner led off the fourth with a bunt single down the third base line and moved over to third on a single by Bryce Redeker and a ground out by Kyle Weldon, but Miami failed to get him across home plate.
The centerfielder got on base again as the leadoff hitter in the sixth inning on a throwing error by the Ball State second baseman. He advanced to second on a Ryan Kaup ground out and immediately stole third, but once more the Cardinal hurler escaped without any damage.
The RedHawks got into trouble in the top of the seventh on a pair of errors and a pair of hits but allowed only one run to score and kept Ball State within reach at 2-0.
Ryan Brenner and Brad Gschwind led the Red and White at the plate with a hit and steal apiece.
Miami and Ball State meet again on Saturday, April 2 at 3 p.m. at McKee Field. It has been designated "Buddy Schultz Day", in honor of the 40th anniversary of the former RedHawk's 26-strikout performance against Wright State.
