Thanks to a solid offensive display -- 57 hits and 50 runs -- Ball State started its Mid-American Conference schedule on a strong note by taking three of four games from Central Michigan at Ball Diamond.
The Cardinals improved to 14-7 while dropping the visiting Chippewas to 6-13. Brad Snyder led the offensive onslaught with eight hits, eight runs scored and nine more batted in. Adam Metzler and Brad Miller both had seven hits and seven RBIs.
"No doubt, to win three of four in a conference weekend is big," head coach Greg Beals said. The first-year coach earned the first ejection of his career after arguing a sixth-inning call by the first-base umpire.
The rains came in the ninth inning of game one on Friday, but Cardinal bats starting raining on CMU long before that in a 24-2 clobbering.
Snyder, Miller, Lucas Fry and James Nowicki homered in the game's first four innings -- three of them aided by the strong, steady wind blowing toward left field -- as Ball State built a 9-0 lead.
In the fifth, the Cardinals sent 15 men to the plate, including 10 before recording an out, to push across 10 runs.
But even with all the offense, Beals was more impressed with the performance of starting pitcher Jason Paul.
"The story of the day was the six (scoreless innings) Jason Paul put up," he said. "Under these conditions, with aluminum bats and the wind blowing out, you're supposed to score runs. He had a heck of a performance."
Paul scattered eight hits and struck out nine in seven innings to improve to 4-1. -รก
Fortunes turned on Saturday, though.
Central and Ball State went back and forth in game one of the doubleheader, with the Chippewas prevailing, 8-7. BSU scored once in the seventh and loaded the bases before pinch hitter Lorenzo Scott struck out to end the game.
Central took another 8-6 lead into the seventh of game two. This time the Cards scored twice to the game. They again loaded the bases with two outs, but Marc Franz was picked off at first base to end the inning. The game was then suspended until Sunday due to darkness.
With the break, Beals hoped his team would come back strong like Central had.
"We didn't play very good today," he said after the suspension, "but we're fortunate to have a chance to redeem ourselves. It's important that we come out with a more focused approach.
"I knew Central was going to come back (after losing 24-2) with a more aggressive approach. We just didn't match that."
To begin Sunday's action, Snyder blasted a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence to provide the go-ahead run, and reliever Joe Ness (2-1) hurled three scoreless innings for the 9-8 victory.
In game four, Metzler clubbed two homers to right-center as BSU scored early and often enough for a 10-7 win. A six-run second gave the Cards the lead for good at 8-5.
Reliever Kory Bucklew (2-0) got the win, and closer John Pettibone struck out five in three scoreless innings for his third save. Pettibone said he didn't feel any added pressure by coming in relatively early.
"I wanted the ball," he said. "I like to work quickly, throw strikes and let my fielders do the work. I just happened to get some strikeouts today."
"Bucklew and Pettibone are the go-to guys in the bullpen," Beals said, "and I have a lot of confidence in them. The opportunity came and they took advantage."
Ball State hosts Purdue Wednesday before welcoming Eastern Michigan in MAC on Friday.
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