Undaunted by Ohio State University's No. 23 ranking, the Ball State University baseball team scored 20 runs in the final four innings Wednesday night to defeat the Buckeyes 20-8.
The victory was the Cardinals' first against a ranked team since 2006, when Ball State defeated No. 8 University of Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Sophomore third baseman Kolbrin Vitek led the offensive explosion going 3-for-5 with six RBIs, three runs, a grand slam and two doubles. Vitek's two-run double in the seventh inning gave the Cardinals their only lead of the night.
Senior reliever Tom Mueller (1-2) picked up the win, allowing one run on two hits in 1 2/3 innings. Sophomore Jered Strayer (0-1) allowed four runs on just one hit without recording an out for the Buckeyes.
The Cardinals' rally was started by junior catcher Zach Dygert in the sixth inning with a three-run home run that closed the gap to 5-4.
"Dygert's home run sparked us," coach Greg Beals said. "It put us right back in the game."
Ohio State added another run in the bottom of the inning, but the Cardinals' bats didn't quit. Vitek and freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen had two-run doubles during the five-run inning. Vitek said the hitting was contagious in the Cardinal lineup.
"When one guy gets going, it just gets the whole lineup rolling," Vitek said.
The 20 runs were the most for Ball State this season and the most since it defeated IPFW 24-6 last April.
"You can't fully explain an offensive outburst like that," Beals said. "The bats caught fire."
Ball State was held in check for the first five innings by Buckeyes' starter Ross Oltorik. The freshman threw five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out five.
"He had a good changeup," Vitek said. "Some guys were getting out in front of it."
Once Ohio State hit its bullpen, it was a different story. All of Ball State's starters scored at least one run and eight had a hit or an RBI. Dygert and Vitek each had six RBIs and junior center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker scored four times.
"Kolbrin and Dygert are both starting to catch fire in the middle of the order," Beals said. "It's big for our offense to get all the runs from the top of the order."
The Cardinals became the second Mid-American Conference team to defeat Ohio State at Bill Davis Field in eight days, joining Kent State University. Ball State did not face any of the Buckeyes' top starting pitchers but did face the normal lineup and sophomore Drew Rucinski, one of the host's ace relievers.
"We'll enjoy the win no matter what," Beals said. "Rucinski's one of their go-to guys in the bullpen. It was a normal mid-week game in college baseball."
Beals said freshman Cal Bowling, who started the game for the Cardinals, was not as sharp as usual but was able to keep the game close. Ball State pitchers allowed three home runs, including one by Bowling in the third inning to junior center fielder Michael Stephens. Stephens and sophomore catcher Dan Burkhart each had three hits for the Buckeyes.
Ball State is now 3-0 against Big Ten teams this season, having already beaten Indiana University and Purdue University.
"Every time we beat a Big Ten team we talk about it," Vitek said. "We want to keep that going."
The win was also the first for the Cardinals in a night game this season, bringing their record to 1-4. They extended their winning streak to two games going into their weekend series against Western Michigan University.
"It boosts our confidence," Beals said. "It proves to the guys that we can be really good. We're ready for a fun second half of the season."
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