An all-around solid effort from the Ball State University baseball team in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader kept the team from being swept for a second straight weekend.
The Cardinals (16-17) broke their five-game losing streak with a 12-4 defeat of the Chippewas. Senior starting pitcher Brenden Stines (2-3) threw seven innings, allowing one run. The Cardinals improved to 6-7 in the Mid-American Conference, remaining two games behind the University of Toledo in second place in the West Division.
After dropping the first two games of the series, Ball State never trailed Central Michigan. The hosts scored two runs in the first inning and added runs in six of the first seven innings.
Junior left fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker and freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen each hit home runs. Hazelbaker scored three runs and Nielsen drove in three. Sophomore designated hitter Kolbrin Vitek went 4-for-5 with three doubles, four runs and an RBI. Junior catcher Zach Dygert also went 4-for-5 with three RBIs.
Stines' outing was his longest of the season. The right-hander allowed two hits and struck out two. Central Michigan's lone run off Stines came in the second inning when left fielder Rhett Goodmiller was hit by a pitch and driven in on first baseman Casey Ingle's double.
Ball State will return to action at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday at Ohio State University.
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