The entire Mid-American Conference baseball season came down to a three-game series for Ball State University.
Trailing the University of Toledo by one game, the Cardinals played host to the Rockets on the final weekend of the regular season. The winner of the series would take the MAC-West crown and the two seed in the MAC Tournament.
Ball State won the first two games of the series, clinching their first MAC-West title since 2005. The final game was rained out, but the weather couldn't dampen the Cardinals' spirits.
"I'm very proud of this group of guys," coach Greg Beals said. "We persevered and at the end of the day we found ourselves at the top of our division."
Ball State used a solid start Thursday from senior Brenden Stines to kick the weekend off with a 15-6 win. Stines (4-4) went six innings and allowed five runs on seven hits. The right-hander struck out four Rockets.
"I approached the start as the most important of the season," Stines said. "I needed to set the tone for the rest of the weekend."
The Cardinals' bats did the rest, putting up ten runs in the third inning. They tagged Toledo starter Justin Collop (3-7) for 11 runs in three innings on 10 hits.
Sophomore shortstop T.J. Baumet led the hit parade, going 3-for-5 with five RBIs and two home runs. Ball State kept rolling Friday and the team clinched its first division title in four years with an 8-6 victory. The Cardinals jumped out with a four-run first inning, but Toledo fought back against junior starter Brad Piatt. Freshman pinch hitter Cody Elliott took the lead back for good with an RBI single in the sixth inning.
Senior reliever Tom Mueller (2-2) pitched 2 2/3 innings for the win. Mueller allowed one unearned run and just one hit. Junior Aaron Hammons earned his first save with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The win was Ball State's fifth straight MAC game. After losing a series at Eastern Michigan University before finals, the team held a meeting during finals week.
"We took a step back and put our goal sheet in front of us," Beals said.
On top of the list was to win the MAC Tournament and represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament. With that goal still in reach, the Cardinals regrouped at Northern Illinois University, sweeping the series.
Ball State will open tournament action Wednesday against Eastern Michigan in Chillicothe, Ohio. Facing the seventh-seeded Eagles will be much different than it was two weeks ago, Beals said.
"We're playing a whole lot better," he said. "I think we match up very well with them."
Beals will once again call on Stines to set the tone for the tournament. The senior knows he will have to pitch better than his previous outing against Eastern Michigan when he allowed six runs in five innings.
"I was leaving the ball high in the zone and I didn't get my off-speed pitches over for strikes," Stines said. "That's the key, locating on both sides of the plate."
With the season down to the double-elimination conference tournament, the Cardinals see their division championship as a stepping stone to their main prize.
"At the beginning of the season it was a goal," Stines said. "One of the main goals is next. It was a big step winning the West."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
