Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Western Michigan played four scoreless innings with Ball State but couldn't hold off the Cardinals in the later half of the game, falling 11-4 in Friday's series opener at Hyames Field. Joe Sheets and Zach Gentile each homered for WMU in the losing effort. Ball State pounded out 13 hits, including four home runs.
Bronco starter Ethan Hollingsworth surrendered just one hit through the first four innings, but was roughed up the rest of the day, allowing eight hits over his final two innings. T.J. Baumet got things started for Ball State, taking Hollingsworth deep to centerfield in the fifth. It was the first time Hollingsworth had given up a home run since the final game of his freshman season. Unfortunately the Cardinals were just getting started. After a sacrifice fly brought another run across for the Cardinals, Zach Dygert sent another solo shot over the fence in centerfield, as BSU took a 3-0 lead.
Ball State didn't let up in the top of the sixth, tacking on three more runs on a pair of extra base hits and a two-run homer by Wayne Bond Jr.
A leadoff home run by Zach Gentile in the bottom of the sixth and a leadoff homer by Joe Sheets in the seventh gave Western Michigan its first runs of the day. Plating two more in the seventh, WMU cut the deficit in half, 6-3. Derek Mosher followed Sheets' long ball with a triple to left field and scored on a Pedro Dager infield single. Kevan Hess legged out an infield bunt to give the Broncos a pair of runners on base with no outs, but the Brown & Gold rally quickly came to an end as Gentile hit into a double play and Grant Simotes grounded out.
A two-run homer by BSU's Dean Anna off Brian Schutzbach in the eighth pushed the Cardinals lead to 8-3. WMU nicked a run off the deficit in the bottom of the frame when Chris Lewis doubled and scored on a Sheets' RBI-single to right field, but Ball State closed out the ninth scoring three more runs to win by an 11-4 final.
As a team, Western Michigan recorded 11 hits. Sheets, Lewis, Gentile and Dager each had two.
Hollingsworth (4-4) suffered his fourth loss, allowing a season-high six earned runs on nine hits in six innings. Ball State starter Tyler Pritchard (3-5) gave up just one run on four hits in six innings of work to earn the win.
Western Michigan (20-14-1, 5-8 MAC) and Ball State (23-15, 8-5 MAC) are back in action at Hyames Field tomorrow and conclude the series on Sunday, both games starting at 1 p.m.
Game Notes: Sheets' home run was his team-leading seventh of the season, Gentile's was his third ... the last time Hollingsworth gave up a home run was on May 25, 2006 ... WMU has hit at least one home run in the last six games, and has hit multiple homers in five of those six ... 12 of the Broncos' 34 home runs have come in the last six games.
