MUNCIE, Ind. – The Western Michigan baseball team dropped its Mid-American Conference opener, 11-3, at Ball State on Friday afternoon.
 
FINAL SCORE: Ball State 11, Western Michigan 3
LOCATION: Ball Diamond at Merchants Ballpark Complex (Muncie, Ind.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (3-9, 0-1 MAC) | Ball State (9-5, 1-0 MAC)  
W: Trennor O'Donnell (1-0) | L: Brady Miller (0-2) | Save: Logan Schulfer (1)
 
Western Michigan put a couple of runners on base with two outs in the second, but was turned away.
 
The Broncos loaded the bases through an error and a pair of singles to start the third inning. Gavin Doyle drew a bases-loaded walk to push across the game's first run, and Dylan Nevar then collected an RBI single to put WMU ahead 2-0.
 
The lead was short-lived, however, as Ball State answered with seven runs in the bottom of the frame.
 
The score remained the same until the sixth, when BSU pushed across three more to extend its lead to 10-2. The home team tallied its final run of the afternoon on an eighth-inning home run.
 
Will Morrison singled with one out in the seventh, and Cade Sullivan brought him home with a two-out double. Morrison went 3-for-5 at the plate to extend his multi-hit streak to eight consecutive games.
 
Brady Miller got the start on the mound for the Broncos and struck out six in five innings, including fanning five Ball State batters in a row after issuing a leadoff walk in the first.
 
The Broncos and Cardinals continue their three-game weekend series on Saturday. First pitch is slated for 1 pm.