KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team fell victim to a late Ball State rally on Saturday to drop the second game of the weekend series, 8-6.
 
FINAL SCORE: Ball State 8, Western Michigan 6
LOCATION: Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (10-10, 6-2 MAC) | Ball State (11-10, 6-2)
W: Owen Quinn (2-0) | L: Turner Doran (1-2)
 
The visitors picked up the game's first run in the top of the first inning.
 
Western Michigan came right back with one of its own in the home half. Tanner Mally was hit by a pitch to open the frame, advanced to second on an error, stole third and then raced home on a wild pitch to even the contest at 1-1.
 
The Broncos then grabbed the lead with a three-run second. With two on and two out, Drew Howard came through with a two-out, two-run triple to put WMU ahead. Michael Maloney then found a hole on the left side of the diamond for a base hit to bring in Howard and make it 4-1.  
 
Western Michigan tacked on another in the fourth. Nolan Zajac led off with a double off of the top of the wall in left and then came around on an RBI single by Mally. Mally went 3-for-3 on the day, reached base a total of five times and scored three runs for the Brown and Gold.
 
After Ball State's first-inning run, starter Sam Carlisle settled in for the Broncos. The righty retired eight Cardinals in a row at one point, including a run of four consecutive strikeouts. The visitors threatened in the fourth and fifth frames, but he kept them off of the scoreboard both times to keep WMU's lead intact. Carlisle worked 5.0 innings, limiting BSU to one run on three hits while tying his career-high with seven strikeouts.
 
Ball State crept a little closer in the seventh, pushing across a pair to trim the margin to 5-3.
 
Mally's speed helped the Broncos manufacture an insurance run in the eighth. The junior laid down a bunt single, went all the way from first to third on a Howard sacrifice, and then dashed home ahead of a throw on a fielder's choice to give WMU a three-run cushion.
 
The Cardinals answered in the ninth, taking their first lead since the opening frame on a pinch-hit grand slam. BSU tallied an insurance run later in the frame to make it a two-run game, and then held WMU's offense down in the bottom of the ninth to even the weekend series at one apiece.
 
Western Michigan and Ball State close out their weekend series with a rubber match on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 pm from Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field. For tickets to any WMU baseball home game, visit wmubroncos.com/tickets.