AVON, Ohio – Senior
Avery Thielman broke a 6-6 tie with a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Western Michigan baseball team to an 8-6 victory over Ball State in an elimination game at the MAC Tournament on Thursday. With the win, WMU advances to play another elimination game on Friday that is to be determined.
FINAL SCORE: No. 5 Western Michigan 8, No. 6 Ball State 6
LOCATION: ForeFront Field (Avon, Ohio)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (27-24) | Ball State (25-30)
W: Turner Doran (2-2) |
L: Keegan Johnson (0-2)
The contest was tied, 6-6, heading into the bottom of the eighth inning.
Tanner Mally got the Broncos started with a one-out double, his third hit of the game. The knock was Mally's 86th of the season, tying him with Cade Sullivan (2024) for the most in a single season in Western Michigan history.
Mally moved to third on a ground ball, and Ball State then elected to intentionally walk
Michael Maloney, putting him on base for the fifth time in the contest (2-for-2 with three walks). Thielman then stepped up and ripped a double down the right field line, bringing both runners home to put the Brown and Gold back on top, 8-6. It was the career-high tying fourth hit of the game for Thielman.
After tossing a scoreless eighth frame,
Turner Doran returned to the hill for Western Michigan in the top of the ninth, and posted another scoreless frame to seal the victory.
Ball State opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the first.
WMU answered in the home half, with
Mark Mennecke delivering a two-run single with two outs to even the score at 2-2.
The Cardinals went back in front with single tallies in the second and third.
Western Michigan responded in the bottom of the third, tying the game up on a two-run double by
Lucas Rick.
The Brown and Gold then grabbed the lead with two more in the fourth. After a double by
Nolan Zajac and bunt single by Mally,
Drew Howard put WMU in front with an RBI bounce out. Maloney then dumped a single to right center to make it 6-4.
Ball State picked up a pair of unearned tallies in the seventh to bring the game even, 6-6.
Next up for Western Michigan is another elimination game on Friday, with the time and opponent to be determined based on the results of the rest of Thursday's games. Every game of the 2026 Mid-American Conference Championship is available on
ESPN+.
