Ball State manufactured another upset of No. 22 Arizona, winning game three of the series by a score of 5-2 on Sunday afternoon at Hi Corbett Field.
The Cardinals (2-1) had not defeated a ranked team since 2017 before winning the last two games against Arizona (1-2) to put themselves in position to win the series tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. when the teams finish the four-game series at Hi Corbett.
Arizona’s early offense wasn’t promising as Ball State’s pitching arsenal kept trolling their offense. The Wildcats left 10 runners on base.
Tyler Ruetschle came in early in the ball game but ended up throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts while only allowing three hits. Andre Orselli came in to save the game in the ninth.
Game recap:
In the second inning, with two runners in scoring position, Donta’ Williams came up big with a RBI single and Tony Bullard later produced a sac fly to give Arizona an early 2-0 lead.
Arizona had an opportunity with the bases loaded but Ball State called in Ruetschle from the bullpen and got out of the jam.
On the board! @dtwill23 sends one back up the middle to plate @BrandenBoss23 👌 #BearDown pic.twitter.com/0ompiP69dw
— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) February 21, 2021
In the fourth, Arizona again threatened with two runners in scoring position but failed to produce.
In the top of the fifth after a walk and a fielder’s choice, Ball State’s Trenton Quartermaine, came up with an RBI single to put the Cardinals on the board.
In the top half of the sixth, after a successful hit and run and a single, Ball State’s Nick Powell came up in the clutch with an RBI single to tie the game at 2.
The Cardinals had quite the momentum on their side. With runners in scoring position, Aaron Simpson hit an RBI single and then advanced to second on a throw to third. Ross Messina followed with another RBI single to cap the four-run inning.
Ryan Holgate is hitting well for Arizona. Through the first three games, he is batting .417 (5 of 12) with a home run and five RBIS.
Overall, however, Arizona has struggled at the plate against Ball State, batting .218 with only four extra-base hits among its 22 hits.
Click here for a box score of Sunday’s game.
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