Baseball Holds On To 9-8 Victory To Finish Game One In Extras; Falls To Ball State In Game Two, 10-9

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UMass	3	1	0	0	0	2	1	0	1	0	1	9	17	2
Ball State	0	0	0	0	2	0	3	0	3	0	0	8	12	0

UMass

Ball State

MUNCIE, Ind. – University of Massachusetts baseball took down Ball State, 9-8, in 11 innings to finish out game one from Friday, before falling in game two of the series, 10-9, on Saturday afternoon at Shebek Stadium.

Massachusetts and Ball State resumed the first game of the series from the top of the ninth at 12 p.m., before starting game two.

UMass now holds a 13-22 overall and 9-14 in the Mid-American Conference, while Ball State is 21-22 overall and 14-9 in the league.

Massachusetts and Ball State prepare for the rubber match on Sunday, April 26, at 12 p.m. in Muncie, Indiana, at Shebek Stadium.

GAME 1
Massachusetts 9, Ball State 8 (11 inn.)

Anthony Tirado and Gavin O'Brien led the team in hits with four each. Tirado registered a double and a triple, while O'Brien posted two doubles and his ninth home run of the season. Jack Beverly followed with three hits, while Vance Bonior and Matt Travisano had two each, with Bonior recording a double. Reece McCarthy also hit a home run, marking his third of the year. Tirado, O'Brien and Beverly accumulated two RBI each, as Bonior, McCarthy and Marc Willi all had one. O'Brien and McCarthy scored two runs apiece.

Taking an early 3-0 lead, Massachusetts began the opening frame with back-to-back doubles from Tirado and Bonior, with Tirado scoring on Bonior's double down the left field line. With one out, O'Brien then double to deep center field to drive home Bonior to make it a 2-0 game. O'Brien advanced to third on a wild pitch, before Beverly hit a single to third base, as O'Brien crossed the dish.

In the second inning, Travisano singled to left field with one out to get on base. Tirado registered his second triple of the year to right center field to allow Travisano to come home and give UMass a 4-0 lead.

Ball State recorded two solo home runs in the fifth to make it a 4-2 game, but the Minutemen took back both runs in the sixth. McCarthy led off with a solo home run, marking his third of the season to extend UMass' lead to 5-2. After one out, Willi was walked, before Ryan Kolben singled to center field. With two outs, Tirado singled to right field with Willi touching the dish to pull Massachusetts ahead, 6-2.

O'Brien hit a solo shot over the right center field fence in the top of the seventh to give the Minutemen a 7-2 lead.

A ground-rule double aided the Cardinals to another run in the bottom of the seventh to make it a 7-3 contest. An RBI single and a throwing error allowed Ball State to get back within two at 7-5.

The Minutemen pushed across a run in the top of the ninth, as Dean Gobeil touched the plate on an RBI single from Beverly to make it an 8-5 game.

The Cardinals tied the game up at 8-8 in the bottom half of the final frame to force extras.

Massachusetts broke the tie at 9-8 in the top of the 11th with a sacrifice bunt from Willi that helped McCarthy touch the plate. The Minutemen were able to hold off the Cardinals offense to claim the 9-8 victory.

Dylan Terwilliger (2-1) earned the win for UMass after allowing no runs, no hits, one walk and striking out one in two complete innings.

Zander Bretza (1-3) took the loss for Ball State, giving up two runs, five hits, four walks and striking out four in 3.1 innings of work.

GAME 2
Ball State 10, Massachusetts 9 (9 inn.)

Tirado, Bonior, Ty Fox and McCarthy all had two hits apiece, which included McCarthy's fourth homer of the year. O'Brien, Kolben and Travisano also tallied a hit, as Bonior, O'Brien and Kolben all registered a double. Bonior and McCarthy totaled two RBI, followed by Fox, O'Brien and Kolben with one. Tirado and McCarthy scored two of UMass' runs each.

The Minutemen got on the board first in the opening frame to take a 1-0 lead. Tirado led off with a bunt single, followed by a single through the left side from Bonior. Fox then hit a single to shallow left field to load up the bases. A sacrifice fly by O'Brien helped push Tirado across home plate.

Ball State knotted up the game at 1-1 in the third with an RBI single. The Cardinals had a two-run homer that gave them a 3-1 lead in the fourth.

UMass got back within one in the top of the fifth to make it a 3-2 contest. Travisano led off with a double. With two outs, Travisano came home on a wild pitch.

Ball State took back a run in the bottom half of the inning to push ahead, 4-2, with an RBI single.

In the sixth, O'Brien singled to shallow right field, before McCarthy was walked. On a fly out, O'Brien advanced to third. O'Brien then stole home on a strike out swinging to make it a 4-3 game. Massachusetts tied it up at 4-4 as McCarthy crossed the plate on Kolben's double down the left field line.

The Cardinals extended their lead to 8-4 in the bottom half of the sixth, but the Minutemen closed the gap at 8-7 in the seventh. Tirado started the frame with a walk, before advancing to second on a ground out. Fox then recorded an RBI single to score Tirado to make it an 8-5 game. Fox stole second, as McCarthy blasted a two-run, one-out long ball over the right field fence for his fourth of the year to put UMass back within one.

The eighth saw Massachusetts claim a 9-8 lead. With Willi and Kolben on base due to a walk and a hit-by-pitch, respectively, the two advanced to third and second on a wild pitch. Tirado was then intentionally walked to load up the bases. Bonior doubled down the left field line, scoring Willi and Kolben to give UMass the go-ahead run.

Ball State walked off a 10-9 win in the ninth on a two-run home run.

Ben Thomason (2-1) had the loss for the Minutemen, giving up four runs on three hits, walking two and striking out two in three innings.

Brady Strawmyer (1-0) earned the win for the Cardinals, allowing no runs, one hit, no walks and having one strike out in 1.2 innings of work.

Scoreboard