Ball State

In the first meeting between the two programs, visiting Western Carolina earned a 10-2 win over the Ball State baseball team Friday afternoon at First Merchants Ballpark Complex. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Cardinals (27-23).

Western Carolina (25-24), out of the Southern Conference, used a five-run fourth inning to take control of the game. After a pair of one out walks, five straight Catamounts came through with a base hit. Brett Pope's RBI single to center field gave WCU the lead for good, 3-2. Bryson Bowman's RBI double down the right field line capped the inning and made the score, 6-2.

Six runs proved to be more than enough for Western Carolina starting pitcher Bryan Sammons. The lefty scattered seven hits over eight innings and allowed one earned run.

Six of the nine players in Western Carolina's starting lineup finished with multiple hits. Cameron Blaquiere, the team's number nine hitter, went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Matthew Koehler added three hits and scored three times.