SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Junior Ryan Christiansen finished 2-for-5 with an RBI triple in the ninth inning to get the Hornets within a run, but visiting Ball State was able to wriggle off the hook, stranding the tying run in scoring position to secure a 4-3 victory over Sacramento State in the series opener on Thursday afternoon at John Smith Field.
The defeat dropped the Hornets to 2-3 on the young season while the Cardinals improved to 3-1.
Sacramento State broke-up the Ball State shutout bid with two in the seventh to halve a 4-0 Cardinals lead. Three straight walks and a ground ball by Myles Walton plated the Hornets' first run and Tyler White followed with an RBI single to make it 4-2.
After stranding the bases loaded full of Ball State base runners in the top of the eighth and retiring the Cardinals in order in the ninth, the Hornets had one more rally in them with two outs. White got things started with an eight-pitch walk to bring up Christiansen, who snuck a hot shot inside the first-base bag and into the right field corner for a triple, easily scoring White from first and making it a 4-3 game.
Junior JP Smith was intentionally walked to put runners at the corners for Jakob Poturnak, whose liner back up the middle was chested down by the Cardinals' pitcher, who recovered and threw on to first to end the game.
Sean Carey (0-1), making his first start of the season, took the loss allowing only one earned (two overall) on one hit, while walking three and striking out a career-high four over a career-best 4.0 innings of work. Bryce Stockton also struck out a career-high four batters in a career-long 3.1 innings of relief, while Brady Chavez and Peter Caldera combined to keep Ball State at bay, striking out three over the final 1.2 innings while allowing only one baserunner.
Connor Hutchinson (1-0) earned the win, scattering just two hits and striking out six over five shutout innings, while Garrett Harker nailed down his second save of the year by allowing just one run on three hits and striking out a pair over the final 2.1 innings.
Five different Hornets accounted for the team's six hits on the day led by Christiansen's two-hit performance. Smith, Poturnak, and Cameron Sewell also had hits for the Hornets, while White drew multiple walks in a game (two) for the third time in five starts this year.
Alex Richter reached base safely five times on Thursday for Ball State, collecting a pair of hits, walking twice, and drawing a hit by pitch. Garrett Arnold also finished 2-for-3.
The Hornets and Cardinals continue the series with a doubleheader on Friday (Feb. 21) with the first game beginning at 2 p.m., and the nightcap following approximately 30 minutes afterward. Both games will be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform.
