MUNCIE, Ind. – The University of Toledo baseball team opened its weekend series at Ball State with a 7-6 defeat on Friday.
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"Today we gave them the game," head coach Ron Reinstetle said. "They didn't beat us, we beat ourselves. Missed opportunities and a lack of execution in key situations led to this loss. We have to be better and will be better tomorrow. We faced one of the best pitchers in our league today and knocked him out early.
Chris Meyers was outstanding at the plate, but we need more guys to step up their game when it counts. I'm disappointed to lose again by a run to what is predicted be a front-runner in the MAC. I expect us to come back tomorrow with razor-sharp focus and get the job done."
Meyers was terrific on Friday, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and a pair of homers for his second multi-home run game of the year.
Marcus Strother hit his second home run of the season and drove in a pair of runs, while
Trace Hatfield went 2-for-5 with two doubles. Five different pitchers saw time on the mound for Toledo.
Jordan Power had the longest outing of them all, throwing 4.1 innings, and
Cal McAninch added 1.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
Toledo and Ball State will meet again on Saturday for a doubleheader featuring two seven-innning games starting at noon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Meyers drove the first pitch he saw over the fence in left field for his fifth home run of the season to put Toledo ahead 1-0 in the top of the first
- Wyatt Jefferson found himself in a little trouble in the bottom of the first, facing a bases-loaded jam but worked his way out of it.
- Ball State scored two in the bottom of the second to take a 2-1 lead.
- Aaron Simpson led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer to left and Ross Messina's RBI double put the Cardinals ahead 4-1.
- Strother cut the deficit to one with a long home run to left, scoring Ryan Thompson to make the score 4-3.
- Meyers led off the sixth with his second homer of the day to make it 4-4. Hatfield then scored on a wild pitch to give the Rockets a one-run lead.
- The Cardinals plated two more in the bottom of the sixth to retake the lead, 6-5.
- Hatfield drove in Meyers with a two-out double down the left-field line to knot the score at 6-6.
- Ball State took the lead again, 7-6, with a sac fly in the bottom of the seventh.