Offense crucial for series at Ball State

The baseball team’s last Mid-American Conference series win came on March 28 by a 7-3 victory against Buffalo.

Now, three weeks later, the Chippewas play Ball State, opening the series at 3 p.m. today in Muncie, Ind. They will attempt to snap the two-series drought.

CMU is coming off a 5-4 loss Wednesday on the road against the University of llinois-Chicago.

Despite the losses, coach Steve Jaksa said the team puts itself in positions to win.

“There’s no added urgency for what we have to do this weekend,” he said. “We’re close in all those games – we’ve been in striking distance. Now we need to carry this attitude into Ball State.”

But to junior center fielder Billy Anderson, a series win against Ball State sets the team up for the rest of the season. It is all about timing, he says.

“The biggest thing for us is being able to move runners at the right time,” he said. “And to get the pitchers in and out of the inning fast and get (the offense) back to work.”

The Chippewas out-hit the Flames, 10-7, but left six runners on base. Anderson still said the team is really close to achieving the timing it needs.

Today, Central needs a strong day at the plate against Ball State, which owns the best earned-run average in the MAC. The Cardinals will start undefeated right-hander Brad Piatt (4-0).

Central will counter will its own ace, senior left-hander Steve Teno.

In his last outing, Teno lasted 8 1/3 innings and allowed four earned runs, earning a no-decision in the team’s extra-inning loss against Miami University.

The series continues on 1 p.m. Saturday with BSU’s right-hander Brenden Stines going against senior right-hander Dan Taylor.

It concludes 1 p.m. Sunday with the BSU right-hander Kolbrin Vitek matching up with freshman left-hander Trent Howard.

This is Ball State’s first action since Sunday after two home midweek games were rained out.

WEDNESDAY

The Chippewas briefly held a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning when two runs scored on three hits.

UIC scored twice in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead when sophomore right fielder Matt Faiman narrowly missed a line drive that turned into an inside-the-park home run.

Freshman right-hander Rick Dodridge lasted through the third inning and took the loss. He was taken out when he reached Jaksa’s predetermined pitch count to save arms for the weekend.

The Flames scored two more runs in the fifth inning to lead 4-1.

The Chippewas came to within one run by scoring two in the eighth inning, but they could not get the one hit they needed.

“I thought in certain situations that we weren’t as aggressive as I wanted to be,” Jaksa said. “In a one-run game, that all gets magnified.”

Anderson, used as the designated hitter, led the team with two hits and two runs scored.

sports@cm-life.com