Ball State baseball's losing streak extended to nine games after the Cardinals lost to Indiana 3-2 in extra innings Tuesday.
In the bottom of the 11th with two outs and Ball State (11-18, 0-8 MAC) and IU (15-11-2, 3-2-1 Big Ten) tied 2-2, Hoosiers sophomore designated hitter Matt Lloyd lifted the senior right-handed pitcher David Current's 2-2 pitch over the right field wall for a walk-off home run.
The home run was the only hit allowed by Current (0-1, 4.50 ERA) in 1.2 innings on the mound.
Freshman right-handed pitcher John Baker (2-1, 2.70 ERA) posted a quality start for the Cardinals, allowing just two runs in six innings, striking out six against four hits and two walks.
IU took a 2-0 lead with a pair of RBI singles in the first inning, but Ball State scored on an RBI triple from redshirt junior outfielder Jeff Riedel in the fourth to make it 2-1.
Ball State statistics
Runs: 2
Hits: 5
Errors: 0
L — David Current (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
Indiana statistics
Runs: 3
Hits: 7
Errors: 2
W — Austin Foote (2-0, 1.35 ERA)
The Cardinals loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth with one out, and junior second baseman Seth Freed was hit by a pitch to push across one run.
Hoosiers head coach Chris Lemonis, however, killed the DH spot and put Lloyd, also a right-handed pitcher, on the mound.
On his first pitch, Lloyd (2-0, 1.80 ERA) got senior outfielder Matt Eppers to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Lloyd pitched a scoreless ninth before being relieved by junior left-handed pitcher Austin Foote (2-0, 1.35 ERA), who was credited with the win after pitching the 10th and 11th innings without allowing a run. Lloyd remained in the lineup as DH because NCAA Rule 7-2-d-(6) states: "The DH may be inserted as the pitcher, then subsequently be relieved as the pitcher and still remain as the DH."
Ball State hasn't beaten IU since April 17, 2013, when the Cardinals won 5-3 in Bloomington.The Cardinals and Hoosiers match up again on April 25 at Victory Field in Indianapolis.
This weekend, Ball State heads up to Kalamazoo, Michigan, for a three-game series with Western Michigan (13-11, 3-3 MAC) starting at 3 p.m. Friday.