Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 13
Muncie, Ind.
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4-14, 0-4
13
at
17
Ball State
8-8, 3-1
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
8th innning8
9th innning9
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Eastern Michigan
2
6
2
2
0
0
0
0
1
13
15
5
Ball State
3
2
4
0
4
1
3
0
X
17
18
2
Photo by: Savannah Berry
Baseball Drops Series-Opening Offensive Thriller at Ball State
3/13/2026 6:43:00 PM | Baseball
Eastern set several offensive season highs in a 30-run affair
MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University baseball team dropped an explosive Mid-American Conference series opener to Ball State University, 17-13, Friday, March 13, at Shebek Stadium.
Eastern set multiple offensive season highs, marking its best offensive showing of the 2026 campaign. The contest saw a total of 30 runs off 33 hits, with Eastern totaling 15 knocks and the Cardinals earning 18.
EMU got off to a 12-9 lead after four innings but was outscored 8-1 over the final five innings. Ball State's John Chambers (2-3) was credited with the win, and Eastern junior Cole Egan (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Allegheny/George Mason) (1-1) was tagged with the loss.
How it Happened
Eastern Michigan's offense surged early, racing out to an 8-3 lead after two innings behind timely hitting and aggressive baserunning. Nathan Borchardt (Stanley, N.C./East Lincoln/King) sparked the attack with an RBI double in the first and added a sacrifice fly in the second.
The Eagles' six-run second inning was highlighted by a two-run single from Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) and an RBI single by Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley), capitalizing on two Ball State errors for additional runs.
The Cardinals reclaimed the lead in the fifth, scoring four runs off a mix of extra-base hits and Eagle errors to go up 13-12. Despite a two-run home run from Ben Schechterman (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora/Ohio State) in the fourth, his first career blast.
Ball State went on to outscore the Eagles 8-1 in the final five innings to secure a 17-13 series-opening win.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record went to 4-14 (0-4 MAC) and Ball State's improved to 8-8 (3-1 MAC).
» EMU set a season high with 15 hits, marking the third time it has eclipsed 10 hits this season.
» The Eagles' 13 runs mark a season-high and the second time it has put up double-digit runs this season, as it holds a 1-1 record in such games.
» Eastern's 13 runs and 15 hits both rank fifth in the MAC in a single game this season.
» Eastern's 10 RBI stand as its second-highest total of the season after driving in 11 in an 11-6 win at Little Rock, Feb. 14. Friday's game marked the second time EMU has totaled double-digit RBI as it lost for the first time when doing so.
» The Eagles totaled six extra-base hits (four doubles, two home runs), tying their season-high after knocking six against the RedHawks, March 8.
» Eastern plated six runs in the second inning for its third inning with four or more runs this season. EMU's six runs in the second are its second-highest single-inning total after scoring eight runs in the seventh inning in an 11-6 win at Little Rock, Feb. 14.
» TJ Williams (Racine, Wis./Racine Horlick/Kansas) recorded his team-high fifth multi-hit game of the season as he went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and reached on all three plate appearances.
» Nathan Borchardt secured his fourth multi-hit game of the season as he batted 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two RBI. The game went down as his second of the season with multiple RBI. His two extra-base hits tied a season high.
» Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) tied his season high with three hits, marking his third game with multiple hits this season. He drove in a pair of runs for his team-high fifth game with multiple RBI this season. He leads the Eagles with 17 RBI and 11 extra-base hits in 2026.
» Ty Stecko totaled two RBI for his fourth multi-RBI outing. He's up to 13 RBI this season, ranking second on the team.
» Ben Schechterman (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora/Ohio State) smashed his first career home run over the right-center wall for a two-run shot in the fourth inning. Schechterman drove in multiple runs for the first time this season and the second of his career. He earned his first multi-hit game of the season after singling in the top of the sixth.
» Tristan Crane (Berkley, Mich./Brother Rice/Texas A&M Corpus Christi) tallied his first long ball of the season with a solo bomb to right field in the ninth inning. Crane's homer went down as Eastern's 20th of the year, ranking second in the MAC.
Historical Notes
» The Eagles and Cardinals met for the 176th time. Eastern holds an 85-91-1 all-time record against Ball State and a 13-31 mark since 1999 when facing it in Muncie.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan continues its MAC series at Ball State Saturday, March 14. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Shebek Stadium in Muncie, Ind.
Follow Us
Keep up with all things Eastern baseball by following the team on X @EMU_Baseball, and on Instagram @emu_baseball.
Eastern set multiple offensive season highs, marking its best offensive showing of the 2026 campaign. The contest saw a total of 30 runs off 33 hits, with Eastern totaling 15 knocks and the Cardinals earning 18.
EMU got off to a 12-9 lead after four innings but was outscored 8-1 over the final five innings. Ball State's John Chambers (2-3) was credited with the win, and Eastern junior Cole Egan (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Allegheny/George Mason) (1-1) was tagged with the loss.
How it Happened
Eastern Michigan's offense surged early, racing out to an 8-3 lead after two innings behind timely hitting and aggressive baserunning. Nathan Borchardt (Stanley, N.C./East Lincoln/King) sparked the attack with an RBI double in the first and added a sacrifice fly in the second.
The Eagles' six-run second inning was highlighted by a two-run single from Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) and an RBI single by Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley), capitalizing on two Ball State errors for additional runs.
The Cardinals reclaimed the lead in the fifth, scoring four runs off a mix of extra-base hits and Eagle errors to go up 13-12. Despite a two-run home run from Ben Schechterman (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora/Ohio State) in the fourth, his first career blast.
Ball State went on to outscore the Eagles 8-1 in the final five innings to secure a 17-13 series-opening win.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record went to 4-14 (0-4 MAC) and Ball State's improved to 8-8 (3-1 MAC).
» EMU set a season high with 15 hits, marking the third time it has eclipsed 10 hits this season.
» The Eagles' 13 runs mark a season-high and the second time it has put up double-digit runs this season, as it holds a 1-1 record in such games.
» Eastern's 13 runs and 15 hits both rank fifth in the MAC in a single game this season.
» Eastern's 10 RBI stand as its second-highest total of the season after driving in 11 in an 11-6 win at Little Rock, Feb. 14. Friday's game marked the second time EMU has totaled double-digit RBI as it lost for the first time when doing so.
» The Eagles totaled six extra-base hits (four doubles, two home runs), tying their season-high after knocking six against the RedHawks, March 8.
» Eastern plated six runs in the second inning for its third inning with four or more runs this season. EMU's six runs in the second are its second-highest single-inning total after scoring eight runs in the seventh inning in an 11-6 win at Little Rock, Feb. 14.
» TJ Williams (Racine, Wis./Racine Horlick/Kansas) recorded his team-high fifth multi-hit game of the season as he went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and reached on all three plate appearances.
» Nathan Borchardt secured his fourth multi-hit game of the season as he batted 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two RBI. The game went down as his second of the season with multiple RBI. His two extra-base hits tied a season high.
» Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) tied his season high with three hits, marking his third game with multiple hits this season. He drove in a pair of runs for his team-high fifth game with multiple RBI this season. He leads the Eagles with 17 RBI and 11 extra-base hits in 2026.
» Ty Stecko totaled two RBI for his fourth multi-RBI outing. He's up to 13 RBI this season, ranking second on the team.
» Ben Schechterman (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora/Ohio State) smashed his first career home run over the right-center wall for a two-run shot in the fourth inning. Schechterman drove in multiple runs for the first time this season and the second of his career. He earned his first multi-hit game of the season after singling in the top of the sixth.
» Tristan Crane (Berkley, Mich./Brother Rice/Texas A&M Corpus Christi) tallied his first long ball of the season with a solo bomb to right field in the ninth inning. Crane's homer went down as Eastern's 20th of the year, ranking second in the MAC.
Historical Notes
» The Eagles and Cardinals met for the 176th time. Eastern holds an 85-91-1 all-time record against Ball State and a 13-31 mark since 1999 when facing it in Muncie.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan continues its MAC series at Ball State Saturday, March 14. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Shebek Stadium in Muncie, Ind.
Follow Us
Keep up with all things Eastern baseball by following the team on X @EMU_Baseball, and on Instagram @emu_baseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: John Chambers (2-3)
L: Egan, Cole (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Borchardt, Nathan 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Hale, John 1
HR: Crane, Tristan 1 ; Schechterman, Ben 1
RBI: Crane, Tristan 1 ; Borchardt, Nathan 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 2 ; Stecko, Ty 2 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Knupp, Keegan 1 ; Schechterman, Ben 2
SF: Borchardt, Nathan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Williams, TJ 3 ; Crane, Tristan 1 ; Borchardt, Nathan 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Stecko, Ty 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Knupp, Keegan 1 ; Schechterman, Ben 1 ; Weaver, Nick 1 ; Hale, John 1
SB: Schechterman, Ben 1
HBP: Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Stecko, Ty 1
Batting:
2B: Jacob Gillis 1 ; Brett Griffiths 1
3B: Brayden Huebner 1
HR: Jacob Gillis 1 ; Ryan Muizelaar 1 ; Kenskey Thomas 2
RBI: Gavin Balius 1 ; Jacob Gillis 2 ; Ryan Muizelaar 5 ; Brett Griffiths 1 ; Max Kalk 1 ; Kenskey Thomas 6
SF: Brett Griffiths 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brayden Huebner 2 ; Gavin Balius 3 ; Jacob Gillis 3 ; Ryan Muizelaar 2 ; Brett Griffiths 2 ; Max Kalk 2 ; Kenskey Thomas 2 ; Kendric Sorgius 1
SB: Brayden Huebner 1
HBP: Jacob Gillis 1 ; Brett Griffiths 1 ; Kendric Sorgius 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
2
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
UTIL
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballUTIL
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballINF
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