Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, March 14
Muncie, Ind.
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4-15, 4-15
4
at
9
Ball State
9-8, 4-1
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
8th innning8
9th innning9
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Eastern Michigan
2
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
4
9
4
Ball State
1
0
0
0
6
1
0
1
X
9
9
0
Photo by: Brody Hall/Walt Middleton Photography
Mueller Strikes Out Seven in Relief, Baseball Falls at Ball State
3/14/2026 4:28:00 PM | Baseball
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead but could not overcome a six-run fifth inning by the Cardinals
MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) -- Eastern Michigan University baseball student-athlete Landon Mueller struck out seven Cardinals in relief as the Eagles dropped a 9-4 decision to Ball State University in a Mid-American Conference contest Saturday, March 14, at Shebek Stadium.
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead but could not overcome a six-run fifth inning by the Cardinals.
Cal Rutherford (Canton, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) got the ball for the first start of his career. The sophomore righty went a career-long 4.0 innings for the second consecutive appearance, allowing two earned runs while striking out three and walking two.
Ball State's Keegan Johnson started on the mound for the Cardinals as Owen Quinn (1-0) was credited with the win and Emmett Gillies (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley/Akron) (1-1) was tagged with the loss.
How it Happened
Eastern Michigan wasted no time getting on the board, striking for two runs in the top of the first. After a pair of baserunners reached, Drew Jones (Cleveland, Ohio/Brush/Ohio State) delivered a single to left field that plated both Nathan Borchardt (Stanley, N.C./East Lincoln/King) and Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU), giving EMU a quick 2-0 advantage.
The Cardinals responded in the bottom half with a solo home run, trimming the lead to one. In the fourth, the Eagles extended their margin to 3-1 as Tristan Crane (Berkley, Mich./Brother Rice/Texas A&M C.C.) doubled and came around to score on an RBI single from Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's).
The momentum shifted dramatically in the bottom of the fifth. Ball State capitalized on EMU fielding miscues, loading the bases and drawing a walk to cut the deficit to 3-2. The critical blow came when Ball State's Ryan Muizelaar launched a grand slam that catapulted the Cardinals ahead, 6-3. EMU could not recover as Ball State added another run in the inning and continued to apply pressure.
John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) provided a bright spot for the Eagles with a solo home run in the sixth, his second of the season, but Ball State answered back with single runs in the sixth and eighth to secure the 9-4 victory, securing a series win in the process.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record went to 4-15 (0-5 MAC) and Ball State's improved to 9-8 (4-1 MAC).
» Eastern pitching combined for 10 strikeouts, its third-highest total of the season and third time reaching the double-digit mark, producing a 1-2 record in such games.
» Eastern had nine or more hits for the sixth time this season with four of those occurrences coming in the last four games.
» Drew Jones drove in a pair of runs to get the Eagles on the board in the first inning. He's up to eight RBI on the season as the game served as his third with multiple RBI in 2026.
» Cal Rutherford (Canton, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) got the ball for the first start of his career. The sophomore righty went a career-long 4.0 innings for the second consecutive appearance, allowing two earned runs while striking out three and walking two.
» Ty Stecko drove in his 14th run off the season, scoring Tristan Crane from second base. Stecko's 14 RBI are the second most on the team and rank seventh in the MAC by value.
» John Hale homered for the second time this season in the sixth inning, marking Eastern's 21st home run of the season, tying for third in the league. Hale recorded his second hit of the day in the top of the eighth inning for his third multi-hit game of the year and first since doing so in a 9-1 win at SIUE, Feb. 28.
» Landon Mueller (Fremont, Neb./Fremont/Omaha) pitched a season-long 4.0 innings in relief, striking out seven Cardinals, tying a season-high previously set in his last outing at Miami, March 8. In relief appearances, Mueller has struck out 16 batters and walked just three while allowing four earned runs.
Historical Notes
» The Eagles and Cardinals met for the 177th time. Eastern holds an 85-92-1 record all-time against Ball State and a 13-32 mark when facing it in Muncie since 1999.
» After his one hit Saturday, Devan Zirwas totals 97 hits in his career as he needs three more to reach the century mark.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan closes out its MAC road series against Ball State on Sunday, March 15. 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.
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead but could not overcome a six-run fifth inning by the Cardinals.
Cal Rutherford (Canton, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) got the ball for the first start of his career. The sophomore righty went a career-long 4.0 innings for the second consecutive appearance, allowing two earned runs while striking out three and walking two.
Ball State's Keegan Johnson started on the mound for the Cardinals as Owen Quinn (1-0) was credited with the win and Emmett Gillies (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley/Akron) (1-1) was tagged with the loss.
How it Happened
Eastern Michigan wasted no time getting on the board, striking for two runs in the top of the first. After a pair of baserunners reached, Drew Jones (Cleveland, Ohio/Brush/Ohio State) delivered a single to left field that plated both Nathan Borchardt (Stanley, N.C./East Lincoln/King) and Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU), giving EMU a quick 2-0 advantage.
The Cardinals responded in the bottom half with a solo home run, trimming the lead to one. In the fourth, the Eagles extended their margin to 3-1 as Tristan Crane (Berkley, Mich./Brother Rice/Texas A&M C.C.) doubled and came around to score on an RBI single from Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's).
The momentum shifted dramatically in the bottom of the fifth. Ball State capitalized on EMU fielding miscues, loading the bases and drawing a walk to cut the deficit to 3-2. The critical blow came when Ball State's Ryan Muizelaar launched a grand slam that catapulted the Cardinals ahead, 6-3. EMU could not recover as Ball State added another run in the inning and continued to apply pressure.
John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) provided a bright spot for the Eagles with a solo home run in the sixth, his second of the season, but Ball State answered back with single runs in the sixth and eighth to secure the 9-4 victory, securing a series win in the process.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record went to 4-15 (0-5 MAC) and Ball State's improved to 9-8 (4-1 MAC).
» Eastern pitching combined for 10 strikeouts, its third-highest total of the season and third time reaching the double-digit mark, producing a 1-2 record in such games.
» Eastern had nine or more hits for the sixth time this season with four of those occurrences coming in the last four games.
» Drew Jones drove in a pair of runs to get the Eagles on the board in the first inning. He's up to eight RBI on the season as the game served as his third with multiple RBI in 2026.
» Cal Rutherford (Canton, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) got the ball for the first start of his career. The sophomore righty went a career-long 4.0 innings for the second consecutive appearance, allowing two earned runs while striking out three and walking two.
» Ty Stecko drove in his 14th run off the season, scoring Tristan Crane from second base. Stecko's 14 RBI are the second most on the team and rank seventh in the MAC by value.
» John Hale homered for the second time this season in the sixth inning, marking Eastern's 21st home run of the season, tying for third in the league. Hale recorded his second hit of the day in the top of the eighth inning for his third multi-hit game of the year and first since doing so in a 9-1 win at SIUE, Feb. 28.
» Landon Mueller (Fremont, Neb./Fremont/Omaha) pitched a season-long 4.0 innings in relief, striking out seven Cardinals, tying a season-high previously set in his last outing at Miami, March 8. In relief appearances, Mueller has struck out 16 batters and walked just three while allowing four earned runs.
Historical Notes
» The Eagles and Cardinals met for the 177th time. Eastern holds an 85-92-1 record all-time against Ball State and a 13-32 mark when facing it in Muncie since 1999.
» After his one hit Saturday, Devan Zirwas totals 97 hits in his career as he needs three more to reach the century mark.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan closes out its MAC road series against Ball State on Sunday, March 15. 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: Quinn, Owen (1-0)
L: Gillies, Emmett (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Crane, Tristan 1
HR: Hale, John 1
RBI: Jones, Drew 2 ; Hale, John 1 ; Stecko, Ty 1
SH: Knupp, Keegan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Hale, John 1 ; Borchardt, Nathan 1 ; Crane, Tristan 1
SB: Hale, John 1
HBP: Knupp, Keegan 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Hale, John 1
Batting:
2B: Kalk, Max 1 ; Thomas, Kenskey 1
HR: Muizelaar, Ryan 1 ; Huebner, Brayden 1
RBI: Stokes, Taber 1 ; Muizelaar, Ryan 5 ; Huebner, Brayden 1 ; Gillis, Jacob 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Balius, Gavin 2 ; Kalk, Max 1 ; Muizelaar, Ryan 1 ; Huebner, Brayden 3 ; Gillis, Jacob 1 ; Sorgius, Kendric 1
SB: Balius, Gavin 2 ; Stokes, Taber 1 ; Muizelaar, Ryan 1 ; Huebner, Brayden 1
HBP: Balius, Gavin 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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UTIL
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RHP
/ BaseballUTIL
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RHP
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RHP
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INF
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