MUNCIE, Ind. - Butler defeated the Ball State Cardinals 14-10 on Wednesday afternoon in Muncie, Ind. With the win, Butler improves to 5-16 on the year while Ball State slides to 10-9.
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BULLDOG HIGHLIGHTS

• Matthew Rhoades had a sensational day, going 4-for-5 at the plate with two home runs, two doubles, three runs scored, a walk and four RBIs.
• Danny Gavin tallied two walks, a hit, two runs scored and two RBIs.
• David Ayers recorded a double and a walk.
• Gavin Gilmore tallied a hit and a run scored.
• Charlie Schebler was 3-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBIs and a home run.
• Gunnar Duncan went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, a home run and a walk.
• Jack Zeller recorded a hit, a run scored and two walks.
• Alex Christie recorded two hits, a run scored, two RBIs and two walks.
• Logan Crock recorded a hit and a run scored.
• Grayson Bradberry picked up his first collegiate win on the mound, tossing five innings while allowing only three runs and punching out five. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Rhoades got the Dawgs on the board in the top of the first, smashing his 13th homer of the season as BU held an early 1-0 lead. Ball State evened the score with an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning as the score stood at 1-1 heading into the second.
• Butler responded to the Cardinals' run in the top of the second as Schebler hit a leadoff homer, giving the Dawgs the 2-1 lead. Butler tacked on two more runs behind an RBI single from Gavin as the Bulldog lead grew to three. Rhoades stepped up to the dish with two outs and one on and belted his second homer of the game to deep right field. The BU lead stood at 6-1 heading into the bottom half of the inning.
• After keeping Ball State off the board in the bottom of the second, the Butler offense continued to dominate with a solo shot from Duncan that extended the BU lead to six. Ball State was able to plate a run in the third as BU took the 7-2 lead into the fourth.
• Butler continued to dominate the Cardinals, as the Dawgs scratched across four runs on two hits with the help of four walks in the fourth. BU kept Ball State off the board in the bottom half of the inning, taking the 11-2 lead into the fifth.
• Ball State added a run on a wild pitch in the next frame as BU held the 11-3 advantage heading into the back half of the contest.
• After keeping Butler off the board in the sixth, Ball State started to rally back, plating three runs on two hits and an error in the sixth as the BU lead was cut to five (11-6).
• Rhaodes continued his hot day in the seventh, smashing a ground ruled double down the right field line, scoring a run for BU. The Cardinals added two of their own in the bottom half of the inning, making the score 12-8.
• Butler added another run in the top of the eighth and in the ninth, giving the Bulldogs a 14-8 lead with the Cardinals coming to the plate for the final at-bats.
• Ball State didn't go down without a fight in the ninth. The home side hit a two-run homer with no outs, putting pressure on the Bulldogs. BU was able to fend off the Cardinals' late comeback efforts, securing the 14-10 victory.

 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will return to action this weekend as BU travels to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. Game one is slated for Friday, March 20, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. More information will be available on butlersports.com.