USI stumbles late at Ball State, 5-4
Kitchens extends hitting streak to 13
MUNCIE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball could not hold off Ball State University and lost 5-4 Tuesday afternoon in Muncie, Indiana. USI is 10-14 overall after the non-conference contest, while Ball State goes to 17-9 this year.
Ball State took the initial lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the second before USI exploded for four runs in the top of the third. USI junior catcher Micajah Wall scored the first run of the frame on a wild pitch, while junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens hit a three-run bomb to right field for the 4-1 advantage.
The home run was Kitchens’ team-best fourth of the year. Kitchens also extended his team-best hitting streak to 13 games with his two-for-four performance.
USI would maintain its three-run lead until the bottom of the seventh when Ball State scored a run to cut the Eagles’ advantage to 4-2. The Cardinals eliminated the Eagles’ advantage in the bottom of the eighth, posting three runs to pull in front, 5-4, before setting USI down in order in the ninth to finish the contest.
On the mound during a staff day for the Eagles, freshman right-hander Sage Stout took the loss in for USI. Stout threw a third of an inning, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks.
Up Next for the Eagles:
The Eagles return home to the USI Baseball Field March 28-30 when the Eagles host the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for a three-game OVC series. The USI-Little Rock series starts Friday, continues Saturday at 3 p.m., and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
Saturday’s game is Jersey Day at the USI Baseball Field. Fans wearing a jersey to the game will receive a free popcorn and will have a chance to win St. Louis Cardinals tickets in a sixth-inning drawing.
Little Rock, which hosts the University of Louisiana Monroe Wednesday before traveling to Evansville, is 9-15 overall this season and started OVC play by going 0-3 versus Tennessee Tech University.
The Trojans lead the all-time series with USI, 5-1, after taking three of four last spring. Little Rock swept the regular season series in 2024, while USI won the meeting in the 2024 OVC Tournament, 2-0, in Marion, Illinois.
Due to the ever-changing weather in March, USI encourages fans to watch for potential schedule changes on USIScreamingEagles.com, X,
