Webb, Prout Deliver Big Hits in 8th-Inning Rally; Bullpen Holds the Fort as Baseball Wins MAC Opener

Friday, March 6

Muncie, Ind. / Shebek Stadium

1 p.m.

Central Michigan University

6-5, 1-0

Ball State

5-7, 0-1

Central Michigan

Ball State

Webb, Prout Deliver Big Hits in 8th-Inning Rally; Bullpen Holds the Fort as Baseball Wins MAC Opener Image

Max Hammond notched his first career save on Friday in the Chippewas' 8-7 win at Ball State.

Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw

Webb, Prout Deliver Big Hits in 8th-Inning Rally; Bullpen Holds the Fort as Baseball Wins MAC Opener

3/6/2026 7:56:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Andy Sneddon

MUNCIE, Ind. – Central Michigan scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the lead and the bullpen held the fort on Friday as the Chippewas defeated Ball State, 8-7, in the Mid-American Conference baseball opener for both schools at the Cardinals' Shebek Stadium.

Game 2 of the series is Saturday (1 p.m.) and the teams close the series on Sunday (1 p.m.).

The Chippewas, who dropped all three games last weekend at Louisville, bounced back to get a win on Friday on a day when plenty did not go their way: Ball State jumped to a 3-0 lead after three innings and CMU trailed until taking the lead in the eighth; the Chippewas used six pitchers after starter Hayden Bailey lasted just 2 2/3 innings; and CMU starting third baseman Greg Guzik II was lost to injury.

"It feels great considering that I think our best baseball is ahead," third-year CMU coach Jake Sabol said. I don't really think we played all that well today. We did some good things, but I thought we hurt ourselves more than we helped ourselves.

"But, you know, over the last two years, I'm not so sure we find a way to win a game like we did today and so it was just fun to see us come out on the right side of it because (our players have) been working so hard and doing most things right that it's nice that they were rewarded there."

Down 7-4, CMU's Logan Keilen singled with one out in the eighth to strike the match on the Chippewa rally. Drew Loikits reached second, and Keilen went to third, on an error, and Miguel Correa Jr. drew a full-count walk to load the bases.

Bryson Webb, who entered the game as a replacement for the injured Guzik in the fifth inning, doubled down the left-field line to score Keilen and Loikits to pull CMU within a run, 7-6.

A strikeout left it up to senior Cole Prout, who sliced a two-out single into left field to plate Correa and Webb with the tying and go-ahead runs, respectively.

It was the second hit of the game for Prout, a senior and the Chippewas' leadoff hitter. His first, a seventh-inning two-run homer, brought CMU to within a run, 5-4.

"He was seeing the ball well, and he was kind of locked in," Sabol said. "If we're going to win, we need two-out hits. And I think that was just a big one for Prout to do it and come through there. We need that kind of stuff, especially from those veteran guys who've been around."

Liam Stumpf came out of the Chippewa bullpen with the potential tying run at second and one out in the eighth and got a flyball and a strikeout to end the threat.

Sophomore left-hander Max Hammond came on to retire the side in order in the ninth, stranding a runner at first for his first career save.

Stumpf (1-0) picked up the win as he rebounded from his performance last week at Louisville, when he walked three consecutive batters to open the ninth inning as the Chippewas squandered a three-run lead in a 9-8 loss.

"We're still trying to figure some things out and see where guys fit in (in the bullpen)," Sabol said. "Stumpy came in and got two big outs and I just thought that was awesome for him.

"Max is riding some really high confidence right now, pounding the zone. And he wants the ball in that moment. He just kind of locked one down there after we used a bunch of guys and really faced some adversity the entire day.

"We fell behind early. Every time we scored, they scored again and then Guzik goes down with the injury. There's a lot of things that didn't go our way. We didn't play clean in some of those early innings, but for us to come away with one there -- huge for our guys. It was fun to get the first one."