In the top of the ninth inning, Ball State junior right-handed pitcher BJ Butler had runners on second and third with two outs, a one-run lead and Xavier University senior catcher Daniel Rizzie at the plate.
Butler fell behind in the count, 2-0, but Rizzie popped the ball up to redshirt freshman third baseman Zach Milam for the final out of the Cardinals’ 5-4 win. Butler earned his seventh save of the season.
Ball State (18-12, 4-2 MAC) jumped out to a 5-2 lead after three innings, but Xavier (10-19, 0-0 MAC) scored two in the top of the fifth to close the gap to one.