Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina baseball's early season struggles continued on Friday afternoon as the Catamounts dropped both ends of a nonconference twin bill, falling 7-4 and 20-8 to the Ball State Cardinals in a pair of seven-innings games at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.

Friday's two losses stretched WCU's current seasonal slide to 10-straight overall, and marked the third-straight defeat in the all-time series with Ball State dating back to last season.

Leading by two, 4-2, through five innings in game one, Ball State (7-7) pulled away from the Catamounts with a three-run sixth inning and held off a bottom of the seventh rally that included a two-RBI double off the wall in left by freshman Bo Fricks to win the opener, 7-4. Fricks finished 1-for-3 on the day with two RBI, entering both ends of the doubleheader as a substitution.

In the night cap, WCU jumped out to an early, 3-0, lead, doing so in part on the first home run in the career of freshman Justice Bigbie -- a two-run shot that cleared the right field fence. However, the Cardinals scored runs in five-consecutive innings from the third through the seventh, tallying multiple tallies in four of those five including a six-run final frame to cruise to the win, 20-8.

Ball State scored four runs in the top of the third to erase WCU's 3-0 advantage. But the Cardinals' one-run advantage was short-lived as in the home half of the frame, Caleb Robinson executed a perfect hit-and-run as Andrew Bullock rumbled around to score from first on a double down the third base line to knot the game at four. Ball State responded, though, by outscoring WCU 16-to-4 over the final four innings.

Through two games on Friday, Ball State outscored WCU, 27-to-12, and outhit the Catamounts, 24-to-17, on the day. A combined 13 of the Cardinals' 24 hits went for extra bases including 11 doubles. Among the BSU leaders was senior Jeff Riedel who tied an NCAA record with five doubles in the second game of the twin bill. Riedel is the seventh Division I player to record five doubles in a single game -- and the first since Western Carolina's Aaron Attaway accomplished the feat in Cullowhee in 2012 against Iona.

Riedel finished the day 6-of-10 with the five doubles, four runs scored, and a team-best six RBI. Seth Freed homered twice for the Cardinals, plating five in the two wins.

Three Catamounts collected three hits apiece in Friday's doubleheader with Andre Bullock finishing 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored. Sophomore Luke Robinson finished 3-for-6 with a team-best four RBI, while freshman Justice Bigbie was 3-for-7 with a walk, home run, and three runs driven in. He enters Saturday's game tied for the team lead with 11 RBI on the season.

Senior catcher Spencer Holcomb belted his second home run of the season on a solo shot in game one before exiting the second game due to injury after being struck on a back swing on a foul ball at the plate.

WCU game one starter Chase Walter (0-1) took the loss in the opener, allowing four runs on just five hits with three strikeouts against four walks. Reliever Jake Niezen (1-1) was tagged with the loss in game two in relief of starter Tristan Baker. Niezen surrendered three runs on two hits with a walk, while Baker fanned three with a pair of walks in three innings, allowing four runs on five hits.

Due to the impending threat of inclement weather on Sunday, the series will conclude on Saturday afternoon with first pitch at 2:00 pm. Fans can follow all of the action with live GameTracker available online at CatamountSports.com, with social media updates available online through Twitter using the handle, @Catamounts. A link to Ball State's audio broadcast is also available online.