MUNCIE, Ind. (Interstat) — Kenskey Thomas delivered a decisive pinch-hit grand slam in the sixth inning, erasing a four-run deficit and propelling the Ball State Cardinals to an 11-6 victory over the Central Michigan Chippewas in a Mid-American Conference baseball game Saturday at Ball Diamond.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded under evening lights, turned dramatically on one swing from Thomas, who entered the game hitless in his young season. His first home run of the year, a blast to deep right field off Central Michigan starter Luke Neiswonger, scored Brett Griffiths, Jack Bakus and Charlie Keller, knotting the score at 6-6 and completely shifting the momentum.

Ball State (6-7, 1-1 MAC) never looked back, adding five unanswered runs to secure the win and even the weekend series after dropping the opener 8-7 on Friday. Central Michigan fell to 6-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

The Chippewas had built their lead early, with designated hitter Cole Prout launching a solo home run on the game’s fourth pitch. They extended the advantage to 6-2 in the fifth and sixth innings, keyed by a two-run double from Zach Knowlton and run-scoring hits from Joey Milto and Bryson Webb.

Neiswonger was dominant early for Central Michigan, striking out seven and holding Ball State hitless through five and one-third innings. However, command issues proved costly in the sixth. After a single and a walk, he hit Keller to load the bases, setting the stage for Thomas’ game-altering grand slam. Neiswonger was charged with six earned runs on no hits, walking five and hitting a batter over five and one-third innings.

Following the slam, the Cardinals’ bullpen took over. Reliever Zach Kwasny silenced the Chippewa bats, throwing three and two-thirds scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out five to earn the win. Ball State starter Keegan Johnson went four and two-thirds innings, allowing three earned runs.

Ball State’s offense, held in check early, erupted after the sixth. Griffiths led off the seventh with a solo homer to break the tie. Keller, who finished 3 for 4 with a home run, a double and two RBIs, followed later in the inning with an RBI double. Pinch-hitter DJ Scheumann capped the scoring with a two-run homer in the eighth.

Charlie Keller was the offensive star for Ball State, breaking out of an 0-for-9 slump over his previous four games with his multi-hit performance.

Central Michigan collected nine hits but stranded several runners, going 3 for 13 with runners in scoring position. Knowlton and Webb each had two hits for the Chippewas.

The victory defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 5-4 Central Michigan win, though Ball State’s ELO rating gave them a 66.7% probability of victory.

The teams conclude the three-game series Sunday afternoon.