MUNCIE, Ind. (Interstat) — Kendric Sorgius’s grand slam in the fourth inning broke open a tight Mid-American Conference doubleheader opener Friday, powering Ball State to a 10-2 victory over Bowling Green at Scheumann Stadium.

The Cardinals improved to 23-28 overall and 14-14 in conference play, while the Falcons fell to 17-32 and 11-17.

Sorgius, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs, delivered the decisive blow in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded and two outs, the third baseman launched his third homer of the season to right-center field, clearing the bases and stretching Ball State’s lead from 5-2 to 9-2.

The inning began with Ball State trailing 2-0 after Bowling Green scored twice in the top of the second. The Falcons broke through against Cardinals starter John when Takats singled, Horky reached on a throwing error by Sorgius, and both moved up on a passed ball. After a strikeout, McKenzie singled to left, driving in both runners to give Bowling Green a 2-0 lead.

Ball State responded quickly in the bottom of the second. Murphy walked, Landsnes singled, and Colligan singled through the left side, scoring Murphy. A throwing error on the play advanced Colligan to second and allowed Landsnes to reach third. Perkins then singled through the left side, plating Landsnes and Colligan to put the Cardinals ahead 3-2.

The Cardinals added a run in the third. Huebner walked, Sorgius singled him to third, and Murphy’s sacrifice fly to left-center made it 4-2.

Bowling Green managed only five hits in the game, with McKenzie’s two-run single the only scoring blow. The Falcons used nine pitchers, with Micah Smith throwing 1.2 scoreless innings of hitless relief with one strikeout. Chase Clatur, Kade Arn, Ethan Papacek, Ty Roder, and Titus Lotz also contributed scoreless outings, but Bowling Green’s offense could not overcome Ball State’s 13-hit attack.

Ball State’s pitching staff combined for a strong performance after the early trouble. Zach Leduc threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, Alex Burden struck out two in a perfect frame, and Patrick Gardner worked a clean ninth to close out the victory.

The Cardinals’ defense also turned critical plays. In the second inning, Sorgius’s throwing error had led to two unearned runs, but he atoned with his grand slam.

In the eighth inning, Ball State added an insurance run on a fielding error by Bowling Green third baseman Mitta. Kendall doubled to right-center, Thomas infield singled, and Murphy reached on the error, allowing Kendall to score and make it 10-2.

Bowling Green had a chance in the top of the sixth when Mitta doubled but was left stranded. The Falcons managed only two hits after the second inning, both by Mitta and Takats in the sixth and eighth, respectively.

The game marked the first of a doubleheader, with the second contest set to follow later Friday. Ball State entered the day having won its previous meeting with Bowling Green 6-3 on Thursday, while the Falcons had lost six of their last nine games.

Sorgius’s performance was his second consecutive multi-hit game against Bowling Green, after going 1-for-1 with a home run in Thursday’s victory.

Ball State also received contributions from Balius, who walked, stole a base, and scored twice, and Bakus, who singled in a run and scored.

Bowling Green’s bullpen held the Cardinals scoreless over the final two innings, but the damage from Sorgius’s grand slam proved insurmountable.