MUNCIE - spent part of the pregame warm-ups keeping his bat warm in the Ball State dugout. Clearly, the tactic worked as Messina doubled and tripled during a 3-for-5 day as Ball State rolled to an 11-6 win over Dayton on Saturday. and homered as BSU pounded out 17 hits and avenged a 5-4 Friday loss at UD.
Messina, now batting .310 this year with a team-high 12 XBH, fell a homer short of the cycle with his literally hot bat. Ricotta and also had three hits and Ricotta scored a team-high three runs.