UPDATE 1-Ball Corp quarterly earnings fall

* Q1 EPS 77 cents ex. items vs. estimate of 76 cents

* Sales down 9 percent

NEW YORK, April 23 (Reuters) - Plastic and metal packaging products maker Ball Corp (BLL.N) reported lower quarterly earnings but expects its cost cuts to boost second half results and 2009 earnings to be higher than last year.

Net income for the quarter was $69.5 million, or 73 cents a share, down from $83.8 million, or 85 cents a share, last year.

Excluding items, the company's earnings for the quarter was 77 cents a share.

Net sales fell 9 percent to $1.59 billion.

Analysts were expecting earnings of 76 cents a share on revenue of $1.71 billion, according to Reuters Estimates. (Reporting by Hezron Selvi; Editing by Derek Caney)