Twenty-nine combined hits, 21 combined runs, two ejections, many foul balls and three hours later, the baseball game between BG and Wright State was over.
Unfortunately for BG, they lost 11-10 yesterday in front of the home crowd at Steller Field.
The top of the eighth inning was the main culprit for the Falcons (11-9).
The Falcons took an 8-6 lead into the eighth, but five runs on six hits and one error helped WSU (9-13) take an 11-6 advantage.
Nick Cantrell took over on the mound for Brett Browning. Cantrell pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs on four hits. Charles Wooten came in to relieve Cantrell, but gave up two runs on a two-out, bases-loaded double.
Not only did BG blow a two-run lead in the top of the eighth, but coach Danny Schmitz headed to the locker room early.
With no outs and two men on base, WSU’s Vagedes singled to right. Andrew Foster – who threw out a man at home and at second earlier in the game – came up to throw the WSU man out who was running to third in what appeared to be a bang-bang play.
But the home plate umpire called him safe, so Schmitz went out to argue, and the next thing he knew, he was ejected.
“We thought Derek [Spencer] put the tag on there, but the umpire saw it a different way,” Schmitz said. “I just told him that I didn’t agree with him, and he told me, ‘It was time to leave,’ so I left.”
“They got some hits down the line, and I just tried to get to it and throw it in as fast as I could,” said Foster, referring to the throw-outs he had during the game.
WSU’s coach was also ejected in that same inning, as he said something to the umpire from the dugout.
BG did make it interesting in the bottom of the eighth after a Derek Spencer double scored Foster and Shay to make it 11-10.
But it wouldn’t get any closer.
Neither team seemed like it wanted to win as each inning one team would take the lead just to see it evaporate in the next.
The Raiders got on the board early as they scored one run in both the second and third innings, but the Falcons answered back by putting up a three spot in the bottom of the fourth. Wright State followed that up by putting up three runs of its own in the fifth, but BG once again answered with two more runs to take its final lead of the game.
The starting pitching didn’t help, either.
Neither pitcher lasted more than four innings.
BG’s Dusty Hawk pitched 4.1 innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on six hits, while WSU’s Walden pitched three innings.
Schmitz says pitching is still a problem for the team.
“As good as what our pitching was last weekend, these two mid-week games [where we gave up 29 combined runs], we weren’t where we needed to be,” Schmitz said. “I thought Dusty battled pretty well today, but we still need to do a better job.”
Spencer led the BG bats – which put up 12 hits altogether – with two hits, including a double and a triple and four RBIs. Ryan Shay added three hits and one RBI.
The Falcons take on Central Michigan this weekend in a three-game series at Steller Field. First pitch on Friday will be at 3 p.m., while first pitches on Saturday and Sunday will be at 1 p.m.