In the three meetings this season, BG had beaten the Indiana – Purdue University at Fort Wayne by a total of 49-15.
So this figured to be a great game to pad the stats for everyone on the team. The team had won three of its last four games and looked to be turning the corner on their season heading into the latter half.
This game was a virtual lock for the Falcons to pounce on a team struggling to an 8-26 record on the season. The Mastodons had allowed their opponents to hit .345 on the season while only managing to hit .290 as a team.
Everything pointed in the right direction for the Falcons. So what happens? The Falcons traveled to Fort Wayne yesterday and lost 7-2 and were dominated by Mastodon starting pitcher Cole Uebelhor.
“This team is very frustrating,” said BG coach Danny Schmitz. “We lost 7-2 [yesterday] and it wasn’t even that close. The coaching staff is just left to scratch their heads at this team. I don’t want to sound negative, but it’s just very frustrating.”
Uebelhor on the season had compiled a 2-5 record leading up to yesterday’s game with the Falcons and was saddled with a 6.71 earned run average. That ERA, while high, was the second best on the team.
In yesterday’s contest, Uebelhor pitched a complete game allowing only two runs in the process. Uebelhor struck out seven Falcon batters and allowed nine hits. By his outing yesterday, Uebelhor lowered his season earned run average by over two runs per game down to 4.68 a game.
“I thought [Uebelhor] threw well,” Schmitz said. “This was the first time we faced him. His defense played well too – he got some good defensive plays behind him.”
T.J. Fletcher got the Mastodons going in the first inning by drawing a walk and then proceeded to steal second off Falcon pitcher Adam Gumpf. Jared Davis followed that up by cranking a homerun to left field and putting the IPFW up two runs.
The Falcons came back in the top of the second after Andrew Foster was hit by a pitch. Derek Spencer sacrificed Foster to second on the next play. Chris Gacom followed that up by doubling to right and thus scoring Foster on the play.
The Falcons were unable to hold that momentum and allowed the Mastodons to plate a run in the bottom half of the second inning. Adam Miller started the rally by singling to right field. Miller advanced to second on a passed ball and scored following a single to right field by Mark Carden.
The Falcons responded in the top half of the third inning with one run although it very well could have been more.
BG started the inning by loading the bases with no one out. Marty Baird came up to the plate grounded into a 6-4-3 double play which scored Logan Meisler. Brandon McFarland ended the inning by grounding out to the pitcher.
The Falcons again were unable to hold the momentum and allowed the Mastodons to score another run.
IPFW put two on with one out and Brett Merkley was able to plate Jared Davis for an unearned run after the Falcons committed an error on a sacrifice bunt that allowed Davis to reach second.
“I thought they hit a couple balls well,” Schmitz said. “We made a few mistakes that led to a couple runs, but they hit the ball well [yesterday].”
With the Falcons unable to plate a run in the top of the fourth, the Mastodons kept the pressure on the Falcons in the bottom half, this time off new Falcon pitcher Richie O’Brien.
Ryan Beer started off the fourth with a single to right and Carden followed that with a single up the middle. Fletcher doubled to right and scored Beer and placed Carden on third. Davis hit a sacrifice fly to center which plated Carden.
