BG busted out the brooms and picked up the weekend sweep over the visiting Ohio Bobcats this past weekend. Like most weekends at Steller Field, it was an offensive showcase as BG outscored the visitors 34-23 during the series. The weekend series improved BG to 23-18 (13-8 MAC) and dropped the visiting Bobcats to 22-19 (13-8 MAC). The win also moved BG into a three-way tie for the top spot in the MAC East with Kent State and Miami. Next weekend, BG will face off with one of the MAC’s worst teams, Buffalo. Friday: BG 12, OU 9 Starter Brennan Smith went seven innings and only allowed three runs, but the BG bullpen allowed six runs to make it interesting late. Aside from the third inning, Smith was outstanding only allowing five hits and striking out 10 improving his season record to 7-3. ‘As the game went on he got stronger,’ said coach Danny Schmitz. ‘And once he got past the top of the third, he got into a groove, and that was a big shot in the arm there.’ However, after Smith, four different relievers struggled to finish off the Bobcats allowing six runs before Kacy Dwornik finally retired the last Ohio batter. At the plate, BG took advantage of multiple Ohio mistakes scoring five unearned runs and sending 42 batters to the plate during the eight innings. ‘We were aided by some errors, it’s kind of a tough day to play. When they made mistakes we capitalized,’ Schmitz said. Catcher Tyler Elkins went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in, while also crossing home plate three times. Saturday: BG 13, OU 7 When OU scored, BG came back in the bottom of the inning and scored even more, making sure the momentum stayed on their side throughout the game. In the Falcons’ 13-7 victory, they scored all but one run in two innings and had at least one hit from everyone in batting order, totaling 18 hits on the afternoon. ‘Swinging the bat and putting runs on the board is very important,’ Schmitz said. ‘It allows the pitching and defense to not have to worry about each and every pitch, and that was huge today.’ The Falcons got an early 5-0 lead in the second inning when Derek Spencer was hit by a pitch to open the inning and Logan Meisler doubled to left field, putting runners on second and third. Dennis Vaughn then came up to bat and drove both runners in with a single, Jon Berti followed with a single and Mark Galvin hit a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in a run. With the bases open, T.J. Blanton singled through the left side, and Ryan Shay came up to the plate and hit his 11th home run of the season to make it 5-0. OU cut the BG lead to 5-4 in the sixth inning on Brandon Besl’s three-run home run, looking like it was going to be a close game. But then the Falcons scored seven runs on seven hits in the bottom of the sixth. In the inning, eight of the first nine batters reached safely and the Falcons sent 11 batters to the plate. OU threatened with three runs in the eighth inning, but were unable to overcome the Falcons’ two big innings. Matt Malewitz earned his fourth win of the season, and Schmitz was glad to see him back to his old self. ‘Matt pitched like Matt did earlier in the year,’ Schmitz said. ‘He was attacking the zone with all three pitches. I thought he pitched very, very well, did a great job and really competed out there for us.’ Sunday: BG 9, OU 7 For the first Sunday this season in Mid-American Conference action, the Falcons were able to take out their brooms as they swept OU, winning the final game of the three-game series, 9-7. The Falcons took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when Shay reached first base on a fielding error and then reached second base on a failed pickoff attempt by OU’s starting (and losing) pitcher, Bryce Butt. Brian Hangbers then grounded out to the second baseman, which advanced Shay to third, and Elkins singled up the middle, which drove in the first run of the game. The Falcons scored two more in the second inning and had a big four-run fourth. To start the inning, Berti leadoff with a double and Galvin singled up the middle, which scored Berti. After a couple singles by Blanton and Shay, Hangbers homered to left-center, giving the Falcons a 7-1 advantage. OU threatened in the top of the seventh inning when they had four runs on two hits and two errors, but BG scored one more in the eighth to give them a two-run cushion. In the game, both teams had 11 hits apiece. BG’s starting pitcher, Kacy Dwornik, who went 6 1/3 innings, struck out seven and gave up four earned runs. ‘