The Bowling Green Falcons (2-3) pick up a 9-6 win over the #5 Louisville Cardinals (5-1), powered by an offensive explosion in the eighth frame.

After Friday’s 2-1 pitcher’s duel, both teams decided to wake up the bats.

Senior righty Tyler Hays (0-0, 13.00 ERA) got the start for the Falcons, going three innings deep and allowing six earned runs on five hits.

Louisville took control early, going up 5-1 through the second inning and adding another run in the fourth inning before Hays was pulled for freshman southpaw Luke Krouse.

This was the end of the offense for the Cardinals.

The Falcons’ bullpen held the Cardinals to five hits over the next six innings, keeping them off the board.

IF Leighton Banjoff homered to left, bringing home catcher Kyle Gurney to cut Louisville’s lead to 2 in the top of the third frame.

Bowling Green tied it up at 5-5 in the top of the fourth before Louisville went ahead by one on a Christian Knapczyk RBI single.

The 6-5 score held until the eighth inning, where Bowling Green exploded for four runs to take the lead and eventually win the game.

RHP Ben Weigman (1-1, 19.64 ERA) was given the Cardinals’ first loss of the season.

With the bases loaded, OF Nathan Archer hit an RBI single to shallow left to bring home INF Nathan Rose.

Falcon senior Tyler Ross was hit by a pitch immediately after, bringing in another run courtesy of fellow senior Adam Fallon.

Freshman Sam Seidel scored on a fielder’s choice at second base, and Archer put the exclamation point on the inning when he stole home on a double steal attempt with Justin Fugitt.

Sophomore Connar Penrod (2-0, 0.00 ERA) was given the win, allowing 3 hits, and striking out 3 batters in 1.1 innings of work.

Pitcher Owen Recker (0-1, 4.91 ERA) picks up the save, retiring 4 batters in 7 pitches.

The Falcons and the Cardinals face off again tomorrow in a rubber match, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

For more information about the team, visit the athletics webpage.