Bowling Green Baseball (3-7) played their Mid-American Conference opener on Friday against the Miami RedHawks (5-7), looking for their first win since February.
The Falcons started slow, hitting three straight balls that were easily fielded, sending the game to the bottom of the first.
Miami threatened early in their first trip to the plate, putting men on second and third after a walk. Right-handed pitcher DJ Newman then earned a strikeout and forced a line drive that went straight to a glove, ending the inning.
Bats warmed up for BGSU, sparked from a single by junior Tyler Ross. With Ross on first, Miami’s starter Patrick Mastrian IV walked two Falcons, loading the bases. A third walk and a hard single from 2023 home run leader Nathan Archer put the Falcons ahead 3-0.
A hit by pitch was the only way a Redhawk got on base in the second, as Newman forced three more Miami batters to fly and line out.
Walks kept plaguing Miami, putting a Falcon on base, which was cashed in when Ross hit a sacrifice flyout that brought home BGSU’s only run of the third, setting the score at 4-0.
A silent third inning by the RedHawks gave BGSU another scoring opportunity, but tight fielding by Miami stopped two potential hits, giving the RedHawks hope heading into the bottom of the fourth.
The hopes continued as Newman walked the first batter but then were slashed when Newman recorded two straight strikeouts and flied out the third.
Archer opened the fifth with a bang by ripping a triple to right center field. Mastrian’s pitching woes continued by walking two more Falcons, loading the bases. Another single by Ross brought a pair of runners home, giving the Falcons a 6-0 lead.
This caused Miami to call for a pitching change, bringing in left-handed sophomore Connor Preisel in an attempt to stop the walks. Preisel opened by striking out his first batter but walked the second, this resulted in an error that brought two more Falcons home adding to BGSU’s lead, 8-0.
The RedHawk offense finally woke up in the bottom of the fifth as a home run by redshirt sophomore infielder Evan Appelwick prevented a potential shutout by BGSU. In response, the Falcons flied out and struck out the last two, ending the fifth.
With a Falcon on base in the sixth, Newman hit a deep triple to right field, which was then followed by a hit from Ross, sending Newman home and putting two more runs on the board, 10-1.
The bottom of the sixth opened with a pitching change, giving Newman a rest and bringing in junior right hander Landon Willeman. The RedHawks cut into the lead with singles and SAC-flyouts which gave Miami three more runs.
Then with the bases loaded, junior outfielder Zach MacDonald delivered with a double, allowing three more RedHawks to cross home plate.
Bases were loaded yet again after two more Falcon pitching changes, and with a walk, the BGSU lead shrunk even further. A error in center field brought home three more RedHawks, giving Miami the lead at 11-10.
The Falcons finally stopped the avalanche of runs and the game went into a rain delay before the seventh started.
Attempting to retake the lead, the Falcons singled but followed with two strikeouts and a pop fly, giving Miami the ability to grow their lead.
Later in the seventh, Miami put a man on second and first and followed up with a double to left field that brought a RedHawk home, another walk immediately after loaded the bases.
Two more hits, headlined by a double from Georgia native Ryan Novak, led to the new score of 15-10 to end the inning.
Archer opened the eighth inning on a double and walks by Miami loaded the bases. Three singles and an error shrunk the Redhawk lead to one.
Then, with the bases loaded again, freshman first baseman TJ Takats hit a single bringing home two more runs to rebuild the Falcon lead, 16-15.
The back and forth continued when redshirt junior Dillon Baker hit a lone homerun, tying everything up. The Falcons then had the biggest answer of the game as Ross, who was 5/5 at the plate, hit a single that earned himself a sixth RBI and gave the Falcons the go ahead run.
This was too much for the RedHawks to outlast, as despite two more batters were able to get on base via HBPs, the rally attempt ultimately was snuffed out by a full count strike out.
BGSU now have a game where their opponent has scored 10 or more runs and the Falcons still won, a first time this season. The Falcons will look to keep the momentum going looking to win their first series of the year as they rematch with Miami on Saturday, March 9, with first pitch at 1 p.m.
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