BGSU baseball (11-10, 9-0 MAC) lost game two of a three- game series against Xavier (14-13) on Friday afternoon after the Falcon pitching could not control the Musketeer bats.
Bowling Green was looking to bounce back after losing game one of the series in walk-off fashion on Thursday, bringing an abrupt end to their six-game winning streak.
Xavier would get a jump on BGSU starting pitcher Nic Good in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single up the middle by right fielder Hayden Christiansen, putting the Musketeers up 1-0 early on.
Good played the role of the opener in his start, pitching only the first inning before being replaced by fellow starter Calvin Mitchell, who was hoping that the opener would allow him to settle in without having to face the top of the lineup.
BGSU center fielder Nathan Archer would equalize in the top of the second inning, hitting his seventh home run of the year and giving himself his ninth hit in the last three games to tie the game up 1-1.
The Musketeers would take the lead back in the bottom half of the third with a ground ball to second base that would allow a run to come in to score.
The fourth inning would bring more trouble for Mitchell, as Xavier shortstop Grant Stephenson would send a two-run home run over the left field fence, putting the Musketeers up 4-1.
Although a single by Falcon shortstop Sam Seidel would score first baseman Brady Birchmeier and narrow the lead down to two in the top of the fifth, Xavier would load up the bases in the bottom half of the inning and score a run off of a walk, bringing the score to 5-2.
Xavier starting pitcher Logan Schmidt would be pulled after five innings after giving up two earned runs and striking out nine Falcons.
Mitchell would also be replaced by Falcon relief pitcher Luke Krouse at the conclusion of the fifth after a disappointing outing, allowing four earned runs on five hits, three walks and striking out five.
The Musketeers would add five more runs to their lead in the bottom of the seventh courtesy of a three-run home run by Xavier second baseman Jared Cushing followed by a triple that allowed a run to score from an error by second baseman David Silva and a steal of home.
This inning put the score at 10-2 in favor of the Musketeers, making the odds of a comeback slimmer than ever for the Falcons.
Bowling Green would tally a run in the ninth on a solo home run from pinch hitter Landon Roque, but it wouldn’t be enough as the game would end with a final score of 10-3 in favor of Xavier.
The Falcons will attempt to avoid the sweep in game three against Xavier on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Hayden Field in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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