Bowling Green baseball (13-10, 10-0 MAC) found themselves in a standoff deep into their first game of a weekend series against the Northern Illinois Huskies (10-19, 6-7 MAC) before senior outfielder Jack Krause blasted a ninth-inning homerun to break the tie and give BGSU a 7-4 victory.
With the win, the Falcons remain perfect in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play, a historic first for the team. BGSU currently sits atop the MAC standings, with their bitter rivals, the Toledo Rockets, right behind.
Batting for the Orange and Brown started cold as only one hit was recorded in the first two innings of action.
In the top of the third, an opportunity arose as Krause hit a single with the bases loaded, scoring two Falcons.
An answer from the Huskies came in the bottom of the fourth inning when junior outfielder CJ Cepicky sliced a homerun against sophomore right-hander DJ Newman, marking just the sixth homerun scored on Newman this year and putting NIU within one run.
Tight pitching by NIU senior relief right-hander Ryan Linkletter managed to keep the Falcons quiet through two innings, getting BGSU to swing and strand three Falcon batters while not allowing a single run.
The Huskies would close the gap when freshman catcher Cooper Cohn hit a deep shot to left field that would tie the game at four runs apiece.
In the top of the eighth, the Falcons attempted to retake the lead when senior infielder Leighton Banjoff attempted to score but was stopped just short of snapping the tie.
With one out on the board for the Falcons in the top of the ninth, Krause delivered what would be the winning home run for BGSU, driving in three runs and allowing the Orange and Brown to keep their conference winning streak alive.
Six was the number of the day for BGSU, as they did not allow a single walk while being walked six times. BG also managed to steal six bases while holding NIU quiet on the basepaths.
The Falcons will continue their series against the Huskies on Saturday in a doubleheader.
With a win in the first game tomorrow, BGSU would set a new program record for the most consecutive MAC wins (11). The first pitch falls at noon with the start of the second game coming 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.
