Bowling Green baseball (26-16, 19-4 MAC) could not pull off the series win on Saturday against Western Michigan (24-19, 14-9 MAC), falling to the Broncos 6-4 at Stellar Field.
The loss is just the second home loss for Bowling Green this season, with the first coming against the Ohio Bobcats on April 21.
The Orange and Brown fell behind early after an error from senior infielder Tyler Ross put Broncos in scoring position, leading to a four-run lead in the second inning.
BGSU’s offense kicked on in the bottom of the second inning when junior outfielder Caden Parker popped a single to right field, sparking a four-run comeback that knotted everything going to the third inning.
Western Michigan tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning, which was enough to keep the Broncos ahead for the rest of the outing. This marks the first time this season that the Falcons, and their third-ranked offense in the country, have been held scoreless for seven or more innings.
The lone bright spot for the Orange and Brown was their bullpen.
Head coach Kyle Hallock brought out sophomore left-handed pitcher Luke Krouse for 4.2 innings. Krouse did not walk a batter, allowing three hits while striking out one.
The 4.2 innings marked a career-high for innings pitched in a single game for Krouse, who sits at a 6.64 earned run average (ERA).
Hallock gave a glowing review of his relief pitcher despite the conference loss.
“He really stepped up and embraced his identity of who he is as a pitcher, and he’s landing three pitches for strikes. He is really competing and figuring things in his sophomore season.”
The Falcons will still have a chance to win the series against Western Michigan on Sunday, with the first pitch set for 1 p.m.
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