The Bowling Green baseball team (33-18) made a statement in their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament game since 2015, defeating Miami (OH) (27-26) at Crushers Stadium in Avon, Ohio, on Thursday afternoon, 12-4.
The Orange and Brown fed off the energy from the Falcon faithful, who showed up to support the team.
“It’s an hour-and-a-half from Bowling Green. We saw a lot of Northwest Ohio people, and we also saw a lot of Northeast Ohio people that have set up shop and raised families coming back to make this drive and see what this team’s all about,” BGSU head coach Kyle Hallock said postgame. “We want to continue to make them proud, take it one game at a time, hit the reset button 24 hours from now and go out there and get another one.”
With the victory, the Falcons have advanced to the MAC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2013.
The win marks BG’s most in a season since 2005, putting them three victories away from tying the program record of 36 wins set during the 2001 season.
Miami started the scoring in the top of the first inning, with redshirt sophomore first baseman Evan Appelwick hitting a solo home run just over the glove of a jumping Caden Parker in left field.
Although the first six Falcons went down in order and Bowling Green trailed for the first few innings, they did not panic.
“It’s one-nothing, and everyone can start to press, but we know who we are, we know how much we work and we know that we do the right things at a high level,” Hallock said. “So, just let the game come to us; it’s 27 outs.”
BG’s offense started to click in the fourth inning.
Senior shortstop Tyler Ross drove in Parker on a hit-and-run before senior outfielder Jack Krause drove in freshman catcher Garrett Wright with a single up the middle, putting BGSU ahead 2-1.
The Falcons blew the game open in the sixth inning, lighting Miami pitchers and scoring six runs in the inning.
Krause ripped a bases-loaded double into right field, scoring two runs. In the next at-bat, senior infielder Leighton Banjoff drove in two runs with a single to left field, advancing to third on a fielding error.
“Getting Leighton Banjoff when he hit the transfer portal was a big deal because he’s a great right-handed hitter from right over here at Elyria Catholic. He was a big name out of high school, and he’s a winner,” Hallock said. “He came in and showed our guys what it takes to win at this level, having won a Big Ten Championship at Nebraska.”
Sophomore second baseman Sam Seidel and junior outfielder Nathan Archer each drove in a run with singles, extending Bowling Green’s lead to 8-1.
Although the RedHawks scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning and attempted to mount multiple comeback attempts, the BGSU offense was unrelenting.
In the bottom half of the inning, Ross scored on a Seidel bases-loaded walk before freshman designated hitter TJ Takats drove in Krause with a single, giving the Falcons a 10-3 advantage.
However, Bowling Green was not done just yet, as Krause drove in two more runs with his second double of the day.
Miami threatened with multiple comeback attempts in the late innings. But they were only able to score one run in the top of the ninth.
Krause, an All-MAC Second Team selection, had one of his better offensive performances of the season, going 4-5 at the plate, scoring twice and driving in a team-high five runs.
“It feels amazing to go out there and win like that,” Krause said. “I was a little nervous at first, wasn’t used to the situation, but it’s been a special year, and it’s great to go out there and play like we know we can and come out with the big win like that.”
Wright and Ross recorded three-hit performances, while Seidel drove in two runs.
The Falcons stole six bases without being caught on the basepaths throughout the contest.
The RedHawks burned through six pitchers in the contest, with redshirt junior Patrick Mastrian IV taking his fourth loss of the year.
On the other side, the Falcons threw just three pitchers, with junior Nic Good earning his team-high sixth win of the season.
The All-MAC Second Team left-hander tossed 103 pitches in six innings, allowing three runs, five hits and a season-high four walks while striking out three.
“Nic Good matches up with just about everyone on our schedule, and he competes against everyone on our schedule,” Hallock said. “So, it’s an easy decision to have him leadoff and set the tone for our starting pitching this tournament.”
Senior Isaiah Seidel struck out four RedHawks across two scoreless innings in relief.
“He’s not a normal look; he’s got a low, three-quarter slot with a fastball that rides. So, a lot of people pop him up and swing and miss at his changeups and off-speed,” Hallock said. “There was no let up when he took the rubber; he was going to get after people. He was raised by competitive parents; his dad’s a coach, his brother’s a warrior at second base, just a competitive family, and we’re going to roll with guys that act like that all the time.”
Meanwhile, sophomore Luke Krouse gave up just one run in his lone inning out of the bullpen.
Next, Miami will battle Toledo in an elimination game on Friday at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, Bowling Green will play Western Michigan in a battle of the two top seeds on Friday at 6 p.m., with the winner advancing to the conference tournament championship.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s (FMSN) Tyler Kavalecz and Chas McNeil will have the call of the game on 88.1 WBGU, starting at 5:30. They will also continue providing on-site coverage of every game throughout the tournament on FMSN’s X account.
“You hear everyone talk about it’s 0-0, and it’s tournament time and all that stuff, but we’ve been 0-0 since August,” Hallock said. “So, the momentum we created in the regular season, there’s no reason we can’t keep that thing going right now.”
For more stories related to BGSU Athletics, follow Falcon Media Sports Network on X (@bg_fmsn).
