BGSU baseball (3-1) had a change of scenery this week with a trip to the Palmetto State of South Carolina for a two-game bout against the University of South Carolina Upstate (1-3) Friday and Sunday, separated by a Saturday matchup against Presbyterian College (2-2).
Friday featured a different style of attack for the Orange and Brown as senior right hander Landon Willeman started his second game of 2025, marking his thirteenth start over his five years at BG.
BGSU’s type of play relied on steady pitching with big plays coming from the offense, keeping the score low but trusting that the team would step up in the important moments.
Through the four pitchers that the Falcons brought out Friday, they combined for nine hits, two runs both earned, four walks and nine strikeouts.
Statistically, USC Upstate’s pitching staff performed better than BGSU’s with eight hits, 5 runs all earned, three walks and nine strike outs but the bats for Bowling Green were just stronger coming in clutch when the team needed it most.
The Falcons marked the scoreboard first when sophomore outfielder TJ Takats grounded into a double play, but it wouldn’t matter as, with runners on the corners, sophomore catcher Garrett Wright would shatter the standstill.
Later in the fourth, Willeman’s final inning, Upstate would answer with a run of their own that knotted everything up practically immediately.
In the sixth inning, one team needed to make a statement and South Carolina’s senior infielder Johnny Sweeney did, smackeda leadoff homerun in the first at bat in the bottom of the sixth to put Upstate ahead.
As the innings ticked by, the Falcons’ backs were slowly pressed closer to the wall until the ninth inning when it was do or die for the Orange and Brown, down one run.
Takats continued his solid day with a single to right center that put him in the center of the moment, stealing second and being in prime position to be helped home when Saturday’s hero Feb. 15 against Middle Tennessee State, sophomore infielder Brady Birchmeier doubled deep into left center field.
With everything tied at two, BGSU was set on keeping the game out of extra innings with a coaching decision by BGSU’s head coach Kyle Hallock that changed the nature of the game.
Junior catcher Cooper McKenzie was brought in as a pinch hitter for senior outfielder Gavin Ganun who went 0-3 in his at bats, being struck out in all three.
Two outs separated the Spartans from their second win of the season, but McKenzie had other ideas, smoking a home run to left field resulting in three massive runs for BGSU putting the Falcons up 5-2 heading to the bottom of nine.
Only needing three outs to win the game, Hallock brought out experienced leverage right-handed pitcher, sophomore Owen Poole to call game. Poole struck out two Spartans in one inning of work, grounding out the third for BGSU’s third win of the season.
BG have two games remaining on their South Carolina road trip with a game Saturday Feb. 22 against Presbyterian at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday Feb. 23 in a rematch against USC Upstate at 1:00 p.m.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Noah Seeley will have a written recap on the Presbyterian match following the games end on Saturday and Tyler Kavalecz will recap USC Upstate’s rematch Sunday.
