BGSU baseball (7-5, 1-0) opened Mid-American Conference (MAC) play with a 6-4 victory against Ohio (3-9, 0-1) in Athens on Friday afternoon.
A four-run eighth inning put the Falcons ahead and propelled them to the victory.
BG has won three straight MAC openers, the longest streak since they won four consecutive from 2003-06.
Bowling Green’s offense struck early, with sophomore catcher Garrett Wright launching a two-run home run, his first of the year, to put the Falcons ahead early.
Wright led all BGSU batters with three hits and two runs batted in (RBI).
However, BG’s offense would struggle the next few innings with Ohio’s starter, senior right-hander Blake Gaskey, shutting down the Falcons.
Gaskey, who did not receive a decision, pitched seven innings, giving up just two runs on six hits while striking out six and walking three.
A home run by catcher Jackson Cauthron in the second inning, a two-run double by freshman infielder Matt Ineich and a run-scoring single by sophomore outfielder Pauly Mancino in the seventh inning put Ohio up 4-2.
Bowling Green junior pitcher and outfielder DJ Newman had a solid outing in his second start this season since returning from last year’s season-ending injuries. Newman did not earn a decision, giving up three runs on six hits in 4.1 innings while striking out six Bobcats and walking just one.
With their backs against the wall and four outs to play with, BGSU scored four straight runs with two outs in the top of the eighth inning. RBI singles by senior outfielder Gavin Ganun and junior infielder Sam Seidel, along with RBI doubles by junior catcher Cooper McKenzie and redshirt freshman Alex Laird, did the damage for the Falcons.
Seidel has driven in a run in three straight games, while Laird tallied two hits, the first multi-hit game of his career.
Additionally, redshirt sophomore Brady Birchmeier extended his hitting streak to 12 games and on-base streak to 14 games.
Ohio redshirt junior right-hander Dylan Eggl suffered his first loss of the season, giving up four runs on five hits in the eighth inning.
Although he walked two batters, redshirt freshman left-handed Titus Lotz recorded one out in the bottom of the seventh inning and earned his second win of the season for Bowling Green.
Meanwhile, senior right-hander Connar Penrod earned his second save of the season, striking out one batter and not allowing a hit in two scoreless innings to close out the win. Penrod has not given up an earned run through 6.2 innings pitched this season.
BGSU demonstrated clutch hitting, batting .467 (7-15) with two outs, .375 (6-16) with runners on base and .364 (4-11) with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, Ohio hit just .111 (1-9) with two outs, .235 (4-17) with runners on base and .182 (2-11) with runners in scoring position.
Next, the Orange and Brown will play two more games against Ohio on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Then, the Falcons will return to Bowling Green for their home opener against Tiffin at Steller Field on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Falcon Media Sports Network will have their first call of the year, with Tyler Kavalecz and Noah Seeley narrating the action on WBGU 88.1 FM, beginning at 2:40 p.m. for pregame.
