BGSU baseball (22-9, 11-4) blasted Youngstown State (7-24, 4-8), 17-5. The Falcons improved to 15-4 road record this season and have won three consecutive against YSU.
“We wanted to come out here and put some good swings on the baseball, and we were fortunate enough to connect,” junior second basemen Sam Seidel said after the contest.
Senior Harun Pelja started the game on the mound for the Penguins and struggled right out of the gate. Sophomore center fielder TJ Takats worked a walk, which was followed by a Seidel two-run homer to start the scoring.
This was followed by three quick outs, bringing senior Logan Bell and the Falcon defense onto the field. Head coach Kyle Hallock assigned Bell his first start for BG.
The Lisbon, Ohio native tossed eight straight balls to put runners on first and second with nobody out. However, Bell pitched through it and got out of the inning with no runs allowed.
The second inning was the exact opposite of the first inning as Pelja and Bell worked through a combined eight batters, keeping the score 2-0 BGSU. However, Bell ended his half of the inning with a total pitch count of 53.
Youngstown State’s manager Trevor Charpie decided to go to the bullpen and bring in a new pitcher Tyler Heflin to start the third. The freshman pitcher plunked Takats on his first pitch, then moments later Seidel smacked an RBI double into left to make the score 3-0.
The Bowling Green offense kept rolling as Zack Horky delivered a bases-loaded single to make it 4-0, followed by a walk that pushed the lead to 5-0. Making his collegiate debut, Carter Mottice ripped a pitch into right field for his first career hit, driving in two more runs.
“I love the pressure, I love college baseball. I wanted to come out here and do my best for the team and keep the rallies going,” Mottice said following the game.
Two runs and a pitching change later, the Penguins finally escaped the inning but trailed 9-0.
Junior Kade Arn entered the game in relief for Bell and he breezed through the half inning keeping the score put.
In the fourth, Mottice’s dream debut continued by way of an RBI double to stretch the lead to 10-0.
From there, a wild pitch scored another Falcon and Brayden Curlis became the seventh BG player to knock in a run, 12-0.
BGSU scored twice as much before the inning ended, making it 14-0.
Arn made quick work of the Penguins in the bottom half, sending the game to the fifth inning. It was at this point both managers elected to dig into their benches and make position changes. A combined nine new players entered the game outside of pitching.
After a quiet fifth frame, the Penguins loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the sixth. Youngstown State did not squander their opportunity as Mars, Penn. native Teddy Ruffner got YSU on the board with a two-RBI single into left-center field, 14-2.
After that, Hallock called on junior Luke Krouse from the bullpen with the bases loaded. Krouse then surrendered three consecutive runs before striking out Brayden Foster to end the inning with the tally 14-5 in favor of the visitors.
To begin the seventh, junior catcher Cooper McKenzie went yard for a third time this season to put the Falcons back up by 10.
Curlis continued the freshman frenzy by hitting a line drive into left, scoring two more leading to yet another pitching change. This proved to be the right decision as Nolan Kubilus got Gavin Ganun to pop out to second base, ending the inning.
In the seventh, the Falcons kept their lead over ten to secure the run-rule victory.
The Penguins outhit the Falcons 11 to 10, but Youngstown State pitchers walked Bowling Green 10 times, hit eight batters and tossed five wild pitches.
Freshmen Mottice and Curlis impressed on both sides of the ball, combining for six RBI and five hits.
Bell earned the win and Pelja picked up a loss.
BGSU returns to Mid-American Conference (MAC) play this weekend in Kalamazoo, Mich. against Western Michigan.
“They [Western Michigan] do things at a really high level. We’ll enjoy this one tonight, it’ll probably be bigger for the players going into this weekend, but as long as they feel good, they’ll play good,” Hallock said postgame.
