BGSU baseball (10-17, 6-8) captured its first series sweep of the regular season against the Akron Zips (13-16, 5-9) of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in a double-header matchup on Friday.
The day in and of itself was already in a unique place, as the third and final game of the series was supposed to be the following day, but was pushed back due to inclement weather.
“You never know what the day is going to bring,” Head coach Kyle Hallock said. “These types of things are why you show up to the ballpark.”
Game One
Game one at Stellar Field would be one that set the tone for the entirety of the afternoon. The Zips would dominate early in the first two and a half innings with RBIs from the bats of sophomores Brody Chrisman and Blake Bowen, and freshman Gabe Mathison to go 4-0.
The Falcons would then respond with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the second, one of them being an RBI double off the bat of senior outfielder Zack Horky.
The fifth inning is where the action from Akron would once again pick up, with both Bowen and junior outfielder Prince DeBoskie earning singles of their own to gain a three-run advantage, 6-3.
Sophomore Brayden Curlis and the Falcons would have the momentum shift in the sixth inning, as Curlis would slam a two-run homer into left field, with Horky homering to center right after to add five more runs in total to the board, 8-6.
Akron would add two more runs late in the game, but Bowling Green would prevail in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI from senior infielder Sam Seidel that would win the game, 9-8.
Game Two
The final game of the series continued with the aggressive base-stealing from Deboskie for the Zips, stealing three bases at the top of the first, and would give Akron the 1-0 lead.
The bottom of the first is where Bowling Green would respond, with a two-run RBI double for Curlis to put themselves in front, 2-1.
Stolen bases would be a recurring theme once again, with sophomore Alex Laird stealing home from third and continuing BG’s early lead in the bottom of the second, 3-1. Laird would go on to have seven total stolen bases in game two, including five through the first five innings, a new program record.
Akron would try to set up momentum by having runners at second and third, but the defense from the Falcons, led by freshman left-handed pitcher Jackson Miller, would foil them.
After a scoreless third inning, the Zips would cut the lead within one with an RBI single from senior outfielder Kelton Phillips. This would then lead to the Blue and Gold taking advantage of a wild pitch from sophomore right-hander Micah Smith to steal home to tie the ball game, 3-3.
The Falcons would then regain the lead after a sacrifice fly out from junior outfielder Pauly Mancino to send a runner from third home, followed by another RBI single from Carter Mottice to go up by two, 5-3.
Sophomore catcher Gio Melchione of the Zips would tie things up once again with an RBI double at the top of the fifth. The bottom half, however, would see the Orange and Brown put up two more runs to continue their lead. 7-6.
Bowling Green would add two more runs throughout the next four innings and would capture the weekend sweep with a 9-6 victory over the Zips.
“You can get some pretty special results,” Hallock said. “That’s where this team is, they’re approaching it.”
Hallock and the Falcons will roll along to their next stop on the schedule at Bill Davis Stadium to face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Tuesday, April 7, at 6 p.m. Falcon Media Sports Network’s Tyler Kavalecz and Noah Seeley will broadcast the game live on WBGU 88.1 FM.
