Central Michigan baseball (13-18, 7-11) took the series win against BGSU (14-19, 8-9) with a 21-13 victory Sunday at Steller Field.
In a windy back-and-forth game that saw multiple lead changes, Central Michigan came away with the win late, outslugging the Falcons and taking the series win for the first time since 2022.
“There were some good adjustments today. We were on time for the fastball, we made big swings and we made good box adjustments when they started going heavy off-speed on us,” said head coach Kyle Hallock. “We were doing something for six of the nine innings pretty much and they did something for seven, and they got the bigger numbers.”
The 21 runs that Central Michigan scored is the most for them this season and most in a Mid-American Conference (MAC) game for the Chippewas since 2022 in a 29-3 win over the University of Akron.
“They got a little bit of momentum and rode it and we couldn’t stop it,” said Hallock. “On a day like today, momentum can just keep going … they got the momentum last, and they extended it out of our grasp to get back within reach.”
The Falcons used seven different pitchers in the game, with Jackson Miller getting the start. Kade Arn and Miller had the longest stint on the mound for the Falcons, with Miller pitching 3.2 innings and Arn tossing 3.0 innings.
The Falcon offense found life in the middle of the game, but a large eighth and ninth inning that saw Central Michigan putting up 13 runs, sealed the loss for the Falcons.
“Going into the eighth inning up 10-8, teams got to get six outs, and they did a better job of getting their six than we did,” said Hallock.
Central Michigan was all over the Falcons’ starter early in the game, scoring one run after a single up the middle by Spencer Verburg scored the runner from second. Zach Knowlton then stepped up to plate for the Chippewas, hitting a deep two-run home run to left-center field to give Central Michigan a 3-0 lead after the second.
In the third, Central Michigan added another run. Starting with a leadoff standing double by Bryson Webb, who then stole third before being brought home through a sacrifice fly hit by Harrison Bowman.
Bowling Green’s offense came alive in the third inning, scoring its first run since the first game of the series against the Chippewas. Griffin Scheiderer reached second base after an error by the Chippewa first baseman Brady Krzciok. Immediately after, Carter Mottice swung on the first pitch of the at-bat, hitting it into the gap and scoring Scheiderer before sliding into second with a double.
Miller was taken out of the game with two outs in the fourth, ending his night at 54 pitches, giving up four runs on four hits and tallying three strikeouts.
Ty Roder came into the game for the Falcons and the first batter he faced, Spencer Verburg, hit a solo home run to left field on the second pitch of the at bat. For Verburg, this is only his second home run of the year, and only his fifth in his collegiate career.
In the bottom of the fourth, Bowling Green responded with a solo home run of their own courtesy of Anthony Mitta. Mitta’s third home run of the year shortened the deficit for the Falcons, bringing the score to 5-2.
In the fifth, the Chippewa offense did not slow down. After quick hits by Drew Loikits and Webb put men on second and third, Bowman stepped up and hit a single through the left side to score Loikits.
The Chippewas added another run after an eerily similar play to the first game of the series. A steal attempt by Bowman prompted a throw down to second, but as soon as Andrew Delodovico let go of the ball, the man on third, Webb, sprinted toward home and scored to extend the Central Michigan lead to 7-2.
The Falcon bats exploded in the fifth inning. The inning started with a crazy play that saw a ball hit up the middle striking second base, fooling the defense as it flew into shallow left field and allowing a run to score. Lance Vickers then came up to bat and hit a deep fly ball to score Scheiderer from third on a sacrifice fly.
DiLodovico then had the biggest hit of the inning, a long two-run shot to left field, bringing home Mottice and shrinking the Central Michigan lead to 7-6.
The damage didn’t stop there for the Falcons. After singles from Zack Horky and Pauly Mancino both brought home a runner, Bowling Green flipped the script on the game and took the lead 8-7 after the fifth.
Central Michigan tied the game back up in the sixth after a two-out rally. Webb hit a ball toward third base that was bobbled by Brayden Curlis, allowing the runner from third to score and tying the game up at eight runs apiece.
Curlis made up for his error immediately in the bottom of the sixth. He hit a long ball that took a weird bounce off the left field wall, allowing Curlis to triple and bring home Vickers from first base, restoring the BG’s lead at 9-8.
As the game progressed, the wind picked up at Steller Field, with sustained winds of 20 miles per hour and gusts up to 30.
Horky capitalized on the wind and extended the Falcon lead in the seventh, hitting a moonshot solo home run over the tree line in left field, bringing the score to 10-8.
Central Michigan came up to bat in the eighth for their turn with the wind at their backs and capitalized on the opportunity. Knowlton hit a home run to deep left-center field, scoring three runs and reinstating the CMU lead at 11-10.
The Chippewas continued the attack, adding another run after three straight walks by the Falcons, including one with the bases loaded, to bring the score to 12-10.
Krzciok broke the game open later in the inning, hitting a grand slam over the batter’s eye in center field to bring the game to 16-10, capping off an emphatic eight-run inning for the Chippewas.
Central Michigan added insurance runs in the ninth inning, after Bowman hit a double down the left field line scoring Webb and Loikits. Bowman was then brought home after a single by Logan Keilen, and a couple more singles by the Chippewas brought the score to 21-10.
In the ninth, redshirt freshman Jaxon Brown got an opportunity to take an at-bat, hitting a deep shot to left field for a ground-rule double and his first collegiate hit. After that, Mancino hit a 3-run home run to score Brown and Cooper McKenzie, bringing the score to 21-13.
Next, the Falcons will take on the Dayton Flyers at Steller Field in Bowling Green on Tuesday with first pitch at 3 p.m.
“They’ve got to be ready. Nine innings Tuesday, nine innings Wednesday. They’ll reset themselves tomorrow and we’re going to be ready with the road Wednesday,” said Hallock.
