BGSU baseball lost a crucial series to Central Michigan in their last Mid-American Conference (MAC) matchup and are officially in a do-or-die situation throughout the rest of conference play.
Bowling Green looked to have gotten on track with a six-game winning streak stretching back to a three-game series sweep over Akron, a Power Four win over Ohio State, a midweek victory over Lourdes and the first game of the series against the Chippewas.
The wheels then fell off in the Saturday and Sunday matchups against Central Michigan, with the Chippewas doubling the Falcons’ run total through the two games.
Following those losses, Bowling Green was run ruled in seven innings by Dayton in their final home midweek game of the season Tuesday.
The Orange and Brown did get back in the win column with a 9-3 victory over Canisius Wednesday, which included six home runs by BGSU batters. Both freshman catcher Andrew DiLodovico and junior first baseman/outfielder TJ Takats homered twice in the contest.
One piece of Bowling Green’s problems recently has been their pitching staff. The Falcons have used 12 arms across their last three losses. As a group, the pitching staff has allowed 45 runs on 45 hits and 11 walks in those losses.
To give themselves their best shot at pushing for a MAC Tournament appearance, the pitching staff will have to find momentum they had during the six-game winning streak.
Through those six games, Bowling Green pitchers allowed only 27 runs, with the offense picking up 51 runs to give them a cushion.
Along with their recent problems on the mound, the injury bug has struck the Falcons once again.
Senior infielder Sam Seidel came up hobbling after a home run against the Buckeyes and has not suited up for the Orange and Brown since. Additionally, junior infielder Vinny Salvione has not seen action since game two of the Chippewas series, although it is unknown why he is absent from the lineup.
Seidel and junior first baseman Brady Birchmeier, who last played on March 7, are both listed as week-to-week by head coach Kyle Hallock. Additionally, senior right-handed pitcher Jacob Turner, the team’s ace, has not pitched since March 13 and has been wearing a full-arm brace on his right arm.
For the Falcons to have a realistic chance at the MAC Tournament, they are going to have to be nearly perfect throughout the rest of conference play. However, Bowling Green still has one of the toughest remaining schedules in the conference.
The Orange and Brown pick back up in conference play against Massachusetts, needing a sweep against the Minutemen just to have hope going into the rest of the schedule.
Then the gauntlet begins for the Falcons, with three of their last four conference opponents sitting at 12-6 in conference play and currently in the tournament if the regular season ended today.
The first series of the gauntlet takes place at Steller Field for the Battle of I-75 against Toledo. The Rockets took three games against the Falcons last year, including a victory in the first round of the MAC Tournament.
With the Battle of I-75 being a rivalry series, anything is possible, but the Orange and Brown would be looking for a series victory, if not a sweep, against Toledo.
The following series takes the Falcons to Ypsilanti, Michigan, to face off against the Eagles.
While Eastern Michigan currently sits second to last in the conference standings, the team went on a five-game conference winning streak earlier in the season. This stretch included a sweep over Central Michigan, who just stole a series from Bowling Green.
The Falcons close out conference play with back-to-back series against Western Michigan and Ball State, with the series against the Broncos at Steller Field and the series against the Cardinals at Shebek Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.
Similar to Toledo, both teams sit at 12-6 in the conference and would be in the tournament if the standings stayed as is.
The path for Bowling Green to make a push to the MAC Tournament is gruesome, but not impossible. They will need multiple series wins against teams that are currently in the tournament, along with sweeps against teams below them in the standings.
