BGSU baseball (17-28, 10-16 MAC) snapped its four-game skid in dramatic fashion Saturday, taking down Eastern Michigan (14-30, 8-18 MAC) 2-1 in game two of the series.
It was a pitcher’s duel for most of the afternoon, but when it mattered most, the Falcons delivered.
Junior pitcher Andrew Heffernan set the tone early and never let up. The right-hander went eight strong innings, allowing just three hits and one unearned run while striking out four. He kept Eastern Michigan off balance all day and kept Bowling Green comfortable with the lone run.
On the other side, Eastern Michigan’s sophomore pitcher Cal Rutherford turned in 4.1 solid innings, giving up two hits and one run while walking three and striking out four.
The Falcons gave Heffernan an early lead in the first inning. Senior infielder Anthony Mitta worked a walk, and an RBI double from freshman catcher Andrew DiLodovico brought him home to make it 1-0.
Then, things went quiet.
Bowling Green managed just five hits on the day, one each from senior infielder Sam Seidel, junior catcher Lance Vickers, DiLodovico, junior outfielder TJ Takats, and sophomore outfielder Carter Mottice. The offense struggled to build momentum.
Still, Heffernan held firm. He retired seven straight batters after a walk in the first and later sat down nine in a row from the third to the sixth inning. The only trouble came late, as the only hits he allowed came in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. With an unearned run scoring from a throwing error in the seventh.
Both teams had opportunities but struggled to capitalize, with Bowling Green leaving five runners on base and Eastern Michigan stranding six. The Falcons also ran into trouble on the basepaths — as they were caught stealing four times, including the final out of the ninth inning that stopped their rally.
Eastern Michigan went to senior pitcher Landon Mueller out of the bullpen for the ninth, but Bowling Green wasted no time applying pressure. DiLodovico was hit by a pitch, Takats followed with a single and a throwing error moved both runners into scoring position.
A squeeze attempt didn’t work, but the Falcons weren’t done.
With two outs, Mottice put the ball in play, beating out an infield single to bring home Takats and give Bowling Green the lead.
Then it was senior pitcher Ty Roder’s turn.
Roder came on in the bottom of the ninth and slammed the door, striking out the side to secure the win and even the series.
Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan will meet one final time on Sunday in the rubber match, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
