BGSU baseball defeated Western Michigan 7-5 on Sunday, the final game at home in 2026. It also served as the first Sunday win and first rubber match win for the Falcons this season.
Freshman Jackson Miller earned his first collegiate win on the mound. He threw a season-high five full innings for the Falcons, shutting out the Broncos on only one hit, two walks and one hit-by-pitch. He also tallied nine strikeouts against the Western Michigan offense.
“Played everything well off my fastball. I think the changeup was pretty good when I needed it,” Miller said. “Struggled at first, but found it in the later innings, I think.”
Redshirt junior starting pitcher Sam Carlisle received the game’s loss. He only pitched two innings for WMU, giving up four runs, both earned, on four hits and one hit-by-pitch.
At the top and bottom of the first inning, both offenses went down in order. In the second, Bowling Green created a four-run lead.
“That big inning early in the game is big for us. When we get that, then it’s really good,” said junior first baseman Vinny Salvione. “I mean, once we get that big lead, we were confident.”
Four singles and a hit-by-pitch scored the four runs, two alone scored by Salvione. The game was his second in which he batted in multiple runs.
The Falcons would add two more runs with one in the third and fourth innings. Junior left fielder TJ Takats hit a solo home run in the third inning and senior second baseman Sam Seidel singled to score Salvione in the fourth.
Western Michigan would score all five runs in the top of the sixth inning. Senior first baseman Avery Thielman drove in two runs on a bases-loaded single and redshirt senior designated hitter Lucas Rick hit a three-run home run.
The first four Western Michigan runs were credited to sophomore pitcher CJ Boudreaux. He could only draw one out before being relieved by redshirt senior Ty Roder.
“Even when we give up the five… in the sixth, we still know we’re a really good defensive team,” Salvione said. “And, we have a ton of trust in Roder when he’s out there.”
Roder finished the game on the mound. Through his 3.2 innings pitched, he was only credited with Rick’s run that scored from his homer.
Bowling Green put up the game’s last run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Redshirt senior Anthony Mitta hit a sacrifice flyout to score Salvione.
Salvione notched three hits in the game, scoring two runs and batting two runs in. It was his first three-hit MAC game in his BGSU career.
“He kept his approach in the middle of the field and got some timely, timely barrels,” said head coach Kyle Hallock. “And then, obviously stealing, right off the brief injury.”
BG stole seven bases in total with Seidel and Takats each swiping two. The Broncos did not steal one base and were picked off first base twice by Miller.
The Falcons will head up north to Fifth Third Field to face the Toledo Rockets in their fourth meeting of the season, this time in non-conference. The first pitch of the game is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 12.
