BG baseball is enjoying its first significant winning streak of the season after sweeping Toledo for three games during the weekend on the road.
Four wins in a row put the team at just 11-19 overall, but in the Mid-American Conference, the team is back even with a 6-6 record.
BG starter Cody Apthorpe (3-2) has found his rhythm as the team’s ace, pitching his third consecutive scoreless start on Friday. His scoreless innings streak now extends 22 1/3 inning frames in victories against Toledo, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.
Apthorpe went eight strong innings to improve his record to 3-2 on the season, giving up just six hits, all singles. He walked four and struck out as many before turning it over to Nick Bruns to shutout the game.
The BG offense gave Bruns an easier assignment than expected headed into the bottom of the ninth. The Falcons clung to just a one-run lead for much of the game before breaking out in the ninth.
Nick Glanzman hit a two-run double, followed by another two-bagger by Jeremy Shay to score another pair of runs.
With a 5-0 lead, Bruns completed the shutout in one-two-three fashion.
Saturday’s game was less of a pitcher’s duel, thanks to the biggest offensive outburst from BG this year as the Falcons clinched the series with a 14-1 win.
Mike Frank turned in one of his stronger outings of the season, going eight innings of one-run ball in moving his record to 2-5.
Toledo starter Cameron Palmer struggled working through the Falcons’ offense, his efforts made worse by paltry defense behind him.
In the fifth inning, BG plated six runs, largely due to a trio of errors from the Rockets.
In total, the Falcons amassed 14 runs on 18 hits. In the highest scoring game of the season for BG thus far, the Falcons also walked six times while recording just three strikeouts.
Only three of the 18 hits were for extra bases. Logan Walker slammed a pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning as one of five Falcons to record a pair of runs batted in.
BG completed the sweep on Sunday, with late-inning runs contributing to a 6-3 victory.
The game was scoreless until the fourth inning, when the two teams traded two-run innings. From there, Toledo took a brief 3-2 lead on an RBI-single off of reliever Ethan McKenney.
Like the first two games of the series, the BG offense came through in the late innings, with the Falcons scoring four unanswered runs after the sixth.
Walker went 3-5 on Sunday as the team’s DH, including a double.
In the three games, BG recorded just a lone error, one of the cleanest series of the season.
Following a game at Notre Dame on Wednesday, the Falcons will play a three-game MAC series at home against the University of Akron. The Zips are just 6-17 on the road this season and 5-7 in the MAC.
