The BG baseball team hoped to fare better than it did this past weekend, but was swept in a three game series against Kent State.
The Falcons lost 10-4 and 3-1 in the Saturday doubleheader and lost 10-7 in the series finale Sunday.
The Golden Flashes took the early lead in the first game, scoring one run in the bottom of first inning and five runs in the bottom of the third.
BG starting pitcher Cody Apthorpe pitched for 2.1 innings against the Flashes but gave up six runs, five of which were earned. Apthorpe also gave up seven hits in his third recorded loss of the season.
Relief pitcher Ethan McKenney held Kent State to a scoreless fourth inning but gave up three runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Second baseman Brandon Howard led a push to put BG back in the game in the top of the sixth inning. Howard hit a double with two outs in the inning, which scored three of the four BG runs in the game.
BG committed four errors during the loss in game one of the Saturday doubleheader.
The Golden Flashes defeated the Falcons 10-4 in game one of the doubleheader.
Game two was not as offensively charged as the previous game, but the Falcons could not get a lead during the game.
The starting pitchers, Mike Frank for BG and Tyler Skulina for Kent State, both stayed in the game for a while. Frank lasted six innings and gave up two runs; Skulina lasted 7.2 innings and gave up one run to the Falcons. The two pitchers totaled 17 strikeouts-Frank recorded eight and Skulina struck out nine BG hitters.
The Flashes scored one run in the first, fifth and seventh innings but the Falcons were only able to score one run in the top of the eighth inning.
BG dropped game two of the doubleheader 3-1.
The series finale was an offensive heavy game that Kent State primarily contributed to the 17 run game, in which BG finished on the losing end, 10-7.
BG’s starting pitcher Trevor Blaylock started off the game giving up two runs to Kent State in the first inning and two more in the second inning. He was taken out of the game with one out in the bottom of second inning after giving up four runs and three walked batters.
Despite not having the lead, BG kept the game close for three innings with a score of 4-3, but Kent State had different plans. The Golden Flashes scored two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings and then scored two runs in the seventh and eighth innings combined.
BG had one more chance to either tie the score or take the lead, but despite three late runs in the top of the ninth, the Falcons were not able to match the Flashes’ 10 runs and lost 10-7.
Kent State starting pitcher Casey Wilson earned his fifth win of the season and BG’s starting pitcher Blaylock earned his eighth straight loss. His season record is now 0-8.
BG’s record drops to 14-23 (8-10) and Kent State boosts its record to 23-20 (12-6).
BG will host Miami University for a three-game series this weekend.
