BG starter Mike Frank went seven innings giving up a lone earned run, but took the loss in a disappointing 2-1 defeat to the Murray State Thoroughbreds on Saturday afternoon in Kentucky.
All the damage came in the first inning, when Thoroughbreds leadoff hitter Ty Stetson doubled to start the inning. As has been the case in 2013 so far, miscues cost the Falcons greatly, as a throwing error from Trey Keegan on a sacrifice bunt scored Stetson and sent the batter to second base.
Frank, unsettling, threw a wild pitch to move the runner to third, later scoring on a groundout.
Two runs off one hit, and the Thoroughbreds kept the lead the remainder of the game.
The Falcons pulled to within one in the fifth inning, as second baseman Logan Walker doubled and scored on a Jake Thomas RBI-single.
An inning later, BG had its best offensive chance of the game, with runners on second and third with no outs.
It looked like the Falcons could finally capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes, as a fielding error and passed ball had sent the runners into scoring position with the heart of the lineup coming up.
But Andrew Kubuski grounded out back to the pitcher, and the team’s best hitter this season thus far, T.J. Losby, lined into a double play to end the inning.
From there, as Frank didn’t allow a Thoroughbreds hitter to reach second base after the first inning, the Falcons couldn’t make up the difference in scoring.
Unable to generate much of a rally, the Falcons tried to rely on speed instead. Matt Pitzulo, who in three full seasons has only recorded two successful stolen base attempts, was pinch ran for at first base by freshman Matt Smith.
Instead, Smith ran his way back to the dugout after being promptly picked off to clear the bases.
Thoroughbreds starter Cameron Finch recorded the win, throwing 6 2/3 innings of one run baseball. Despite giving up seven hits to Frank’s two, Finch kept BG’s rallies to a minimum with great control pitching. Finch didn’t walk a batter the whole game, and threw 61 of his 87 total pitches for strikes.
To the Falcons’ credit, though no BG batter walked the entire game, only three batters struck out in the contest to Murray State’s seven K’s. But the first inning mistakes cost the Falcons, their two errors in the game putting the season total to 13 in five games, as the Thoroughbreds clinched the series.
With the loss, the Falcons move to 2-3 in non-conference play. The two teams will face off again tomorrow for the series finale in Kentucky at 2:00 p.m.
