Coming off its first series win of the season, an eight-game spring break did not continue the success for the Bowling Green baseball team.

Opening with a 3-game series against Campbell [17-2], the Falcons were swept, scoring eight runs over the three games.

BG hit .240 with 33 strikeouts at the dish while sporting a 5.25 ERA on the mound.

“We did not put all three phases together in a game,” head coach Danny Schmitz said. “Good teams like Campbell are going to take advantage of mistakes and beat you, and that’s exactly what happened today.”

The Falcons had a chance to turn the break around during the RussMatt Invitational with a game each against five different schools.

“We are looking forward to getting back out on the field down in Florida,” Schmitz said. “As a team we have a lot to work on this week before we come home to begin Mid-American Conference play the following week.”

Starting against Bucknell, BG appeared to be on its way to doing just that.

The Falcons opened with a 3-run inning in the top of the first. They scored another six runs including another 3-run inning in the fifth, to snap the losing streak.

Later that day, the Falcons kept the offense rolling against Butler.

Again, BG opened the game with a big first inning, five runs, albeit four unearned.

The Falcons slipped a bit in the second inning as Butler nearly matched the first inning effort with four runs of their own, setting the stage for a shoot out.

The game was just that. But Bowling Green got the best of the Bulldogs, winning 16-14, for its second straight win.

“We came out and swung the bats well today to pick up two wins,” Schmitz said. “Our pitchers battled all day, including several pitchers who haven’t gotten a lot of time on the mound yet this year. It was a great start to our week in Florida and a good way to bounce back after this past weekend.”

The invitational ended the same way the break started for the Falcons though.

BG trailed 7-1 late in the game against Illinois State, before registering a 6-run seventh inning to lock the game at 7-all. Illinois State eventually answered with a run in the bottom of the ninth to steal the game back and issue the Falcons another loss.

“I was proud of how our team battled back to tie the game in the seventh inning,” Schmitz said. “To fall behind like we did and not give up speaks to the character of this team.”

The Falcons ended the invitational with two additional losses to Maine and Cornell. BG is 5-9 overall with MAC play now set to begin after the break.

BG finished with 50 runs over the eight games, but conceded 56 runs to the opposition.

Still, despite the sub-.500 start to the season, the Falcons have improved on the 6-12 they had last season headed into MAC play.