Bowling Green State University Athletics
Baseball Concludes Sixth Winning Season In Last Seven Years
May 16, 2000 | Baseball
May 16, 2000
The Bowling Green State University baseball team split its Mid-American Conference doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday against visiting Akron to finish its league schedule with a 14-12 record. Miami won three of four at home against second place Ohio University to finish one game ahead of BG at 16-12.
The top three teams in each division qualify for the MAC tournament. Northern Illinois, who finished in third place in the west division, qualified with an 11-15 conference record.
THE COACH ...
Falcon mentor Danny Schmitz is the 10th skipper in the 81-year history of the sport at BG (fifth since 1928). He is in second place on the school's all-time baseball win list trailing only Don Purvis (1972-82, 305 victories).
Schmitz has led the Falcons to back-to-back NCAA appearances. Bowling Green's trip to the NCAA's in 1998 was its first since 1972. BG has had six winning seasons in the last seven years.
Prior to being named to his current position in August, 1990, he served three seasons (1988-90) as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan following three years as the manager of Visalia (1985-87) in the Class A California League. Schmitz also spent eight years playing in the minor leagues including the last seven in AAA.
LOOKING BACK AT LAST WEEK ...
May 9 -- BGSU 9, Michigan 5
Bowling Green snapped its seven-game losing streak rallying from a 4-2 deficit to post a 9-5 triumph at Michigan.
Sophomore pitcher Brad Henry pitched the final 6.2 innings allowing one run on six hits to record his first collegiate victory.
The Falcons received home runs from Matt Marcum, Aric Christman and Lee Morrison.
May 10 -- BGSU 11, Dayton 4
Bowling Green won its second straight game beating the Dayton Flyers 11-4 at home on Wednesday.
The Falcons scored three times in the first inning. The Orange and Brown added three more runs in the second inning.
In the fourth inning Bowling Green scored four more runs all on homers by Lee Morrison and Scott Dukate. Aric Christman was hit by a pitch, Matt Best reached on an error and with one out Morrison drilled a 1-1 offering over the right centerfield fence. On the next pitch, Dukate smacked a solo homer to center opening up the Falcons' lead to 10-2.
Junior Tony Fontana was credited with the win improving his record to 7-3 on BG "staff" day as nine different pitchers each hurled an inning.
May 13 -- BGSU 7, Akron 0 (Game 1)
Bowling Green recorded a season-high five home runs in blanking the Akron Zips, 7-0, in Saturday's first game at BG's Steller Field.
Falcon starting pitcher Tony Fontana went the distance for his eighth win of the campaign. Fontana struck out 10 and allowed just six hits. The shutout was Fontana's second of the season, while the complete game was his eighth of the year.
Four times Akron baserunners reached second base, but would advance no further. The Zips had a leadoff double in the fourth but Fontana struck out the next two batters and retired the final batter on a groundout. In the seventh, Akron had two on with one out, but Fontana recorded a strikeout and a fly out to end the game.
BG scored in the first inning when Len Elias drew a one-out walk on a 3-2 pitch. Alan Gilhousen then hammered a 1-1 offering from Zip starter John Wilkinson over the left field fence.
The Falcons would score twice more in the third on Sean Ryan's 2-run blast to right center following an Alan Gilhousen single.
Alan Gilhousen hit his second home run of the game, and third of the season, leading off the fifth inning on a 3-2 pitch. BG's final two runs also came courtesy of the long ball. Matt Best homered leading off the sixth inning and following a fly out, Len Elias took Zip relief pitcher David Wipkowski's first offering over the center field fence.
May 13 -- Akron 14, BGSU 11 (Game 2)
Bowling Green lost the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, 14-11, to visiting Akron.
The Zips scored five times in the sixth to tie the game at 11, and added the three decisive runs in the seventh.
May 14 -- Akron 7, BGSU 5 (Game 1)
Bowling Green suffered a 7-5 setback to visiting Akron in Sunday's first game at BG's Steller Field.
With the score tied at four heading into the seventh inning, the Zips scored three runs with two outs for the victory. Falcon starter Joe Cheney began the seventh inning by retiring the first two batters, but Terry Mahl doubled and scored on a single by Brian Roberts. Mark Malaska greeted BG relief pitcher Ryan Streb with a two-run home run.
The loss in the opposing team's final at bat was the seventh against the Falcons in their 12 MAC losses.
May 14 -- BGSU 14, Akron 6 (Game 2)
Bowling Green led from start to finish in Sunday's second game recording a 14-6 triumph over visiting Akron. It was the 15th time this season that BG won a contest in which it never trailed.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, Miami swept a home doubleheader from Ohio University (7-2, 10-7) to finish in third place in the Mid-American Conference East Division, one game ahead of BG. The top three teams in each division qualify for the MAC tournament.
The Falcons scored four times in the opening inning. Kenny Burdine had a one-out triple. Following a fielder's choice, Lee Morrison drilled a two-run home run to left field. Sean Ryan singled, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Scott Dukate's double.
BG added two more runs in the third on three straight singles by Sean Ryan, Matt Best and Scott Dukate. After a strikeout, Nike Elrod singled in Best.
Bowling Green increased its lead to eight, at 9-1, with three runs in the fourth inning. Kenny Burdine walked, Alan Gilhousen reached on an error, and Lee Morrison singled in Burdine. After a double play, Matt Best stroked a two-run shot over the right field fence.
After the Zips had scored five times in the fifth to make it 9-6, BG responded with two runs in its half of the inning. Aric Christman, Alan Gilhousen, Lee Morrison and Sean Ryan all singled with Gilhousen and Ryan each collecting an RBI.
BG scored its final three runs in the sixth inning. Scott Dukate completed his four-for-four contest with a single and Brad Simon followed with a single. After a couple of outs, Kenny Burdine doubled in Dukate and Alan Gilhousen had a two-run single to right field giving him four RBI in the contest.
Craig Menke won his fifth decision of the year for BG. He allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits in five innings. Freshman Brett Baumgartner hurled the final two innings and retired six of the eight batters he faced.
FALCON NOTES ...
Former Bowling Green letterwinner Andy Tracy slugged his first major league home run on Sunday, May 14, in the Montreal Expos 16-15 win over the Chicago Cubs. It was a three-run shot in the fourth inning off Ismael Valdes. Tracy has made consecutive starts at third base for the Expos and has driven in five runs this year.
Bowling Green set single-season school records in 2000 for doubles (121) and home runs (46) offensively, and opponent batters hit by a pitch (56).
