Bowling Green State University
AKRON
Falcons Clinch MAC East Division Despite Doubleheader Sweep by Akron, 14-13 and 8-5
May 12, 2001 | Baseball
May 12, 2001
Akron, Ohio - The bad news for the Bowling Green State University baseball team on Saturday was getting swept in a doubleheader by the University of Akron, 14-13 in game one and 8-5 in game two. The good news is that a loss by Kent State University on Saturday solidified the East Division title in the Mid-American Conference for Danny Schmitz's Falcons and the No. 2 seed in next week's MAC Tournament.
In game two at Lee Jackson Field on Saturday, the Zips scored five runs in the first inning off of six hits, handing the visitors a quick 5-0 deficit.
The Falcons (36-15 overall, 18-8 in MAC) got two of those runs back in the top of the second when third baseman Scott Dukate sent his 14th homer of the season over the right-field fence, scoring Lee Morrison and trimming Akron's lead to 5-2.
Both teams were retired in order in the third inning before the Falcons cut deeper into Akron's lead in the fourth. Sophomore Kelly Hunt scored from first base on a double by Morrison and the Zips led by only two, 5-3.
Akron (15-34, 8-18) stranded two runners in the bottom of the fourth and one in the fifth, but not before the home team plated another run in the fifth to extend their lead to 6-3 over BGSU.
In the sixth, Morrison cranked his fourth two-run homer of the series, and BGSU record-tying 15th of the season, to pull the Falcons to within one, 6-5.
The Zips threatened in the bottom of the inning with a double and single and no outs. But, BGSU reliever Brad Henry held Akron in check by striking out Ty Moorhead looking and getting Jim Gemler to ground into a inning-ending double play.
Akron, however, added a run in the seventh and the eighth innings and held on for a 8-5 victory over Bowling Green.
BGSU remains one win away from recording a record-breaking 37th victory of the season and giving coach Danny Schmitz his 300th collegiate coaching victory. The Falcons end the regular season on Sunday with one game at Akron, beginning at 1 p.m.
