Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Drop Two of Three at Western Kentucky
March 17, 2002 | Baseball
March 17, 2002
Bowling Green, Ky. - Bowling Green lost two of three games over the weekend at Western Kentucky University, capturing the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, 3-1, but dropping game two, 6-2, and game three on Sunday, 8-7.
In the seven-inning affair on Saturday, Bowling Green jumped out to an early lead with a run in the first and two more in the second. Lead-off hitter David Barkholz began the game with a single to center field then stole second base with one out. Len Elias then singled up the middle to score Barkholz for a 1-0 Falcon lead.
In the second, Nick Elrod began the inning with a double to left field and was brought home by Corey Loomis' third homer of the season for a 3-0 lead.
Sophomore Kyle Knoblauch was keeping the Hilltoppers in check on the mound by not allowing a hit in the first three and two-third innings. Designated hitter Jeff Pacholke collected a two-out single in the fourth inning for WKU's first hit of the game. WKU scored its only run the following inning.
Knoblauch (1-1) finished the game with six strikeouts and three walks in seven innings pitched, allowing four hits and one run.
In the nine-inning nightcap, it was Western Kentucky that gained the early lead with a run in the first, third, fourth and fifth for a 4-0 advantage over BGSU. The first Falcon run came in the top of the sixth inning when Kelly Hunt hit a sacrifice to the third-base side, scoring Andy Hudak.
WKU added another run in the bottom of the frame for a 5-1 lead before BG plated its last run in the eighth off of a balk by a Hilltopper pitcher, scoring Kirk Jensen.
Doug Flere (0-3) took the loss, allowing four runs off of five hits in five innings of work with no strikeouts and four walks. Freshman Burke Badenhop threw the final three innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and three strikeouts.
In the final game of the series on Sunday, BGSU struck early and often, plating six runs in the first inning off of just three hits and three walks.
The game began with free passes to Barkholz and then Newell before Elias' single to left field loaded the bases. A wild pitch from Andy Baldwin scored Barkholz and a walk to Hunt loaded the bases again. Elrod took advantage with a single to right field, scoring Elias and Newell for a 3-0 Falcon lead.
Loomis then smacked his fourth homer of the season, and second in two days, to push the lead to 6-0 for BGSU. His three-run homer was the end of the scoring spurt for the Brown and Orange in the first inning.
Newell officially marked the end of the scoring for BGSU in the second when he scored off of a fielder's choice to give the visitors a convincing 7-0 lead.
However, WKU scored three runs in the fourth inning off of starter Tyler Saneholtz to bring them within four. Then, in the bottom of the eighth, the Hilltoppers used three walks, three hits and four wild pitches to score five runs for an 8-7 lead.
Bowling Green (6-9 overall) failed to score a run in the ninth. Freshman Tom Oestrike (1-1) suffered the loss by allowing four runs in a third of an inning.
The victory in game one of the series gave Bowling Green its longest winning streak of the season at four games. The Falcons end their Spring Break trip having won five of eight games. BGSU returns to action on Tuesday afternoon with one nine-inning game at the University of Michigan (3 p.m.).
