Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Sweep Doubleheader from Flashes, 7-2 and 10-6
May 11, 2002 | Baseball
May 11, 2002
Kent, Ohio - Bowling Green swept a doubleheader from Kent State on Saturday afternoon, 7-2 and 10-6, to pull within one-half game of the Flashes for first place in the Mid-American Conference East Division. BGSU improved to 14-6 in league play while KSU dropped to 15-6.
For both games, late-inning rallies proved the difference for Bowling Green.
In game one, BGSU erupted for four runs off of five hits in the top of the seventh inning to open up a 3-2 lead. Kevin Longstreth hit a one-out double and scored when David Barkholz singled to center field to push the visitor's lead to 4-2. Barkholz then stole second base and one out later Kelly Hunt walked to put runners on first and second base with two outs. Andy Hudak, Corey Loomis and Nick Elrod followed with three-consecutive RBI-singles to give BGSU a 7-2 advantage.
Starter Kyle Knoblauch (5-1) faced the minimum in the bottom of the seventh inning. The right-hander started an inning-ending double play to give the Falcons the five-run victory and earn him his fifth win of the season.
Tim Newell got the Falcons on the board first with a two-run blast to left field in the first inning. Barkholz was aboard after leading off with a bunt single. It was Newell's seventh homer of the year. BGSU added a run in the top of the third inning off of an RBI-double by Hudak, scoring Hunt from second base.
KSU scored a run in the fourth and fifth innings to get to within one run before Bowling Green's four-run seventh inning.
Six different Falcons had two hits in the game while Hudak and Newell each knocked in two runs.
In game two of the doubleheader, the Brown and Orange scored six runs with two outs in the top of the seventh inning and added two more in the eighth inning to earn a come-from-behind, 10-6 victory.
The Falcons entered the seventh inning down to KSU, 6-2, then two of the first three BGSU batters were retired to begin the seventh frame. But, Corey Loomis hit a single to right field, moving David Barkholz (walk) to third base. First baseman Kelly Hunt then came to the plate and roped a line-drive home run over the right-field wall, plating three runs and moving the Falcons to within one run, 6-5. With his 16th homer of the season, Hunt drove home his 62nd, 63rd and 64th runs this year, setting a new Falcon single-season record for RBIs. He passed Lee Morrison's record of 63 set last season.
After Nick Elrod followed with a walk and Len Elias singled, Andy Hudak hit a two-run double down the right-field line. Then designated hitter Nate Henschen ended the scoring with an RBI-single to right field to give BGSU its six runs in the inning and a 8-6 lead.
A two-run double by Elrod in the eighth inning completed BGSU's scoring on the day.
Kent State grabbed its first lead of the series early in the game when Brady Glass scored an unearned run off of starter Tyler Saneholtz in the second inning for a 1-0 lead.
BGSU knotted the score at 1-1 in the fourth frame off of an RBI-single by Len Elias, scoring Hunt from second base. The game went back and forth from there until Bowling Green's big seventh inning.
Hunt and Hudak each finished with three hits each while Hunt scored a game-high three runs. Freshman Tom Oestrike (3-1) pitched three innings in relief to pick up his third win of the year. Oestrike allowed two runs on four hits while striking out two and walking two. Neil Schmitz pitched a scoreless ninth inning in a non-save situation.
BGSU ends its four-game series on Sunday, May 12, with a single game at 1 p.m.
SERIES NOTES: The Falcons out-hit Kent State 28-23 in the two games. Of KSU's 23 hits, though, only one went for extra-bases (home run by Glass). Twelve of BGSU's 17 runs in the two games came during the final three innings of the games. Hunt's 16 home runs ties Lee Morrison's regular-season record set in 2001 and put him within two of the single-season record set by Morrison (18). BGSU is not only one-half game behind Kent State for the East Division lead, the Falcons are also one-half game behind the Flashes to earn the right to host the 2002 MAC Tournament (May 22-25). The team with the best winning percentage in BOTH THE EAST AND WEST DIVISIONS hosts this year's tournament.
