Bowling Green State University
Penn State
Four-Run Bottom of the Ninth Lifts Falcons Past Penn State
March 04, 2006 | Baseball
March 4, 2006
BRADENTON, Florida - Bowling Green improved to 5-0 with a thrilling ninth-inning comeback over Penn State, 5-4. Saturday's contest was the first of eight games the Falcons will play over spring break in Bradenton, Florida.
The Falcons ace, Junior Alan Brech stumbled early by giving up a run in each of the first two innings before settling down and finishing with five innings pitched with six hits and just the two early runs allowed.
Junior Josh Dietz cut the lead in half with an RBI-single through the left side in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Junior Eric Lawson. Penn State starter, Alan Stidfole retired the next batter and ended the rally at 2-1.
The Nittany Lions put another run on the scoreboard in the top of the eighth to take a 3-1 advantage. Bowling Green's first two batters reached base to start the bottom of the inning before Stidfole was pulled in favor of Gary Amato. Unfortunately, the Falcons could not capitalize as the Penn State reliever forced three short flyouts.
After a Penn State insurance run in the ninth, the Falcon lineup awoke in the home-half of the inning, recording four of their nine hits and tagging the Lions bullpen for four runs. With runners at first and second, Freshman Brandon McFarland ignited the Falcon charge with a pinch-hit single, shaving the deficit to a pair of runs. A groundball by Senior Bobby Majer then gave BGSU two outs, but runners at the corners.
A pair of Falcon seniors knotted the score at 4-4 as Dash Yost and Jay Threet both recorded a two-out, RBI-single. With the winning run in scoring position, co-captain Eric Lawson came through in the clutch, sending the pitch to left field where it landed harmlessly to give the Brown and Orange the 5-4 victory.
Freshman Kevin Leady contributed 2.2 innings, allowing a lone run. Sophomore Nick Cantrell (2-0) pitched the ninth and earned the win. Five different Falcons found themselves in the RBI column.
The last time Bowling Green started a season 5-0 was in 2001, a year in which the Falcons tallied 36 wins, the most in the school history.
Most Consecutive Wins to Start a Season
1983 - Eight wins
1966, '84 - Seven wins
1946-47, '49, '97 - Six wins
2001, '06 - Five wins
Bowling Green looks to keep it going with a 2:30 p.m. contest against Duquesne scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday, March 5th.
