Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Middle Tennessee
Falcons Outlast MTSU in Slugfest, 14-12
February 24, 2007 | Baseball
Feb. 24, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University baseball team racked up 14 runs on 16 hits and the win Saturday afternoon at Middle Tennessee State. Senior Kurt Wells compiled four RBI with a homerun and three doubles in the contest. Senior Josh Dietz and Sophomore Ryan Shay joined Wells in the homerun column with homers of their own.
Wells wasted little time letting his presence known when he airmailed the third pitch of the game into the Blue Raiders football stadium which is located directly behind the left field wall for a lead-off homerun. Middle Tennessee's Rawley Bishop responded in the home-half of the inning with a solo shot of his own.
Wells got things cooking in the third inning as well, cracking a double into center field. An infield single by Sophomore Marty Baird put runners at the corners for Senior Jeff Telmanik. The Maumee, Ohio native hit a line drive to left that was narrowly caught by the Blue Raider outfield, however, Telmanik picked up his first RBI of the season as Wells sprinted home for the sacrifice fly. Next to enter the batter's box was Senior Josh Dietz and he did not disappoint by blasting a shot off the scoreboard in right-center field for a two-run shot that gave the Falcons a 4-1 edge heading to the bottom of the third. Just as they did in the first, MTSU responded with a run in the home-half of the inning to trim the Falcon lead to two runs.
Sophomore Chris Gacom belted a one-hopper off the left field wall for a double in the fourth. Senior Mike Barnard followed it with an RBI-single. A potential ending-inning double play was spoiled when the hit-and-run was called and Barnard reached second before the infielder's could force him out. Middle Tennessee then went to the bullpen to try and stop the bleeding, but Wells delivered the Falcons one of his three doubles to increase the Falcon lead to 6-2.
Shay was responsible for producing the Falcons next four runs. The Divine Child High School product hit his first collegiate homerun in the fifth in addition to a two-out double in the sixth that plated two more runs. Sophomore Andrew Foster followed suit in the next at bat, pushing two more runs across the dish with single to center field.
With a 12-2 lead things were going pretty smooth for the Falcons, that is, before MTSU compiled seven combined runs in the next three innings to narrow the gap at 12-9 heading into the final inning.
After a nearly perfect bunt single by Barnard set up runners at first and second, Wells cemented his name for the player of the game award when he delivered a pair of insurance runs with yet another double to center field, good for two more RBI.
Those two runs proved to be crucial in the bottom for ninth. Middle Tennessee loaded the bases with just one out before Barnard noticed Ben Darlington was too far off the bag at first and gunned him out for the pick-off. The drama did not end there as MTSU's Grant Box counterpunched with a three-run homerun for a 14-12 score. It was Box's first career hit. BGSU Head Coach Danny Schmitz then made the call to go to the man of the hour, Kurt Wells, for the save. Wells replaced Sophomore Brian Hangbers on the mound while Hangbers went from the mound to left field, where Sophomore Kevin Leady continued the clockwise rotation with a move from left into center field. Wells got the next batter to pop up to the short stop for the win.
Junior Nick Cantrell (1-0) was awarded the win while Wells recorded the save.
Sunday's rubber match is scheduled for 1 PM Central Time Zone. LiveStats can be found by going to the website below:
http://www.goblueraiders.com/livestats/baseball/xlive.htm
