Bowling Green State University
CINCINNATI
Baseball Continues Hot-Streak With, 9-3, Win At Cincinnati
March 12, 2008 | Baseball
March 12, 2008
CINCINNATI, Ohio - An eight-run second inning, which included a grand slam from junior left fielder Marty Baird, helped the Bowling Green State University baseball team to its' fourth-straight victory on Wednesday evening as they defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 9-3. The Wednesday night non-conference tilt was held at UC's Marge Schott Stadium.
With their fourth-win in as many games, the Falcons improved to 5-6 on the season, while dropping the Bearcats to 4-6.
Trailing 1-0 after the bottom half of the first, BG exploded for eight runs on five hits in the top of the second and never looked back. They withstood a two-run eighth and plated another runner in the top of the ninth as they out-hit the Bearcats 9-6 on the evening.
Starting his second game on the hill for BG was sophomore right-hander Frank Berry. The Virginia Beach, Va. native went six full innings, allowing a single run on two hits as he improved to 2-0 on the year, fanning five Bearcat batters. He faced just five batters over the minimum 18 in his innings of work.
Berry was also a big contributer on the night at the dish as he pounded out three hits. That included one in the second where the Falcons roughed-up Bearcat starter Brian Garman (1-1), who earned the loss on the night going just 1.2 innings, allowing eight runs on six hits.
Leading off the inning was Baird who drew a five-pitch walk, before advancing to second after first baseman Brian Hangbers was hit by a pitch. Chris Gacom followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1 that scored Baird, just in front of freshman catcher Ryan Schlater, who drew an RBI of his own with groundout that scored Hangbers to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead.
Two batters later, with two outs, third baseman Ryan Shay singled to short to plate Gacom as Andrew Foster followed with single of his own to right. Derek Spencer then walked to load the bases for Berry, who answered the call with an RBI-single to third to grow the lead to 4-1.
That would be where Baird broke the game wide open with his first career grand slam on a homer to left that cleared the bases and gave BG an 8-1 lead.
The lead would be more than enough for Berry who continued to give UC fits on the mound. He would earn four of his five strikeouts in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings as UC collected just two hits in that span.
Berry would be replaced by freshman Charles Wooten in the seventh who gave way to Kevin Leady in the ninth who finished the game off.
UC tried to make a comeback in the bottom half of the eighth, but after Wooten allowed an RBI single to Bearcat first baseman Kevin Johnson and an RBI-double to third baseman Mike Spina, the rookie shut the door. He would finish the night going two innings as he gave up two runs on three hits and struck out three.
Berry added another Falcon run in the top of the ninth on an RBI-single up the middle that scored Shay to bring the game's scoring to a close.
Berry ended his night 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI, as he and Shay were the lone Falcons with multiple-hits. Shay would go 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Baird, the hero of the second, ended his night 1-for-4 with two runs scored and career-best four RBI.
Leading the way for UC on the evening were Spina and center fielder Tony Campana who each had two hits, while Johnson had a team-best two RBI.
The red-hot Falcons will return to the diamond this Saturday when they head to Murray, Ky. for a three-game set at Murray State. Game one of a doubleheader on Saturday between the Falcons and Racers will start at 12 p.m., followed by game two at 3:30 p.m.
