Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
OAKLAND
Falcons Sweep Mid-Week Home Schedule With, 14-6, Win Over Oakland
April 23, 2008 | Baseball
April 23, 2008
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - A seven-run sixth inning helped the Bowling Green State University baseball team break open a 3-2 game, en route to a 14-6 victory over the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies in mid-week non-conference play on Wednesday at Warren E. Steller Field. With the victory, the Falcons improved to 19-16 on the season and picked up their second win in as many days, while the Golden Grizzlies fell to 8-19 on the season, losing for the fifth-straight time.
A total of 13 different pitchers saw the mound in the game as the Golden Grizzlies threw seven different pitchers, while the Falcons countered with six of their own.
Earning the win on the hill for BG was senior right-hander Nick Cantrell (6-3) who was the second Falcon pitcher of the six to toe the rubber. Cantrell who tossed a scoreless fifth inning in relief of starter Brett Browning, allowed just one hit, recording two strikeouts on way to his sixth win of the season. He took over for Browning who went four full innings, giving up two unearned runs on three hits, while striking out three OU hitters.
Also seeing time on the mound for BG on the afternoon were Dusty Hawk, Brian Hangbers, Marty Baird and freshman Charles Wooten.
OU climbed out to an early 2-0 lead in the top half of the first, before the Falcons started a comeback with a single run in the home half of the inning. BG would later tie the game in bottom of the fourth at 2-2, before taking the lead for good in the fifth, plating a single run to go up 3-2.
A seven-run sixth then would increase the lead to 10-2 as the two teams each scored four runs in the final three innings to end the game's scoring.
Pacing BG on the day was center fielder Andrew Foster, who went 4-for-6 on the day, accounting for two runs scored, while picking up a game-high four RBI. His fifth inning RBI-single up the middle would bring home the eventual game-winning run, as the Falcons took a 3-2 lead. He would later add two more RBI in the Falcons' seven-run sixth, before plating BG's 12th run of the game on another RBI-single in the seventh.
Helping Foster in the winning effort were Hangbers and Ryan Shay who also drove in multiple runs. Hangbers was 1-for-4 with two RBI, while Shay was 2-for-5, also bringing home two BG runs.
Both Hangbers and Shay would collect their RBI in the sixth as BG broke the game wide open, scoring seven runs on four hits against three different OU pitchers.
Starting off the big inning was Derek Spencer who was hit by a pitch with the count full at three and two. Logan Meisler then walked just before he and Spencer were moved over to second and third on a wild pitch. Driving them home was Hangbers, who pounded a two-RBI single up the middle of the infield to give BG a 5-2 lead.
Just two batters later, Shay doubled down the left field line to plate two more runs with the bases loaded and a single out to make it 7-2, before Foster's RBI-double and Chris Gacom's one-out single brought home the final three runs of the inning.
That would be more than enough for the Falcon bullpen, who the Golden Grizzlies scored just four runs on in the remaining three innings.
Taking the loss for OU was reliever John Large (0-1), who was responsible for Foster's game-winning RBI in the fifth, as he tossed an inning giving up three hits in relief of starter Aaron Wick. Wick threw four innings, giving up two runs on four hits, recording a single strikeout.
Leading the Golden Grizzlies at the plate was center fielder Eric Ogg, who was 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Adding two RBI in the game was Joe Gorecki, as just two OU batters finished with multiple-hits.
A total of 17 runners were left on base by the two teams as OU stranded eight, while the Falcons stranded nine.
BG will return to the diamond on Friday when they head to Oxford for game one of a three-game Mid-American Conference East Division series at Miami. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. at MU's Stanley G. McKie Field. Live statistics for the game will be available at www.bgsufalcons.com, via gametracker, which can be found on the team's schedule page.
