Bowling Green State University
AKRON
Five-Run Eleventh Gives Baseball A 12-7 Extra-Inning Victory Over Akron
May 16, 2008 | Baseball
May 16, 2008
AKRON, Ohio - A five-run 11th inning and a superb relief job by senior captain Nick Cantrell led the Bowling Green State University baseball team.to a 12-7 extra-innings win on Friday over the University of Akron at UA's Lee Jackson Field in game two of their three-game Mid-American Conference series. Following an eighth-inning rally by the Zips that forced extra innings, the Falcons got out of a bases loaded jam in the 10th and made UA pay for the missed opportunity, platting five runs on five hits in the 11th to earn their 10-straight victory.
With the victory, the Falcons improved to 30-18 and 15-8 in the MAC, while the Zips dropped to 25-23 and 8-12, respectively.
BG last won 10-straight games during the 1999 season, as the streak is just one shy of its' all-time best under head coach Danny Schmitz, which also occurred during the 1999 campaign.
It would be a pinch-hit RBI-single by junior Brandon McFarland that gave BG its' winning-run. With a 2-0 count, the Perrysburg, Ohio native was able to trickle his third offering from Zips' reliever Benjamin Danzinger through the right side of the infield to score Logan Meisler from third and give the Falcons a 8-7 lead.
The scoring wouldn't stop there though, as Ryan Shay, Derek Spencer and Mark Galvin added to it with a series of RBI-singles to supply a little insurance for Cantrell. Shay (3-for-6, 2 RBI) was 1-of-4 Falcons to finish with three hits in the game, as the Falcons slugged-out a season-high 23 hits. Also finishing with three hits were Andrew Foster (3-for-7, 1 RBI), Galvin (3-for-7, 2 RBI) and catcher Ryan Schlater (3-for-6)
Leading the way however, was Spencer as the Oregon, Ohio native totaled a career-high five hits in the game, going 5-for-7 at the plate with a game-high four RBI. It was he who got the wheels moving on the Falcon offense in the first inning as his single to right center plated the game's first run.
BG took a 2-0 in the first then added a single run in third to take a 3-0 heading into the home half of the third inning. UA finally got on the board in its' half of third with two runs to cut the BG lead to one, but a three-run fourth gave BG a 6-2 at the game's mid-way point.
Much of the credit for the Zips lack of offensive production was due to another quality start from Falcon starter Kevin Light. Light went five innings in his outing, as he surrendered just three runs on five hits and fanned three, before turning the game over to the bullpen in the sixth.
BG added a run in the top half of the sixth to give itself a 7-3 edge, but that is where things took a turn. UA scored a single run in the home half of the seventh and tied the game in the eighth, platting three runs on three hits as the Falcons just couldn't get out three soon enough.
Things looked up though in the ninth when Spencer led-off the frame with a double, just before Galvin put down a great bunt to reach on an infield single. With runners on the corners and no one out, Logan Meisler would then draw a walk to load the bases. One force play at the plate, a fly out and fielder's choice later though, the inning was over and the chance to answer the UA rally was gone.
That would be when the Falcons turned to their senior captain to shut the door and give them a chance in extra innings. After a groundout on a bunt attempt and a UA single, Cantrell would get a strikeout and a groundout to end the UA ninth and send the game to extras.
He continued his stellar pitching in the 10th, getting two outs to start off the inning. Two walks and a single later though, the Zips had runners on second and third. But once again the senior answered the bell, inducing an inning-ending groundout to first.
That missed opportunity allowed the Falcons to record their five-spot in the 11th to close the door and a series win. Meisler led-off the Falcon 11th with a walk and was advanced to second on a sacrifice by Galvin. McFarland then drove him home on the following at bat, as the Falcons made life a little easier on Cantrell in his final inning of work.
For Cantrell though, it wouldn't matter, as UA got just four batters to the plate in its' half of the eleventh and went down swinging on the game's final pitch.
Cantrell, who picked up his eighth win of the season as a result, tossed three innings and allowed just two hits, while striking out three in his relief role. The Waldo, Ohio native now stands at 8-3 for the season, as he is tied for eighth on the all-time BGSU single-season wins list and just four behind the all-time single-season mark of 12 wins set by Jason Kelley in 1999.
Earning the loss for the Zips was Danzinger, who two and 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on three hits.
Pacing UA in defeat was shortstop Kevin Haas, who finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Doug McNulty and Phil Bednar each added two RBI.
BG out-hit the Zips in the game 23-12, as both teams combined to strand 29 runners on base in the game.
The two teams will return to the diamond on Saturday when they conclude their three-game set with first pitch scheduled once again for 1 p.m. BG, in search of its' fourth sweep of the MAC weekend series, will toss right-hander Kevin Leady (3-4) against a yet to be determined starter for the Zips. A Falcon win tomorrow could give BG its' first Division Championship since 2002 or its' first MAC Regular-Season Title also since 2002, depending upon other league results. A Central Michigan victory and Miami victory on Saturday would give the Falcons both titles, while a Miami win over Kent State would give the Falcons the East Division Championship. Live statistics for the Falcons' regular-season finale will be available tomorrow at www.gozips.com.
NOTES With his second-straight three-hit performance, Ryan Shay now has 29 multiple-hit games in 2008 and 81 hits overall, placing him five hits away from BG's all-time single-season mark of 86 (Aric Christman -2001) ... Andrew Foster's two doubles in the game give him 16 on the season, which stands just three doubles away from BG's single-season mark for doubles in a season ... BG's 12 runs marked the 16th time this season that its' scored double-digit runs in a game ... BG last reached 30 wins in the 2005 season, the same season it last made the MAC Tournament ... BG has seven 30-win seasons under Danny Schmitz.
