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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
WESTERN CAROLINA
BG Loses Series Finale To Western Carolina
February 22, 2009 | Baseball
Feb. 22, 2009
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Bowling Green State University baseball team scored five runs in the final four innings Sunday against Western Carolina, but the Catamounts had already built a 7-0 lead and went on to sweep the three-game series with a 14-5 victory at Hennon Stadium in Cullowhee, N.C.
Western Carolina, who was 29-28 last season, opened the scoring in the first inning on a two-run home run by Brent Greer. They added to their advantage with a two-run double in the fourth by Nick Liles and added three runs on two hits in the fifth to take a 7-0 edge.
After the Falcons answered with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning on an error and a ground out, the Catamounts, who have qualified for the NCAA Tournament 11 times, put the game away with a six-run bottom of the sixth highlighted by a grand slam home run by Dylan de Graaf.
The Falcons added two runs in their half of the seventh when junior outfielder Dennis Vaughn hit a home run. BG added a run in the ninth that scored on an error.
Sophomore right-hander Brennan Smith started for the Falcons and went 3.2 innings yielding six hits and four earned runs. He had two strikeouts before departing in the fourth inning. BG used six pitchers in the game.
The Falcons got hits from five different players in the contest.
The Falcons struggled at the plate and on the mound in their first action outdoors of the season batting just .182 in the series while the pitching staff had a 9.75 ERA and hit 11 batters in the three games. Six different players had two hits apiece for the weekend series. Five different players hit home runs for Bowling Green in their opening series of the 2009 season.
The Falcons will return to action next weekend when the travel to Louisville, Ky. for a three-game series against the Cardinals. Louisville was in most of the preseason top 25 polls and they boast one of the top players in the country in junior third baseman Chris Dominguez. Louisville has been in the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons and they won the Big East tourney last season.
Louisville also opened its season this weekend and was swept in a three-game series at 11th-ranked Florida.
