Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
INDIANA
Two Big Innings Doom Falcons On Final Day of Spring Trip
March 14, 2009 | Baseball
March 14, 2009
WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - Two five-run innings proved to be the difference as Indiana posted a 15-7 win over Bowling Green Saturday morning in Winter Haven, Fla. The Falcons had one less hit than their Big Ten counterpart, but Indiana had 12 of their 15 hits for the game in their two big innings.
The Falcons, who play the final game of their spring trip immediately after the Indiana contest, against Bradley, are now 4-3 on their trip to Florida and 4-9 overall. Indiana, who was playing its first game on their spring trip, is now 6-7 this season.
After the Falcons got two hits in the first inning but could not score, Indiana put one marker on the board in the bottom half of the inning on a one-out home run.
The Falcons then had their biggest inning of the game with a four-run second inning on four hits.
With one out, junior designated hitter Dennis Vaughn singled to center and advanced to second when freshman outfielder Jon Berti was hit by a pitch. Junior outfielder Mark Galvin then followed with a double down the left field line that drove home Vaughn and Berti. Junior outfielder T.J. Blanton then tripled to right center with Galvin scoring and senior shortstop Ryan Shay singled through the left side of the infield to plate Galvin giving the Falcons a 4-1 lead.
The Hoosiers came right back to score five runs on five hits in the bottom of the second to take the lead for good on two walks, a two-run double, two RBI singles and an RBI double. After the first batter of the inning was retired, seven of the next eight Indiana batters reached base.
The Falcons cut the Hoosier lead to one, 6-5, with a single run in the fourth. With two outs, Blanton had a bunt single and advanced to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. He scored on a Shay single through the left side of the infield.
Indiana would put the game out of reach with unanswered runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, nine runs in all. They got a lead off home run in the fifth, they scored three unearned runs in the sixth on two BG errors and the Hoosiers had seven hits in the seventh inning that led to five runs and a 15-5 lead. During one stretch in the seventh inning, Indiana had nine of 10 batters reach base safely.
Bowling Green completed the scoring with a pair of runs in the eighth inning on a two-run double by Blanton after three consecutive singles loaded the bases with one out.
Bowling Green had a runner in every inning except the third and the ninth innings.
Senior Dusty Hawk started for the Falcons and went 1.1 innings getting the loss, his first of the season. Freshman Kacy Dwornik, senior Marty Baird and sophomore Phil Hettlinger also pitched for the Falcons. Eric Arnett started and went six complete innings to earn his third win of the season.
Senior Brian Hangbers continued to swing a hot bat collecting three hits as did Blanton, who had a season-best three RBI. Galvin and Shay both had two hits and two RBI while Vaughn also had a pair of hits. Hangbers and junior Tyler Elkins, who had a single in the game, extended their career-best hitting streaks to eight games. Junior third baseman Derek Spencer failed to get a hit in his three at-bats to see a nine-game hitting streak come to en end.
Following the Bradley game to end their spring trip, the team will head home Sunday morning to open the home portion of their 2009 season against Michigan State on Tuesday (March 17). Following a game Wednesday at Cleveland State, BG begins defense of its Mid-American Conference overall and divisional titles in 2008 next weekend (March 20-22) hosting preseason West Division favorite Western Michigan.
