Bowling Green State University
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WESTERN MICHIGAN
Falcons Open MAC Season With 5-2 Win Over Western Michigan
March 20, 2009 | Baseball
March 20, 2009
BOWLING GREEN, OHIO - The Bowling Green State baseball team got at least one hit from every spot in the batting order except one and rode the strong pitching of sophomore Brennan Smith and senior Dusty Hawk to a 5-2 victory over Western Michigan at Steller Field Friday afternoon. It was the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams. Bowling Green, which has won its last three and five of its last six, improved to 7-9 overall while the Broncos dropped to 3-13.
Smith, a right-hander, followed up two strong starts on BG's spring trip with an excellent outing in the league opener. Smith allowed five hits and struck out five while walking only two lowering his ERA to 2.83 on the season. Smith, who threw 111 pitches in the game, earned his third victory of the season.
Smith has now allowed just three earned runs in his last 21 innings of work, covering his last four starts, while striking out 24 for a 1.29 ERA.
Hawk pitched two perfect innings in relief, getting three ground outs, a infield pop up and two strikeouts, to earn his first save of the season. It was the first time this season Hawk has pitched in a relief role after making three starts.
The Falcons got on the board in the opening inning as they scored two unearned runs on a pair of hits and benefitted from a pair of Western Michigan miscues.
With one out in the first inning, junior Tyler Elkins extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single through the left side and he moved up one base when senior Brian Hangbers fly ball to left field was dropped. The two BG players then pulled off a double steal to move up one base and junior Derek Spencer picked up his 19th and 20th RBI of the season with a single to right field. The Falcons had runners at second and third with still only one out in the inning before the next two BG batters struck out.
Western Michigan had its only serious rally against Smith in the third inning when they got to him for three of the five hits he surrendered and both runs. WMU got a one-out single and a double to put runners on second and third before freshman Jack Scanlon singled up the middle for drive in both runners.
WMU would get only two runners in scoring position the rest of the way.
The Falcons came back to take the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the third as Hangbers singled up the middle and after the next two batters were retired, junior Dennis Vaughn singled through the right side. Freshman Jon Berti then singled to right field driving in Hangbers who just beat a strong throw from WMU right-fielder Chris Lewis to the plate. Vaughn and Berti advanced one base on the play at the plate. Vaughn then scored on a wild pitch by Bronco starter Billy Morrison.
Bowling Green plated an insurance run in the eighth as junior Mark Galvin greeted reliever Casey Webber with a half bunt, half hit attempt that landed in front of the shortstop and was too far away for third baseman Kyle Galbraith to get him at first. Galvin was then picked off at first before junior T.J. Blanton doubled to left field. After Blanton stole third, Elkins hit a ball to deep short that he beat out allowing Blanton to score.
Elkins had a career-high four hits with one RBI and one run scored. Junior Logan Meisler along with Galvin and Blanton had two hits apiece. Elkins is now hitting .469 (23-of-49) during his current hitting streak while Galvin and Blanton extended their hitting streaks to six games with their hits in the game.
Bowling Green and Western Michigan, the preseason favorite in the MAC's West Division, will continue the series with a 1 p.m. game on Saturday at Steller Field.
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