Bowling Green State University
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
BG Shuts Out Huskies, 8-0, To Even Series
March 28, 2009 | Baseball
March 28, 2009
Dekalb, Ill. - The Bowling Green State University baseball team scored in four different innings and rode three three-hit pitching of sophomores Matt Malewitz and Charles Wooten to an 8-0 win over Northern Illinois Saturday afternoon at McKinzie Field in Dekalb, Ill. It was the second shutout this season for the Falcons and the first time NIU has been held without a run in their 24 games this season.
The last shut by the Falcons in Mid-American Conference play was a 3-0 whitewashing of Akron on April 20, 2007.
Malewitz, a transfer from Grand Rapids Community College, threw 115 pitches in his 7.2 innings of work limiting the Huskies to three hits, two singles and a double, to win his second game of the season. The left-hander had six strikeouts and allowed two walks facing only four batters over the minimum. Malewitz retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced.
Malewitz owns the other shutout this season, a one-hit, 95-pitch gem in a 3-0 Falcon victory over Northern Iowa on March 13, the sixth game of their spring trip.
Wooten relieved Malewitz after he walked Alex Beckmann with two outs in the eighth inning. Wooten struck out Alex Jones to end the eighth and got three ground balls outs in the ninth to maintain the shutout.
Northern Illinois made its only serious threat to score in the second when a walk and a double by Alex Minouge put runners on second and third with one out. But, Matt Behren's, the runner on third base, was wiped off the bases when he was caught stealing on a botched squeeze play. Malewitz got the final out of the inning on a strike out to end the only frame in which NIU had a runner on third base.
The Falcons had a chance to get on the board in their half of the third as junior T.J. Blanton led off with a double and freshman Patrick Martin had an infield single to put runners on first and second with one out. But two ground outs ended the threat.
The Falcons scored all the runs they would need in the fourth scoring two runs on one hit. Junior Logan Meisler led off with a walk and junior Dennis Vaughn followed by also drawing a walk. Both runners moved up one base when an attempted pick off throw to second hit Meisler and bounced into right field. After a strike out, junior Mark Galvin singled up the middle to drive home both runs.
While Malewitz was holding the Huskies hitless after the fourth inning, the Falcons extended their lead with single runs in the fifth and seventh innings.
Senior Ryan Shay led off the fifth with an infield single and was sacrificed to second. He moved to third when another Huskie pickoff attempt at second base went into center field. Junior Tyler Elkins then singled to right field to score Shay and put the Falcons up by a 3-0 count.
In the seventh, Blanton tripled over the center fielders head to lead off the frame and came home on a one-out single through the left side by Martin.
The Falcons added some insurance in the eighth inning scoring four times on two hits to make it 8-0. Blanton led off the inning drawing a walk and was moved to second on a sacrifice. Martin then walked and senior Brian Hangbers shot to the left side of the infield was knocked down by Huskie third baseman Troy White, but everyone was safe. With the bases loaded, Elkins singled through the right side to plate both Blanton and Martin. Then, three straight walks by NIU pitcher Zach Badgley forced in the other two runs for BG.
Blanton, Elkins and Martin all had two hits apiece for Bowling Green with Elkins also driving in three runs. Galvin was one of three other BG players to have hits while collecting two RBI.
The two teams are scheduled to play the rubber game of the series Sunday at 1 p.m. (2 p.m eastern time) but incoming weather, including snow, may make that contest questionable. Check the BGSU web site (www.bgsufalcons.com) for updates.
With the win, the Falcons improved to 10-12 overall and 2-3 in league play. Northern Illinois, who won the first game of the series on Friday by a 6-4 score, dropped to 10-14 overall and 4-1 in MAC action. The win also moves head coach Danny Schmitz to within one victory of 500 for his career, a milestone reached by only four baseball coaches in MAC history. Schmitz is 499-453-4 in his 19 seasons at the helm.
