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Bowling Green State University
MIAMI (OH)
Falcon Baseball Team Makes Improbable Comeback For 18-15 Win Over Miami
April 24, 2009 | Baseball
April 24, 2009
BOWLING GREEN, OHIO - What looked on paper to be a pitcher's dual, Mother Nature turned into a version of home run derby as Bowling Green and Miami University combined for 15 home runs and the Falcons scored the last five runs to earn an 18-15 Mid-American Conference victory Friday afternoon at Steller Field.
The two starting pitchers, sophomore Brennan Smith for BG and senior Matt Erwood for Miami, came into the game 1-2 in the conference in ERA - Smith the leader at 2.50 and Erwood second at 3.38. So you would figure a nice, tidy two-hour game that one of the teams wins 2-1.
Not the case on a day when the wind was blowing at 30 miles an hour straight out to center field with gusts even higher. Needless to say, Smith and Erwood saw their ERA go up as the balls were flying out.
Those in attendance should have had a good idea what they were in for after the lead off batter for Miami, right fielder Adam Eaton, took advantage of the winds and hit Smith's second pitch for a home run to right field. That was the first of four runs for the RedHawks in the opening frame as BG fielder's had problems with two pop ups later that led to the other three runs for Miami.
Miami struck for four more runs in the second inning as third baseman Jordan Petraitis hit a one-out solo home run. First baseman Tommy Nurre then hit a two-run shot two batters later and designated hitter Eric Darlage followed Nurre with his own home run to left center.
BG third baseman Derek Spencer got the Falcons on the board in the bottom of the second with, what else, a home run to center field.
But, Miami knocked out Smith in the third scoring three more runs to make it 11-1. Two of the Miami runs were unearned in the inning as the RedHawks had only one hit, but BG was guilty of an error and had two wild pitches to contribute to the Miami cause.
Smith had his shortest outing of the season going only 2.1 innings allowing eight hits and six earned runs. He came into the game with a 6-3 record and had a 1.80 ERA over his last eight starts.
The Falcons would score a single run in the third inning on a home run by shortstop Ryan Shay. But, Miami would keep its offense rolling by scoring three more times in the fourth frame to make it a 14-2 contest. Catcher Adam Weisenburger had a home run while Petraitis and left fielder Chris Nadeau drove home runs with singles.
BG then got back into the game with their biggest inning of the season, scoring 10 runs on 10 hits, in the bottom of the fourth.
BG right fielder Jon Berti led off with a bunt single and after a strike out, the Falcons offense went to work with the next nine batters all reaching safely and eventually scoring. Shay drove in three runs with his second home run of the game and Berti, batting for a second time in the inning, hit another three-run homer in the inning. Junior Dennis Vaughn, in a pinch-hitting role, capped off the inning with, what else, a home run, to pull the Falcon to within 14-12 and also send Erwood to the showers after allowing 10 hits and 10 earned runs in 3.1 innings of work.
The Falcons cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth as Spencer hit his second homer to left field with two outs.
After Miami got that run back in the seventh on Nurre's second home run, the Falcons concluded the scoring with five runs in the bottom half of the inning - yes, all coming on the home run.
Shay hit his third of the game to lead off the inning and senior Brian Hangbers followed suit on the next pitch with his fourth of the season to tie the game. Miami brought in freshman Jordan Jankowski at this point, who had four saves on the season and a 1.38 ERA in 26.0 innings of work.
Jankowski hit BG catcher Tyler Elkins and Spencer singled through the left side and BG still did not have any outs. Second baseman Logan Meisler then joined the home-run parade with a game-winning three-run shot to left field, his first round-tripper of the season, to complete the improbable comeback.
But, the game would surely not end on that home run. But, BG freshman left-hander Kacy Dwornik, who came into the game after Miami's first batter in the sixth inning singled, retired the RedHawks without any further damage the rest of the way to earn his second win of the season. Dwornik worked the last four innings allowing four hits and one run while striking out six. Jankowski suffered his first loss in five decisions.
There were a total of 41 hits in the game with eight Miami players collecting as least a pair of safeties with Nadeau, Darlage and Weisenburger all collecting three hits. Nadeau and Nurre each had three RBI. For Bowling Green, seven different players had at least two hits with Spencer and Hangbers collecting four apiece while Shay and Meisler each had three hits and five RBI. Hangbers equalled his career high with four hits while Shay set a new game standard with his five RBI while Meisler had five RBI in a game last season.
Bowling Green's nine home runs set a school record eclipsing the old mark of eight set last season on two occasions - against Ohio (May 3) and Ball State (April 11). BG hit three three-run homers and six solo shots as 15 of their 18 runs came on the round-trippers. Miami his six home runs - a two-run shot and five solo home runs to account for seven of their runs.
Bowling Green came into the game with 27 home runs in the first 34 games of the season.
Bowling Green improved to 19-16 on the season while Miami dropped to 20-17. The Falcons moved to within one-half game of the third-place RedHawks in the MAC's East Division with the victory. BG is now 9-6 in league play while Miami is 10-6.
The same two teams will play the middle game of the three-game series Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m at Steller Field.
