Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
BUFFALO
FALCONS COMPLETE SWEEP OF BUFFALO WITH 15-7 VICTORY
May 10, 2009 | Baseball
May 10, 2009
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Bowling Green State University baseball team moved into sole possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference's East Division with a 15-7 win over Buffalo Sunday afternoon at Audubon Field. The Bowling Green win, its sixth straight in league play, coupled with Kent's 5-3 loss to Akron, gives the Falcons the top spot in the division, all alone, for the first time this season.
Bowling Green, which has won 13 of its last 17 overall, is now 26-18 overall and 16-7 in MAC play, one game in front of Kent with three league games left. Buffalo dropped to 20-31 on the season and 6-17 in league action.
Multi-run innings early for the Falcons was the difference in the game as BG built a 10-2 edge after four innings. Buffalo scored a run in seven of the nine innings, but only scored one run on each of those frames. The Falcons got the early lead with two runs in the second inning without getting a hit.
Junior designated hitter Dennis Vaughn walked to lead off and freshman left fielder Jon Berti was hit by a pitch. A ground out moved the runners up one base and sophomore catcher Ryan Schlater's ground out drove home Vaughn. Berti scored on a wild pitch later in the inning.
After Buffalo scored a run in the second on a single and a double, BG put four runs on the board in the third against Buffalo starter Zach Anderson. Senior shortstop Ryan Shay reached safely to lead off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. After Shay stole second, senior first baseman Brian Hangbers singled moving Shay to third. Junior second baseman Logan Meisler then tripled to right center driving in both Shay and Hangbers. Junior third baseman Derek Spencer then followed with his first of four hits on the day, another triple, scoring Meisler. After the first out of the inning, Berti doubled to right field, extending his hitting streak to 13 games, to score Spencer with the last run of the inning.
After Buffalo scored an unearned run in the third off BG starter Kacy Dwornik, Bowling Green tacked on four more runs in the top of the fourth inning. Schlater reached on a Buffalo error to lead off the inning and when junior center fielder T.J. Blanton singled to right field, extending his hitting streak to 10 games, and the ball was misplayed, Schlater came all the way around to score and Blanton ended up on third. Hangbers then singled in Blanton and Spencer followed with a home run to right field, his 11th of the season.
The Falcons scored a run in the sixth to make it 11-3 as Hangbers homered to right center with two outs. It was Hangbers eighth of the season and second of the series.
With Buffalo threatening in each inning but only able to push one run across, a single run by BG in the eighth inning gave the Falcons a 12-5 lead as junior right fielder Mark Galvin doubled to left center to lead off. Schlater sacrificed Galvin to third and with two outs Shay doubled to right center to drive in Galvin.
Buffalo scored a run in the bottom of the eighth and had a runner on third with one out when sophomore Charles Wooten was brought in to relieve senior Dusty Hawk and retired the last two batters on a pop out to the catcher and a ground out.
BG added some insurance in their final at-bat when Spencer, who needed a double to hit for the cycle, singled to right field and after the second out of the inning, Berti and Galvin walked to load the bases. Schlater then cleared the bases with a double over the head of the Bulls left fielder.
Dwornik, a freshman, won his second straight start for the Falcons going five innings allowing only four hits and two earned runs striking out two. Anderson saw his record fall to 5-5 for Buffalo allowing seven hits and 10 runs, six earned runs, while striking out three.
Spencer led the Falcons offensively collecting four hits in five at-bats with three RBI and three runs scored. Schlater drove in a career-best four runs while Meisler was 1-for-5 with a pair of RBI. Hangbers, who has hit five home runs in his last nine games, was 3-for-4 with three RBI.
Third baseman River McWilliams had three hits, including a double and a triple, and two RBI for the Bulls.
The Falcons, who have swept their last two MAC series and host Akron next weekend to conclude the regular season, scored 49 runs on 51 hits in the three games against Buffalo. The Falcons hit .392 as a team in the series with 23 extra-base hits - 13 doubles, five triples and five home runs. BG scored 29 of their runs in the three games with two outs, 11 on Friday, 10 on Saturday and eight on Sunday, and have now scored 12 or more runs in nine of their last 11 games.
BG has one final mid-week game hosting Oakland Tuesday at 3 p.m. before Akron comes to town to conclude the regular season. The Akron series will be played Thursday (3 p.m.), Friday (1 p.m.) and Saturday (1 p.m.) at Steller Field. The MAC Tournament is May 20-24 in Chillicothe.
