Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
OAKLAND
FALCONS LOSE 11-INNING DECISION TO OAKLAND
May 12, 2009 | Baseball
May 12, 2009
BOWLING GREEN, OHIIO - In a game that saw both teams combine to use 43 players and there were 37 runs scored on 48 hits, Oakland University outlasted Bowling Green Tuesday afternoon at Steller Field by a final count of 20-17, in 11 innings. Oakland scored a run in each of the final seven innings while the Falcons also scored in seven different innings in the four-hour, 17-minute contest.
Bowling Green is now 26-19 this season while Oakland improved to 20-32. BG saw its six-game winning streak come to an end with the loss. BG rested six of its nine starters in the field until many of them entered the game in the seventh inning.
Bowling Green took the early advantage building a 9-0 lead scoring runs in each of the first four frames. BG got to Oakland starter Jake Arendsen for four of those runs as freshman shortstop Jon Berti lead off the first with a triple, his fourth of the season, and junior designated hitter Logan Meisler singled through the right side to drive in Berti.
In the second, the Falcons put three runs on the board with freshman outfielder Patrick Martin driving in his first of three runs on the day with a sacrifice fly, freshman catcher Matt Vannett made his first career hit, a double, count driving in another run. Berti collected his first of four RBI with a single later in the inning to give BG a 4-0 edge.
The Falcons put three more on the board in the third with two of the runs scoring on Grizzlie errors and the other on a Martin single. BG added on two more runs in the fourth, one on another OU error along with an RBI double by sophomore third baseman Clay Duncan.
Oakland started its string of innings it scored in with eight runs, five of them unearned, in the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, second baseman Tommy Jablonski reached on an error and that would open the flood gates to seven more tallies. Oakland hit two two-run homers in the inning, one by Taylor Traub, his third of the season, and the other by Jonathan Zalenski, his fourth.
Oakland scored two runs in the sixth to take the lead at 10-9 and added two more in the seventh and eighth innings. When they scored a single run in the top of the ninth, Oakland took a 15-9 lead to the bottom half of the ninth.
That is when the Falcons offense, which came into the game 12th in the country hitting .344 as a team, got to work.
BG scored six runs on six hits with 10 players coming to the plate to send the game to extra innings. Berti singled with the bases loaded and one out to drive in the first two runs of the inning. After a Ryan Shay single re-loaded the bases, Meisler doubled in a pair of runs and senior Brian Hangbers followed with a two-run single to tie the game at 15-all. Hangbers got to third base with two outs, but junior T.J. Blanton flew out to center field to end the inning.
Oakland came right back to score one run in the 10th on two singles and a sacrifice fly, but the Falcons countered with a run in the bottom half on consecutive singles by Martin and sophomore Ryan Schlater, with Martin advancing to third on the Schlater hit, and a Berti fielder's choice. Berti stole second and was in scoring position with two outs, but Shay struck out to end the threat.
Oakland then got to BG reliever Ritchie O'Brien for four runs on five hits in the 11th inning on two RBI singles and a two-run triple to close out the frame by Dan Ryan.
But, as you might imagine, the Falcons did not go quietly in the bottom of the inning as they loaded the bases with one out. Ryan Price struck out for the second out and Martin drew a walk on four pitches to force in a run. But, Schlater popped out to the first baseman to end the threat and the game.
O'Brien, the last of five pitchers used by the Falcons, suffered the loss to drop to 2-1 on the season. He pitched the final 2.1 innings allowing seven his and five runs. BG starter Kyle Atkinson breezed through the first four innings, retiring 12 of the first 15 batters he faced, before he ran into trouble in the eight-run fifth for Oakland.
Kyle Teague, the fifth of six pitchers for the Grizzlies, earned the win, his first in five decisions this season. Traub and Ryan both had four hits to lead Oakland.
Martin tied the BG school record with five hits, all singles, two of them bunt singles, while driving in three runs. Meisler also tied a school record with seven at-bats while collecting four hits, two doubles and two singles, and driving in three. Berti extended his hitting streak to 14 games with four hits while driving in four runs for the second time this season.
The Falcons will get back to the task at hand Thursday as they begin a three-game Mid-American Conference series at home against Akron. The Falcons begin the final weekend of the regular season with a one-game lead over Kent State for the top spot in the East Division. Ohio is just 1.5 games back in third place and they host Buffalo this weekend with fourth-place Miami playing at Kent State.
But, not only is first place in the East at stake this weekend, but also the top seed in the MAC Tournament.
The top seed in the league tournament, which will be played May 20-23 at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, is the division winner with the best league record. BG begins the weekend with a 2.5 game lead over West Division leader Toledo.
