Bowling Green State University Athletics

Offensive Showcase Guides Falcons to 16-10 Win Over Sacred Heart
March 10, 2010 | Baseball
Box score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green baseball crossed home plate 16 times in the first four innings against Sacred Heart University and held on to a 16-10 victory against the Pioneers in Tuesday evening's game in Winter Haven, Florida.
Bowling Green in the top of the first scored all four of their runs with two outs in the inning. Ryan Schlater walked and after Mark Galvin lined out to left field, Derek Spencer hit an RBI double to down the line in left to score Schlater and take an early lead. After a walk was delivered to Tyler Elkins by SHU pitcher Matt Fitton, Dennis Vaughn put two more runs on the board with a double to deep center field to score Spencer and Elkins.
With a 3-0 lead, Andrew Kuns took advantage of his first collegiate start and at-bat gaining his first career RBI and hit after plugging a double to left field, scoring Vaughn. After one full trip through the BGSU lineup, the Falcons were off to a 4-0 lead.
After a 1-2-3 inning from freshman pitcher Patrick O'Brien in his first career start, Bowling Green added another four runs beginning at the top of the lineup once again. Jon Berti and Ryan Schlater led the second inning off with back-to-back singles before Logan Meisler followed with a walk to load the bases for cleanup hitter, Derek Spencer. Spencer's sacrifice fly to center field scored Berti from third, making the score 5-0.
After Tyler Elkins hit a single to right and the brakes were put on Schlater rounding third, Dennis Vaughn returned to the plate and recorded his third, fourth and fifth RBI of the day on a base-clearing double to extend the Falcon lead to 8-0.
In O'Brien's second inning of work, he allowed hits to the inning's first two batters with Jeff Heppner knocking a single to center and J.J. Edwards hitting a double to left field putting runners at second and third base. After a sac fly to left scoring Heppner, Rocco Gondek hit an RBI single two batters later, scoring Edwards. Stranding a running at second base, O'Brien escaped still maintaining an 8-2 lead.
Taking exception to the pair of runs the Pioneers scored, Bowling Green again continued their offensive output with a trio of runs in the top of the third inning. At the bottom of the order, #T.J. Blanton# doubled to left and Berti followed with a single deep in the hole to second baseman Hunter Phillips. Schlater popped out to left, scoring Blanton on the sacrifice fly.
Leading 9-2 with a man on second base following Berti's second stolen base of the season, Spencer belted his first homerun of the year over the left field fence creating a larger lead, 11-2.
O'Brien came out for the third inning but after putting two men on via walk and allowing an RBI two-out double to Edwards, a call to the bullpen was made to bring sophomore Steven Barrett to finish out the inning. Barrett allowed one hit scoring Edwards but retired Phillips on a fly out to center field. After three innings, Bowling Green led, 11-4.
After scoring 11 runs in their first three plate appearances, Bowling Green continued the offensive party by scoring five more runs in the fourth inning. This time the bottom of the lineup did the heavy damage to the Pioneer pitching lines when Dennis Vaughn hit his third double of the day, again to center field. Clay Duncan reached on an error by M.J. Schifano at shortstop. Schifano struggled on the following BGSU hitter as well when after Kuns hit a single his way in the hole, a throwing error allowed Vaughn to score, giving the Falcons a 12-4 lead.
With two runners on Blanton hit a triple to center field clearing the bases and putting the Falcons up by ten runs. Berti followed Blanton with a run-scoring single toward the second base side. The sophomore shortstop swiped his second base of the day putting him in position to score on a Derek Spencer double to right, giving the Falcons all 16 runs they would need for the duration of the game.
After adding a run in the fifth inning, Sacred Heart added four runs to their total before being shut down for the rest of the game. Barrett started the fifth frame, but after allowing a leadoff double to Gondek, Nick Bruns came in to take the hill. However after not being able to retire but one SHU hitter out of six batters faced, the Pioneers had scored three four runs before Patrick Martin entered the game and turned off the Sacred Heart offensive threat.
Coming in with one out and runners on first and second, Martin struck out the next two Pioneer hitters to end the sixth inning. After six, the game stood at a 16-10 score but the score did not budge for the rest of the game.
Martin tossed 2.2 innings, finishing with three strikeouts and a walk on 39 pitches before Charles Wooten mopped up the ninth inning, ending the game with a strikeout of leadoff hitter Mike Drowne.
The game ended by a final score of 16-10, but could have been much more for the Falcons. After their five run fourth inning, Bowling Green stranded five runners, all in scoring position. Of the ten runners the Falcons left on base, all but one were on second or third base when the third out was recorded.
Martin receives his first collegiate win on his fourth appearance of the season after tossing two-plus scoreless innings of relief in Tuesday night's win, continuing to be one of Bowling Green's more reliable relief options early in the season.
Four Falcons recorded three or more hits on the day, led by Jon Berti who posted four hits and three runs scored on six plate appearances. Dennis Vaughn led the Falcons with five RBI with his three doubles. All-MAC selections from a year ago, Derek Spencer and #T.J. Blanton#, went a combined 6-for-12 with five RBI, four runs scored including a two-run homerun from Spencer.
The Falcons' win gives them a 3-7 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational that will continue through Saturday. Bowling Green has Wednesday off before playing Yale in a double header on Thursday (March 11) beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET.