Falcons Split Doubleheader at The Stell

Friday, March 26

Bowling Green, Ohio

3:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Northern Illinois University

March 27, 2010 | Baseball

By: by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Post game comments from Danny Schmitz
Box score - game 1
Box score - game 2

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- After weather forecasts predicted high percentage chances of rain on Sunday afternoon, Sunday's game with Northern Illinois was rescheduled for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader beginning at noon, held at Warren E. Steller Field. After the tarps were pulled and the teams lined up, 20 innings of baseball took place and both teams left the field with a win. Bowling Green took game one after a four-run eighth inning fed the Falcons a 7-2 win, but a back-and-forth game in the capper went to the NIU Huskies after a three-run eleventh inning gave the Huskies an 8-5 victory, also giving them the series after winning Friday afternoon.

GAME ONE - NIU (2) vs. BGSU (7)

Michael Frank earned his first collegiate win in the doubleheader opener in the Falcons' 7-2 win after he tossed six innings, only allowed two runs (one earned).

Northern Illinois struck first in the top of the third inning after a pair of errors by second baseman Matthew Pitzulo both put a runner on and allowed him to score. With one out, Alex Beckmann hit a grounder to Pitzulo but the throw was off the line allowing Beckmann to reach on the error. After Beckmann advanced to second on an unassisted putout by first baseman Andrew Kuns, a second fielding error by Pitzulo allowed Beckmann to cross the plate and give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

Bowling Green answered in the bottom of the fifth inning with three runs to take back to lead, 3-1. #T.J. Blanton and Jon Berti# led the inning off with back-to-back singles. After a bunt that turned into a fielder's choice hit by Matthew Pitzulo loaded the bases for BGSU, Dennis Vaughn following with a single to center field scoring Berti from third. Derek Spencer plated Blanton on a sacrifice fly hit to right field on the following at-bat and also put two Falcons in scoring position before Ryan Schlater hit a single though the left side to score Pitzulo. Mark Galvin nearly added to the lead with a ground ball that looked as if it may find its way into centerfield, but NIU shortstop Alex Jones snared the grounder and turned it into a 5-3 double play to end the inning.

Northern Illinois closed in on the Falcon lead when Jake Hermsen hit an RBI single to make the score 3-2, but the Falcons soon create a lead that NIU would not be able to come back from after BGSU scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Galvin doubled to deep center field before Clay Duncan's one-out single put runners at the corners for #T.J. Blanton#. Blanton's fly out to left field made nice for a fourth Falcon run to cross the plate on the sacrifice fly. Jon Berti's single up the middle ended the day for Huskie starting pitcher Chuck Lukanen, though reliver Tom Zelasko did not fair well against the Falcons either.

With runners on first and second, Zelasko surrendered a run-scoring double to Pitzulo who hit the left-center field gap, scoring Berti. Dennis Vaughn's follow-up single scored Pitzulo and made for a 7-2 lead that the Falcons would hold on to until the end.

Charles Wooten took to the hill in the seventh inning and retired nine straight batters in a three-inning save for the junior reliever. Wooten struck out two and did not allow a base runner in what was his best relief outing of the season so far. The save was his second in 2010.

Frank finished allowing only five hits in his six innings of work while striking out four NIU hitters and walking three. He earned his first collegiate win with the 7-2 victory and watched his ERA drop by three-quarters of a run after his day ended.

GAME TWO - NIU (8) vs. BGSU (5) - F/11

Despite Jeremy Gonzalez statistically being one of Northern Illinois' top pitchers, Bowling Green wasting no time introducing themselves to the junior starting pitcher with a four run first inning. However, after a tie score took the game into extra innings, the Falcons lost to the Huskies, 8-5, in an eleven inning affair to close the series between BGSU and NIU.

The Falcons opened the game with a leadoff single by Jon Berti and Dennis Vaughn bringing home the sophomore on an RBI double to right-center field. Following Vaughn, Ryan Schlater dropped a single down the left field line that plated Vaughn and gave the Falcons an early 2-0 edge. Mark Galvin continued the scoring with a RBI single to right field off of Gonzales, scoring Spencer from second base. With the bases loaded, the Huskies cut down one run at the plate on an Andrew Kuns fielder's choice, but when Gonzales hit T.J. Blanton it moved all the runners up and scored Galvin and upped the Falcon lead to 4-0.

Both teams cruised through the second a third innings with Kevin Leady taking the hill for the Falcons. Leady struck out three Huskies in his first two innings and didn't allow a runner past second base in that time. In the fourth inning, NIU scored their first run after back-to-back singles put runners on the corners for Hermsen. Hermsen grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, but the two outs cost BGSU a run when Troy White scored from third.

Northern Illinois added two more runs in the top of the fifth with two outs after an RBI double by Jordin Hood and an RBI single from Dave Reynolds cut the lead to one, 4-3.

The Huskies continued their steak of unanswered runs after taking the lead back in the top of the eighth inning with two runs in the frame. After two singles to the left side and a hit batsman by Leady loaded the bases for NIU, Patrick O'Brien entered the game to attempt to stop NIU attack. A ground ball fielded by BGSU first baseman Andrew Kuns cut down the lead runner at the plate on a fielder's choice, but one a hard hit ball to Kuns on the next batter, a fielding error allowed two runs to score and give NIU a 5-4 lead.

The Falcons were held without a run in the eighth inning, but the ninth inning the Falcons tied the ball game with a chance to win it all. With the bases loaded and only one out, the Falcons had the winning run on second base in the form of Mark Galvin. On a fielding error by NIU second baseman Marvin Sanchez, Derek Spencer crossed the plate to score the game-tying run. With two outs, T.J. Blanton took to the batter's box. On a 1-0 count, Blanton scorched a comebacker to the mound, but reliever Andy Deain got a glove on the ball and after knocking it down to the ground, picked it up and tossed out Blanton to send the game into extra innings.

In the top of the eleventh inning, Patrick O'Brien put runners on first and second before a sacrifice bunt moved both runners up for Troy White. White took the first pitch he saw and hit it straight into center field, scoring both NIU runners.

Nick Bruns took over on the hill after White's single but a wild pitch allowed him to advance to third base. Ryan Schlater attempted to get White out at third, but his throw skipped into left field and allow White to score. That run gave Northern Illinois an 8-5 lead that Deain would see through to the last out, giving NIU the win.

After the split of the doubleheader, the Falcons record now stands at 6-11-1 (1-2, MAC) while Northern Illinois improves to 7-15 (2-1, MAC). Bowling Green will prepare for a day trip to Dayton, Ohio to play the A-10 Dayton Flyers on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.

Be sure to follow the Falcons on BGSUFalcons.com for complete coverage of the BGSU baseball team.