Offensive XXplosion in Bowling Green Win Over Toledo

Friday, April 16

Toledo, Ohio

3:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

University of Toledo

April 16, 2010 | Baseball

By: by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Box score
Updated statistics

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Bowling Green began their weekend with a key conference win against one of the program's most storied rivals that has been having one of its most successful seasons in recent history. After a brief half hour delay due to rain and field conditions, the Falcons banged out a season-high 20 runs on 20 hits as they outslugged the University of Toledo at Scott Park (Toledo, Ohio) to earn their fourth Mid-American Conference victory by a score of 20-15. Bowling Green scored 18 of its 20 runs in the first five innings before Toledo slowly crept back into the ballgame after scoring consecutively in innings two through eight.

The Falcons jumped all over Toledo starting pitcher Kyle Shaw for a combined 12 runs on 10 hits in the first two and two-thirds innings of the game. Paced by a RBI single by Derek Spencer to get the Falcons up on the board, Mark Galvin extended his hitting streak to seven games, a team high, with a two-RBI triple hit to left center field. Tyler Elkins brought home the fourth run of the inning with a run-scoring base knock down the right field line to score Galvin easily to give the Falcons a 4-0 lead after just one at-bat.

The Brown and Orange doubled their lead the very next at-bat. After Ryan Schlater reached on a bunt single and was sacrificed to second, Logan Meisler plated his teammate with a single up the middle. Toledo right fielder Dan Sherwood dropped a fly ball in the right field corner after losing it in the sun, putting two runners on for recent offensive stalwart Derek Spencer. Spencer set a precedent for the Falcon offense with a demonstrative shot over the center field fence that cleared the trees beyond the park's walls, good for three runs and an 8-0 Bowling Green lead.

Toledo added two runs in the bottom of the second, but was quickly put to rest by a six-run third inning by the Falcons. For the second consecutive inning, a Falcon led the frame off with a bunt single when Galvin did so for his second of three hits on the day. Galvin soon scored on an RBI double by Elkins. Before Shaw was taken out of the game by the Toledo coaching staff, Bowling Green scored its sixth run of the game when Meisler recorded his first RBI of the day on a single through the left side. Matt Inselman entered the game for the Rockets, but faired no better. The Falcons finished the inning with a two-run double by Dennis Vaughn to further the score, 14-2.

For the next two innings, the Falcons and Rockets traded runs and by the end of the fifth inning, the Falcons possessed an 18-7 lead. Toledo chipped away at the Falcon lead and after Schlater hit a two-run homer, the Rockets put up a four-spot to draw within seven runs of the Falcons. After Patrick O'Brien inherited a bases loaded jam and allowed a two-RBI single, he shut down the Rocket offense in the eighth and supplied a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the win for BGSU.

The Falcons set a season-high in runs with 20 against the Rockets Friday night. Before scoring 19 runs, the Falcons had not scored as much since they scored 21 times against Albion in 2008. Their 20 hits on the day also set a season high for 2010. Every Falcon in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit, and seven of the nine in the starting lineup recorded two or more hits. Schlater led the Falcons with four hits in six at-bats, tying a career-high, and knocked in four runs to set a new career mark.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 11-18-1 overall and now have a 4-6 record in MAC play while the Rockets drop to 21-11 and 8-2 in conference. BGSU and UT will engage in Round 2 of the “Battle of I-75”, Saturday at 1:05 p.m. at Scott Park.