Bats Silenced in Finale; Falcons Dropped 3-0

Sunday, March 27

DeKalb, Illinois

1:00 pm CT

Bowling Green State University

Northern Illinois University

March 27, 2011 | Baseball

The Falcons won the weekend series with NIU and begin the season with a 2-1 record in the MAC.

By: by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

DEKALB, Ill. -- A day after shutting out the Northern Illinois Huskies in a game two victory, Bowling Green had the favor returned after a 3-0 loss to the hosts on Sunday afternoon. The Falcon bats were held to just five hits in the loss despite formidable pitching efforts from Charles Wooten and Ross Gerdeman.

March 27, 2010 -- Final
	R	H	E
Bowling Green	0	5	2
Northern Illinois	3	7	0

Box score (.html) | Box score (.pdf) | Play by play (.pdf) | Updated statistics (.html)

Bowling Green left nine men on base and had runners on in seven of the nine innings on Sunday. Senior Charles Wooten (Elmore, Ohio) and junior Ross Gerdeman (Fort Jennings, Ohio) combined to allow only three runs on seven hits but received no runs support from the Falcon lineup, producing only five hits on the day. NIU starting pitcher Jeremy Gonzales (2-4) went seven innings, allowed four of those hits and struck out seven Falcons.

Wooten (1-3) went 4.1 innings in the loss, striking out five and walking three. Gerdeman relieved the senior walking one, retiring one and witnessing catcher #T.J. Losby# (Bryan, Ohio) catch a runner stealing to account for all three outs in the fifth.

Northern Illinois put two runs on the board in the second inning when Tom Kotis hit a two-RBI single up the middle with the bases loaded to give the Huskies an early 2-0 lead. They added one more run in the third, a leadoff home run to right field by NIU shortstop Alex Jones. Bowling Green held the Huskies scoreless from that point on, stranding six Huskie runners on base the rest of the game.

The Falcons threatened with runners on second and third base twice in the game but each time rejected when trying to score runs. In the eighth, Jon Berti (Troy, Mich.) singled up the middle and stole second base before Matt Pitzulo (Poland, Ohio) walked to put the tying run at the plate. A wild pitch advanced both Berti and Pitzulo to second and third but senior Clay Duncan (Norwalk, Ohio) struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bowling Green (8-11, 2-1 MAC) next plays the Wright State Raiders on Wednesday, March 30, in Dayton, Ohio. It will be their fourth straight road game before they break that streak and play Eastern Michigan in a three-game series beginning on April 1 at Warren Steller Field (Bowling Green, Ohio).

Full coverage of Falcon baseball and all 18 varsity sports can be found on the official online home of BGSU athletics, www.BGSUFalcons.com. Be sure to follow the Falcons on Facebook by searching “BG Warriors” or follow them on Twitter through www.twitter.com/WEAREBGBASEBALL.