Falcons Drop Series Opener At Kent State

Friday, April 26

Kent, OH

6:00 pm

Bowling Green State University

14-20, 8-8

Kent State University

21-20, 10-6

Bowling Green

Kent State

April 26, 2013 | Baseball

Box Score

By: by Scott Swegan, BGSU Athletic Communications

Box Score

KENT, Ohio—The Bowling Green State University baseball team fell behind 9-0 after five innings to Kent State on Friday night, eventually losing 10-4. The Golden Flashes capitalized on four Falcons' errors in the game, blowing it open early with a five-run third inning. With the loss, the Falcons are now 14-21 (8-8 MAC) overall. Kent State improves to 21-20 (10-6 MAC) with the victory.

KSU jumped on the Falcons early in the ballgame, using a good offensive approach to work deep into counts. Falcon starter Cody Apthorpe, who came into the game sporting the MAC's fourth-best ERA, would only last 2.1 innings on the night.

Apthorpe would fall victim to a series of tough calls to begin the bottom of the third. KSU's leadoff batter would lay down a bunt in front of the plate to begin the inning. Apthorpe would pick the ball up and fire to first, with Derek Toadvine beating it out on a bang-bang play. After a balk advanced him to second, and a passed ball to third, the Flashes were in business with nobody out.

Kent State would bat around, scoring five times in the inning. Ethan McKenney would relieve Apthorpe with one out and the bases loaded in the inning. After surrendering a sacrifice fly, McKenney would work out of the jam to keep the game from getting out of hand.

McKenney would do a nice job out of the bullpen, but an error by the Falcons would extend the fifth inning, with KSU scoring three more runs in the frame. With a 9-0 lead after five, freshman right-hander Devin Daugherty would come in to pitch the sixth for the Orange and Brown.

Daugherty would do an outstanding job out of the Falcons' pen, going the final three innings. Daugherty would allow just one run, an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth. The outing was the second-longest of Daugherty's career, falling just short of the 3.2-inning outing against Eastern Michigan earlier this month.

The Falcons would score three runs with one swing of the bat in the top of the sixth inning against KSU starter Taylor Williams. With the bases loaded and two outs, Williams would serve a pitch out over the plate to BGSU junior Brandon Howard. Howard would smack the pitch into right-center field, clearing the bases and bringing the Falcons to within 9-3 at the time.

The Falcons would get their fourth run of the game in the top of the ninth, set up by two pinch-hitters reaching base. Freshman Matt Smith would double into the left field corner with one out in the inning. Fred Sharp would follow that with a walk. A Jake Thomas RBI walk with two outs in the ninth would score Smith.

Jeremy Shay continued to be a tough out during Mid-American Conference play, recording two more hits in the game. He teamed up with fellow junior, Patrick Lancaster, who contributed three hits for the Orange and Brown.

The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, looking to even up the series at 1 p.m. Mike Frank will toe the rubber for Bowling Green. Tyler Skulina will oppose him on the mound for Kent State.