Falcons Advance To MAC Championship Game With 1-0 Win Over Toledo

Saturday, May 25

Avon, Ohio

12:30 pm

Bowling Green State University

22-29

University of Toledo

25-32

Bowling Green

Toledo

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

Falcons Advance To MAC Championship Game With 1-0 Win Over Toledo

May 25, 2013 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BGSU will play Ball State on Sunday at 12:00 pm in MAC Championship game

By: by Scott Swegan, BGSU Athletic Communications

Box Scores: Game One | Game Two Postgame Video: Danny Schmitz | Cody Apthorpe | Final Out
Updated Bracket | Ticket Information

AVON, Ohio—For the first time since 1999, the Bowling Green State University baseball team will play for a Mid-American Conference Championship. The Falcons advanced with a 1-0 win over the University of Toledo on Saturday afternoon, after being pushed to an elimination game with a 5-2 loss in game one.

Cody Apthorpe turned in a gutsy performance in the second game, throwing seven scoreless innings on two days rest to earn the win. Apthorpe, a native of Windham, Ohio, scattered just six hits in his seven innings.

The second game stayed tied until the bottom of the sixth. In the first 14 innings of play on Saturday, the Orange and Brown managed just six hits. However, Nick Glanzman and Matt Pitzulo would both lay down perfect bunts to reach base via single to begin the sixth. After a sacrifice bunt from T.J. Losby advanced both runners into scoring position, Patrick Lancaster would deliver with a sacrifice fly to deep right field to score Glanzman.

That would be all that the Falcons would need, as Apthorpe, Ethan McKenney, and Nick Bruns would combine to finish off the Rockets for the fifth time in 2013.

Toledo showed their biggest threat of the second game in the top of the eighth, when centerfielder Tyler Grogg tripled into the left-center field gap with two outs. McKenney would recover though, making a pitch to get an inning-ending ground out to third.

The Falcons' defense was superb throughout, turning two double plays and making numerous other spectacular defensive plays.

Bruns, the Falcons' senior closer, would come on in the ninth looking for his sixth save of the season. The first batter would strike out, before a fly out to Lancaster in center would retire the second batter of the inning. Bruns would get Toledo's Ben Hammer on strikes to end the game and send the Falcons to the MAC Championship game.

With Avon, Ohio and All Pro Freight Stadium less than two hours from Bowling Green, the Falcons can use all the support they can get on Sunday at 12:00 pm. Ticket information can be found by CLICKING HERE, while MAC Tournament information can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.

The Falcons were pushed to the brink with a 5-2 setback in Saturday's first game to Toledo. The Falcons, much like they have all week, were able to bounce back with their back's against the wall to advance by winning a close second game.

Sunday's championship game will decide the Mid-American Conference's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament. Sunday championship appearance will be the first for the Falcons since 1999.