Quick Start Propels Falcons To 5-3 Victory At Murray State

Friday, February 21

Murray, KY

2:00 p.m. CT

Bowling Green State University

2-2

Murray State University

2-2

Bowling Green

Murray State

February 21, 2014 | Baseball

Box Score

BGSU scores four runs in first two innings and hangs on for win Friday

By: by Scott Swegan, BGSU Athletic Communications

Box Score

MURRAY, Ky.—The Bowling Green State University baseball team scored four runs in the first two innings, and hung on for a 5-3 victory, on Friday at Murray State. The Falcons improve to 2-2 with the win.

BGSU got off to a quick start in the first inning against MSU starter Andrew Bramley. Brian Bien extended his on-base streak to seven consecutive games dating back to 2013 with a one-out walk in the first inning. Jeremy Shay, the next batter, would smack a triple over the rightfielder's head, scoring Bien all the way from first and giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead. That hit by Shay would extend his streak of consecutive games reaching base to 18 games. T.J. Losby would be hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners with just one out in the top of the first. The next batter, Andrew Kubuski, would turn on a pitch, but his liner would strike Losby running from first to second, to keep runners on the corners with two outs. Logan Walker would come up clutch, as he would single into right field to score Shay from third and give the Falcons a 2-0 lead after just half an inning.

Fifth-year senior Cody Apthorpe struggled to get into the flow of the game early on, as he would walk the first batter and allow a single to the next hitter. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Murray State appeared poised to answer the Falcons in the bottom of the first. Apthorpe would strike out the three-hole hitter Anthony Bayus, locking him up on a beautiful 3-2 changeup for the first out of the inning. The next batter, Kollin Dowdy, would strike out swinging for the second out. Apthorpe would then escape the jam with another strikeout, this one also coming on a changeup from the right-hander.

To start the second inning, Bowling Green would display their speed to get two runners on. Brandon Howard began the inning with a perfectly-placed bunt down the third base line for a single. Howard would then steal second on catcher Rick Linton, and advanced to third on Patrick Lancaster's drag-bunt single. A Bien sacrifice fly would score Howard, and a Shay double would score Lancaster to give the Falcons a 4-0 lead after just an inning and a half.

Murray State head coach Rob McDonald would make a pitching change with two outs in the top of the second, and lefty Sheldon Baxter would retire the next 15 Falcons—lasting all the way until the top of the 7th—without allowing a Falcon base runner.

The Thoroughbreds would get on the board with a run in the bottom of the fourth with two outs. That run ended an unprecedented streak for Falcon starting pitching, as they went the first 18.0 innings of 2014 without allowing an earned run.

MSU would get two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, courtesy of a two-run double off of Jason Link. The runs were charged to Apthorpe, however, as he exited the game with two runners on base in the bottom of the fifth.

The Falcons would add an insurance run in the top of the eighth, as a Jesse Rait single would score Kubuski to give the Falcons a 5-3 lead.

Ethan McKenney would convert a seven-out save, pitching the final 2.1 innings to close out the game and give him his first save of the season.

The two teams will continue their weekend series on Saturday afternoon, when the Falcons take on the 'Breds at 2:00 p.m. CT at Johnny Reagan Field.

Notes
*Cody Apthorpe has now pitched 234.0 innings in his career, seventh-most in school history.

*T.J. Losby has now played in 113 consecutive games for the Falcons, dating back to the final game of the 2011 season.

*Patrick Lancaster extended his hitting streak to seven games and his on-base streak to eight games on Friday.

*Andrew Kubuski stretched both his hitting streak and on-base streak to five games on Friday.

*Jeremy Shay went 2-for-4 on Friday with a double and triple. He added two RBI and scored a run.

*Bowling Green's starting pitching started the 2014 season without allowing an earned run over the first 18.0 innings pitched.