Falcons Split Friday Doubleheader At OVC-Favorite SEMO

Friday, February 13

Cape Girardeau, MO

2:00 p.m. ET

Bowling Green State University

1-0

Southeast Missouri State

0-1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Bowling Green	0	0	1	3	1	0	1	1	0	0	7	11	1
Southeast Missouri	1	0	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	X	6	9	2

February 13, 2015 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Orange and Brown will look for series win tomorrow at 1:00 pm ET

By: by Scott Swegan, BGSU Athletic Communications

Final Statistics: Game 1 | Game 2
Postgame Audio: Howard, Brandon | Schmitz, Danny

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo.—The Bowling Green State University baseball program split a pair of games to open their 2015 season on Friday afternoon against Southeast Missouri State University. The Falcons won the first game of the day, 7-6, before dropping the second game to the Ohio Valley Conference-favorite Redhawks, 6-5.

"I was very pleased with our effort on the first day of our 2015 season. To only commit one error in a doubleheader after not having practiced outside since October is very encouraging. There are several facets that we will continue to work on improving as we move forward this season, but we are excited to have a chance to win a series when we take the field tomorrow afternoon."

Game One - Bowling Green 7, Southeast Missouri 6
Bowling Green came out in game one and earned a 7-6 victory over the Redhawks of Southeast Missouri to begin the 2015 season. Devin Daugherty earned the win on the mound, while Jason Link threw a scoreless ninth inning for the save. Freshman Randy Righter went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI, while Greg Basalyga set a new career high with three hits.

Early on, as both teams settled into the new season and BGSU saw their first action outside since October, SEMO got on the board with a two-out double into the right-center field gap. Starter Andrew Lacinak was able to work out of any further trouble, after a two-out error put another SEMO runner in scoring position.

Lacinak was solid in his first outing, surrendering four runs in four innings pitched while striking out three. He left the game in line for the win, throwing 76 pitches before reaching his pitch count for the season opener. He was relieved in the top of the fifth by junior Devin Daugherty.

Speed was a key for the Falcons all day long, as newcomer, and captain, Kory Brown began the top of the third inning by reaching on an error. Brown's speed proved key again later in the inning, as Brandon Howard, the very next batter hit a chopper towards short and Brown beat the throw to second. With Trey Keegan at the dish, Brown was able to come around to score from second on a wild pitch, evening the score at a run apiece in the top of the third.

In the bottom of the third inning, Southeast Missouri would retake the lead on a wacky play. With one out and two runners on, Ryan Rippee drilled a fly ball to deep right field, a ball which Jesse Rait caught against the wall. Banging up against the wall, the ball popped out of Rait's glove on the transfer, but was still ruled a catch. Both runners were able to come around and score on the play, giving the Redhawks a 3-1 lead over the Falcons in the bottom of the third.

Basalyga and Rait began the top of the fourth inning with singles to put the Falcons in business. Batting with two runners on , Righter, a true freshman making his first career start, drilled a three-run, opposite-field home run over the right field wall to give the Falcons a 4-3 lead. SEMO would answer with a solo home run of their own in the bottom half of the inning, but it was tied at four following four innings of play.

Howard, who was on base four times in Friday's first game, started the fifth inning with a walk. He was advanced to second on Brian Bien's sacrifice bunt and then stole third. Keegan's single past the drawn-in infield brought Howard in for the go-ahead run, giving the Orange and Brown a 5-4 lead.

The Redhawks were able to even the score in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Falcons retook the lead for good in the top of the seventh. Once again, Howard got things going in the inning with a one-out single through the left side of the infield. After a stolen base of second, a Bien single brought Howard around to give Bowling Green a 6-5 lead.

Randy Righter's fourth RBI of the day—a fielder's choice ground out—gave the Falcons a 7-5 lead with an insurance run in the top of the eighth. Although SEMO managed a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to close within a run, they could not manage another run as Link recorded his third career save to begin the 2015 season with a victory. The win marked BGSU's first win in a season opener since 2013, when the Falcons defeated Western Kentucky.

Game Two - Southeast Missouri 6, Bowling Green 5
Southeast Missouri jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first in game two, as the first three batters of the game produced two runs for the Redhawks. The leadoff batter singled against Falcon starter Trevor Blaylock, before a double into the gap scored a runner from first. A single through the right side gave SEMO a 2-0 lead, but the Falcons worked out of the inning with a strikeout and two runners caught stealing. Falcon catchers were outstanding, as Trey Keegan and Tyler Greiner combined to gun down six-of-seven base stealers for the Redhawks in the doubleheader.

The Falcons were able to narrow the gap to 2-1 in the top of the third, as Kory Brown once again proved to be a thorn in the Redhawks' side. Brown began the inning with a single on the infield and advanced to second when the Redhawk catcher made an errant pickoff attempt to first base. Brown came around to score, narrowing the deficit to a single run, when Brandon Howard reached on an error later in the inning.

SEMO's lead increased to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, but the Falcons bounced back in the top of the fifth to even the score at three runs apiece. An error and walk issued to the last two hitters in the Falcons' batting order put the Orange and Brown in business to start the inning. Following a walk to the leadoff hitter Howard, the Falcons had the bases loaded with nobody out. A sacrifice fly by Brian Bien gave the Falcons their first run of the inning, and a wild pitch allowed Brown to cross home to tie the score.

The Redhawks took control of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring two runs on four walks to take a 5-3 lead. SEMO managed just one hit in the inning, but scraped across a pair of runs—the first on an infield single and the second on a walk with the bases loaded. In the bottom of the sixth, the Redhawks added an insurance run to take a 6-3 lead into the seventh, and final, inning of the game.

The Falcons made a valiant comeback attempt in the top of the seventh, scoring two runs to make the final deficit 6-5. Brown began the inning by reaching on an error and came around to score on a double by Howard into the right-center field gap. Howard scored to make it 6-5 on a single by Trey Keegan, but the Falcons could not manage anything else in the game.

The two teams will conclude their three-game series at Capaha Field on Saturday (Feb. 14) afternoon. First pitch in the series' rubber match is slated for 1:00 pm ET/12:00 pm CT in Cape Girardeau, Mo. True freshman Zac Carey is expected to make the start on the mound for the Falcons.