Falcons Swept In Doubleheader At Western Michigan Friday

Friday, March 18

Kalamazoo, MI

1:00 PM EST

Bowling Green State University

7-10

Western Michigan

2-12

Bowling Green

Western Michigan

March 18, 2016 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

Final Statistics Game 1: HTML | PDF
Final Statistics Game 2: HTML | PDF

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University baseball team was swept in a doubleheader at Western Michigan University on Friday at Hyames Field. The Falcons dropped game one, 1-0, before losing 6-5 in walk-off fashion in the second game.

The Falcons plated two runs in the seventh to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead, as Matt Smith and Randy Righter plated one apiece with singles, but Western Michigan knotted the game at 5-5 in the seventh prior to Nick Vogelmeier's walk-off bunt single.

"We will just have to flush these two games quickly with a doubleheader tomorrow," said head coach Danny Schmitz. "We didn't give up in the second game, but we just didn't play well enough today."

With the sweep, Western Michigan improves to 3-12, while Bowling Green is on a five-game losing streak and owns a 7-11 record.

After being shutout in the first game, the Falcons took a 2-0 lead in game two with a two-run first.

Bowling Green was quickly in business after a Kory Brown leadoff single and a Riley Minorik double. Matt Smith then grounded out to short, allowing Brown to score. BGSU's next batter, Greg Basalyga, promptly singled home Minorik. And four batters into the game, the Orange and Brown had three hits and a two-run lead.

However, Western Michigan would quickly answer, plating a run apiece in the second and third, and two runs in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead. Bowling Green starter Zach Kendall logged the first three innings, while Devin Daugherty entered to start the fourth.

Smith would pull the Falcons within one at 4-3 with a single that scored Cam Daugherty in the fifth, and Daugherty – who picked up his third win on the year – went on throw a scoreless sixth prior to Bowling Green's two-run seventh.

Brown, Minorik, Smith and Righter recorded two hits apiece for the Orange and Brown. Smith had three RBI in the loss. Tony Landi entered to pitch the seventh for the Falcons, and was charged with the loss.

Game one, which lasted seven innings, was dominated by the starting pitchers. C.J. Schildt worked out of some early jams, and pitched a complete game, allowing just one unearned run, but was the tough-luck loser. Schildt allowed three hits, struck out four, and walked one.

Keegan Akin got the win for the Broncos, pitching all seven innings while striking out nine and walking two. WMU scored its lone run in the sixth. With two outs and nobody on base, Schildt hit Tanner Allison with a pitch. Allison then moved over to third on a failed pickoff attempt, and scored on a wild pitch.

In the first, Schildt put runners on first and second with only one out, but a strikeout gave him a chance to work out of the trouble unscathed. The southpaw then loaded the bases with a walk, but fanned Jimmy Roche to leave the bases loaded. In the second, Schildt induced a fly out to strand a runner at third.

Schildt then settled in, and worked perfect innings in the third and fourth, before escaping another jam in the fifth. The lefty set the first two runners down, but a two-out rally for WMU put runners on first and second. A grounder to short allowed Schildt to leave two more runners on base.

The Falcons had a good chance to get on the board in the third, when Cody Callaway led off the frame with a single up the middle, and eventually sat on third with one out. Justin Mott also reached base, and he moved over to second with two outs, but Akin worked out of the jam. Bowling Green left runners on second and again once more in the fifth.

Both teams had three hits in game one. Two of Bowling Green's hits were registered by Cody Callaway. The sophomore went 2-for-3 with a double. Greg Basalyga had BGSU's other hit.

The Falcons and Broncos will wrap up the rare home-and-home doubleheader tomorrow at Steller Field. The first game is scheduled for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch, with the second game beginning approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.