Bowling Green Drops Series Opener At Miami Saturday

Saturday, April 9

Oxford, OH

3:00 PM EST

Bowling Green State University

11-19, 2-5

Miami

13-15, 4-3

Bowling Green

Miami

April 09, 2016 | Baseball

Box Score

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

Final Statistics: HTML | PDF

OXFORD, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team lost by a score of 5-1 to the Miami University RedHawks on Saturday (April 9) afternoon at McKie Field. The RedHawks took a 1-0 lead in the second, and never relinquished the lead throughout the rest of the ballgame.

"It was pretty simple today, we didn't get the clutch hits that we needed," said head coach Danny Schmitz. "We put runners in scoring position, but didn't get enough big hits. Our pitching let us hang around, but we needed to start bringing runners home."

Bowling Green falls to 11-19 (2-5 MAC) with the loss. The RedHawks of Miami improve to 13-15 (4-3 MAC) with the victory. Bowling Green still has a chance to claim the series during tomorrow's doubleheader.

Miami was able to jump out to an early 2-0 lead through four innings. The RedHawks scored once in the second, and once more in the fourth.

In the second, Bowling Green starter C.J. Schildt set down the first two batters, but after a walk, a failed pickoff attempt moved the Miami runner into scoring position. A two-out infield single put Miami on the board. In the fourth, Gary Russo gave Miami a two-run lead with a solo home run.

Bowling Green put a runner in scoring position in the first, third and sixth, but couldn't bring the runner home in all three frames. Kory Brown led off the ballgame with a double, and moved over to third with just one out, but two-straight Falcon batters were set down, leaving Brown 90 feet away from home plate.

In the third, it was Justin Mott who led off the inning with a base hit. Brown then drew a walk with one-out, but again, two batters were retired consecutively to end the threat. Matt Smith recorded a one-out single in the sixth, and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Logan Giddings flew out to right to leave Smith in scoring position.

Miami tacked on another run in the sixth to take a 3-0 lead. Russo tripled with one out, and later scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Falcons knocked out Miami starter Gus Graham in the seventh, as the righty walked both Mott and Nick Glanzman with two outs, but Nick Ernst entered for the RedHawks and quickly retired Brown to end the inning.

Schildt exited the game after an RBI double in the seventh gave Miami a 4-0 lead. The southpaw lasted 6.2 innings, allowing six hits while striking out six batters and walking one.

The Falcons finally broke through in the top of the eighth to get on the board. Smith yanked a triple down the right-field line, and then Greg Basalyga brought him home with a ground out. Basalyga's RBI brought Bowling Green within three runs at 4-1, but Miami tacked on another run in the bottom of the frame and held off Bowling Green in the ninth.

Bowling Green and Miami conclude the three-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader, starting at noon. The doubleheader was originally scheduled for 1 p.m., but was moved up an hour after today's game. Friday's game was cancelled, forcing the two schools to play a doubleheader on Sunday. Bowling Green will return to Steller Field for four home games next week. The Falcons will take on Dayton on Wednesday, before a three-game series versus Ohio across April 15-17.