Falcons Buck Broncos Behind Basalyga’s Two Bombs

Saturday, May 13

Bowling Green, Ohio

1:05 PM

Bowling Green State University

Western Michigan

May 13, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

Final Statistics: PDF | HTML
Photo Gallery: Bianca Garza (BGSU Marketing & Communications)

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team, behind two home runs from senior Greg Basalyga and a wild eighth-inning rally, claimed its weekend series over Western Michigan University on Saturday (May 13) with an 8-5 win. The game, which saw Bowling Green score four runs in the eighth to secure the come-from-behind victory, was played at Steller Field. Basalyga finished the day with five RBI.

The win keeps Bowling Green alive for a berth in the upcoming MAC Tournament. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, the Falcons will still have a strong chance to stay mathematically alive for another weekend. With a win, BGSU's chances of making the conference tournament increase dramatically.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 14-31 overall. Bowling Green is 9-14 in Mid-American Conference play. BGSU has now earned two more MAC wins than it did all of last season. With the loss, Western Michigan drops to 19-27 (8-12 MAC).

Western Michigan took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth inning with a two-run blast from Tyler Frank. However, the Falcons went on to score four runs with two outs in the bottom of the inning.

With Jake Wilson on first, having reached on a fielder's choice, Derek Drewes went on to coax a two-out walk. Randy Righter then stepped to the plate, and smashed a two-run double over the center fielder's head, giving the Falcons a 6-5 advantage. Basalyga was next to the pate, and he crushed a two-run bomb that reached outer space before dropping over the left-field fence.

Kody Brown, who entered in the eighth after WMU took the lead, loaded the bases in the ninth, but pitched out of the jam, picking up his second win in as many days in the process. The southpaw hurled 2.0 innings on the afternoon, allowing two hits, while striking out one and walking one.

Basalyga's first home run came back in the third inning, and it was just as big. Western Michigan scored single runs in the second and third, but Basalyga rocketed a three-run blast to left in the bottom of the third to give the Orange and Brown a 3-2 lead.

The lead was short lived, however, as the Broncos hit two doubles in the fourth to knot the ballgame at 3-3. Wilson came through with his fourth RBI on the weekend in the sixth to break the tie. Wilson, who hit a walk-off single in the series opener, gave the Falcons a 4-3 lead by shooting a single up the middle that scored Jeff Scott. Scott doubled to begin the frame.

Nathan Lohmeier protected the lead by leaving the bases loaded in the seventh. He also left the base juiced in the sixth, as well. He entered the game with two outs and the bases loaded. On a full-count pitch, he gassed the WMU batter to keep the game tied, 3-3. In Lohmeier's 1.1 innings, he walked two, stuck out one, and yielded two hits.

Bowling Green continued to lead by a score of 4-3 until the wild eighth, which saw both teams combined for six runs. Righter's two-run double in the frame allowed him to finish the day 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.

Basalyga homered twice for the first time in his career, and tied his career high in total bases with eight. The senior now has eight home runs on the season, which pushes his career total to 17. Basalyga's five RBI established a season high. He has now had five RBI in a single game on three separate occasions.

Wilson also had two hits, as he went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI. BGSU's other hits were notched by Drewes, Scott and Riley Minorik.

Bowling Green and Western Michigan will conclude its three-game series tomorrow afternoon at Steller Field. First pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m. Prior to the game, seniors Greg Basalyga, Nick Glanzman, Tony Landi, Addison Rospert and C.J. Schildt will be honored for their careers at BGSU.