22 To Start '22: Falcons' Offense Erupts For Opening Day Victory

Friday, February 18

Hoover, Ala.

4:00 PM EST

Bowling Green State University

1-0

Saint Louis

0-1

Bowling Green

Saint Louis

Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics

February 18, 2022 | Baseball

Box Score BGSU-Saint Louis Box Score Support Our Student-Athletes

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

HOOVER, Ala. – The Bowling Green State University baseball program opened the 2022 season in spectacular fashion, scoring a total of 22 runs against Saint Louis. A four-run second inning got the Falcons started before an eight-run fourth opened the floodgates. Bowling Green added four in the sixth and three in both the seventh and eighth innings for the 22-8 victory. The offensive output is the most runs for the Falcons since the 2012 season and the most on Opening Day since the 1985 campaign. The win gets the Falcons to 1-0 for the first time since 2016. The Orange and Brown will take the field against the Billikens on Saturday (Feb. 19) for the second game of the series, set for a 3:00 p.m. EST first pitch.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Adam Furnas opened the top of the second inning with a single followed by a Nathan Rose walk. Justin Fugitt followed up with a bunt single to load the bases with no outs.
With the bases loaded, Jack Krause singled to right, scoring both Furnas and Rose to put the Falcons up 2-0 early.
With Ryan Johnston at the plate, Fugitt and Krause pulled off a double-steal to score Fugitt and advance Krause to second. Johnston was hit by a pitch later in the at-bat to give BGSU runners at first and second with no outs up 3-0.
Nathan Archer reached on a fielding error to once again load the bases for the Falcons. Tyler Ross then logged a single to score Krause and push the BG lead to 4-0. The Billikens opted for a change on the mound after Krause scored, ending the day for the Saint Louis starter after just 1.1 innings.
After a scoreless third inning, the Falcons erupted for an eight-run fourth. Adam Fallon singled to center, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. In the same at-bat, Ross walked before stealing second himself. A single by Kyle Gurney brought both Fallon and Ross home, pushing the lead to 6-0 BGSU.
In the next at-bat, Adam Furnas doubled down the left field line, pushing Gurney up to third. A Rose single up the middle brought both home to extend the advantage to 8-0.
Later in the fourth, Fallon once again stepped into the box with BGSU batting through the order, this time with the bases loaded. A single to left brought in both Rose and Fugitt for the Orange and Brown to get the Falcons into double-digits.
A throwing error on a pick-off attempt allowed Fallon to advance to second and Krause to third. Nathan Archer followed with a single up the middle to score both Fallon and Krause for a 12-0 BGSU lead and Archer's first collegiate hit.
In the bottom of the fifth the Billikens began to answer. The first runs crossed the plate on a two-run double to right field. Another double would tally the third run for Saint Louis before a wild pitch allowed the fourth run.
After a pitching change, Saint Louis continued to chip away. A bases-loaded walk gave the Billikens their fifth run. Bowling Green answered with another change on the mound with Jeremy Spezia entering.
A fielder's choice allowed another Saint Louis run before the end of the fifth, seeing the Billikens cut the lead in half at 12-6.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the six, Furnas came through once again for the Falcons. A single to right scored both Ross and Johnston.
In the next at-bat, Rose tripled to center, scoring two more for the Falcons to push the lead to 16-6.
The seventh inning saw BGSU add three more runs. The inning began with two walks followed by a single to load the bases. Another walk, drawn by Archer, brought in Krause. A sac-fly from Ross scored Johnston. Later in the inning, Rose singled to scored Archer to push the lead to 19-6.
In the bottom half of the inning, Saint Louis used a two-run single to cut the lead down to 19-8.
In the eighth, Ross belted the first BGSU home run of the season, a three-run round trip, to extend the Falcons' lead to 22-8, clinching the first win of the season.

STAT LEADERS

Adam Furnas: 4-for-7, 3 R, 2 RBI
Nathan Rose: 3-for-6, 5 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB
Tyler Ross: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 SB
Jeremy Spezia: W, 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

FALCON STAT FACTS

Bowling Green's 22 runs are the most for the program since a 22-2 win over Eastern Kentucky on March 17, 2012. That game came just three days after a 24-11 win over Malone.
This is the most runs scored on Opening Day for the Falcons since the start of the 1985 season when BGSU posted 38 runs against Nazareth in a 38-3 final.
The 22 runs for the Falcons are the most given up by Saint Louis since the 2010 season when they lost to Arkansas by a score of 32-8.
Gage Schenk toed the rubber for the Falcons, tossing 4.0+ innings. Schenk held a no-hitter through the first four innings, but a loud fifth saw his exit from the game and the entrance of Logan Bell from the bullpen. Schenk threw 90 pitchers over his four-plus innings, striking out nine with just three hits allowed.
Offensively, Adam Furnas and Nathan Rose paced the Falcons at the plate. Furnas went 4-for-7 at the plate with two doubles, three runs scored and two RBI. As for Rose, he tallied five RBI, tying for the team-lead, on three hits including a triple.
Tyler Ross blasted the first home run of the season for the Falcons, a three-run shot. Ross ended the night with five RBI, three runs scored, two walks and two stolen bases.
Freshman Nathan Archer took the leadoff spot in the order in his first collegiate game. Archer's first hit as a Falcon came in the fourth inning in the form of a two-RBI single.
Jeremy Spezia tossed four lock-down innings out of the pen for the Orange and Brown. Spezia allowed just three hits while striking out four. Just two runs, one earned, crossed the plate with Spezia on the mound.
The win marks the first for the Falcons against Saint Louis in program history. Bowling Green entered the day 0-4 all-time against the Billikens.
Bowling Green advanced to 1-0 with the win, the first win to begin a season since the 2016 season.

COACH HALLOCK'S QUOTE
"Today's game was a great way to start the year. Our offense led the way from start to finish. We showcased our versatility in scoring runs. We played hard and to our identity for about eight of the nine innings as a team. We ran the bases, situationally hit and drove the ball really well. Our starting pitching was outstanding and dominant. The bullpen did a nice job of closing things down. Everyone in our program contributed to tonight's success and now the goal is to play well again tomorrow while taking a step toward cleaning up a few details as we work to reach our potential."

UP NEXT
The Orange and Brown will continue the series against Saint Louis on Saturday (Feb. 19) for the second game of the three-game series. Set for a 3:00 p.m. EST first pitch, Owen Recker will take the bump for the Falcons, facing former Miami RedHawk Logan Schmitt for the Billikens.

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Next Event

Saint Louis

L, 8-9

Feb 19 (Sat)

3:00 PM EST

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Full Schedule

Team Stats

Pitching:

W: Spezia, Jeremy (1-0)

L: G. Fremion (0-1)

Bowling Green

Batting:

2B: Furnas, Adam 2 ; Krause, Jack 1

3B: Rose, Nathan 1

HR: Ross, Tyler 1

RBI: Archer, Nathan 3 ; Ross, Tyler 5 ; Gurney, Kyle 2 ; Furnas, Adam 2 ; Rose, Nathan 5 ; Krause, Jack 2 ; Fallon, Adam 2

SF: Ross, Tyler 1

Base Running:

RUNS: Archer, Nathan 2 ; Ross, Tyler 3 ; Gurney, Kyle 2 ; Furnas, Adam 3 ; Rose, Nathan 2 ; Fugitt, Justin 2 ; Krause, Jack 3 ; Johnston, Ryan 2 ; Montgomery, Mason 1 ; Fallon, Adam 2