Nathan Archer's Five-Hit Day Secures Sweep Over Zips Sunday

Sunday, March 24

Bowling Green, Ohio

1 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Akron

Photo by: Kate Laney, BGSU Athletics

March 24, 2024 | Baseball

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Falcons Tally Third Consecutive MAC Sweep For First Time Since 2008

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team completed the weekend sweep at home on Sunday (March 24) with a 15-5 win over Akron in seven innings at Steller Field. The run-rule victory moves the Falcons to 9-0 to open MAC play, continuing the best MAC start in program history. This also marks three straight MAC sweeps for Bowling Green for the first time since the 2008 campaign.

The Falcons were paced in the win by Nathan Archer's 5-for-5 day at the plate, one shy of matching the program record for hits in a game. Archer also scored four times in the game and hit one of two BGSU doubles. DJ Newman added a 3-for-5 day at the dish with a team-leading four RBI. On the mound, Calvin Mitchell pitched 3.2 scoreless innings for the Falcons out of the bullpen on his way to the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Akron put the first three batters of the game on base with a sacrifice fly scoring the first run of the game for a 1-0 lead. The Zips loaded the bases again, but BGSU worked out of the inning with just one run in the game.
Nathan Archer singled to start the bottom half, but that was the lone action of the inning with a two-out diving catch in right ending the first.
In the second, the Zips tallied another sacrifice fly to extend their lead to 2-0.
The Falcons joined the scoring column in the bottom of the third. Archer legged out an infield single followed by a Sam Seidel single to left center to put two on. Tyler Ross brought everyone home with a three-run blast to left field to push BGSU to a 3-2 lead.
Archer began the fifth inning with a single to left field. A walk to Seidel put two on for the Falcons. DJ Newman hit a high chopper over the third baseman to score Archer from second to increase the lead to 4-2.
Another walk in the inning, this time to Jack Krause, loaded the bases for BGSU, setting up another run for the Falcons with Seidel coming home for a 5-2 score.
In the sixth inning, Gavin Ganun singled to put a runner on with Caden Parker pinch running for him. Garrett Wright was hit by a pitch to put two on with Archer bringing both runners home on a double down the left field line to stretch the lead to 7-2.
Later in the inning, Newman singled through the left side of the infield to score Archer and push the BGSU advantage to 8-2.
Akron came up with an answer in the top of the seventh. A one-out double put a runner on second with a walk and single loading the bases. A single up the middle tallied two for the Zips and prompted a BGSU pitching change with an 8-4 score. The Zips added another run after the change to bring the score to 8-5.
The Falcons quickly responded. Parker began the bottom of the seventh with a double down the right field line. Wright followed with a single into shallow left center, scoring Parker for a 9-5 lead with Akron making a change on the mound.
Archer singled to put another runner on with both runners moving up on a fly out. Newman laced a single up the middle to score both runners and push the lead to 11-5.
The rally continued in the inning with Ross being hit by a pitch and David Silva pinch running for him. Leighton Banjoff put a ball in play that loaded the bases with an error before Krause drew his fourth walk of the day to bring home a run.
Brady Birchmeier then stepped in as a pinch hitter and hit into an error that scored two more BGSU runs. In the next at-bat, Caden Parker singled, scoring Birchmeier, for the 15-5 run-rule final.

STAT LEADERS

Calvin Mitchell: W (2-2), 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 3 K
Nathan Archer: 5-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 4 R
DJ Newman: 3-for-5, 4 RBI, 1 R
Caden Parker: 2-for-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R
Tyler Ross: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R
Garrett Wright: 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 2 R
Jack Krause: 0-for-1, 4 BB, 1 RBI

FALCON STAT FACTS

Nathan Archer posted a perfect 5-for-5 day at the plate for the Falcons, coming one hit shy of tying the program record, held by Jake Thomas in 2012 with six hits.
With the win, the Falcons continue their best start to MAC play in program history, advancing to 9-0.
Bowling Green has now tallied six straight wins for the first time since 2021 and nine straight MAC wins for the first time since 2010.
BGSU has now recorded three straight sweeps in MAC play for the first time since 2008.
The Falcons have registered double-digit runs in eight of their nine MAC contests, averaging 14.8 runs per game against MAC opponents.
Tyler Ross belted a three-run home run in the third inning, his fifth of the season. The trip around the bases extended Ross' on-base streak to 17 games, accounting for every game he's played in this season.
Sam Seidel singled in the third inning to left center that pushed his on-base streak 18 games this season and 29 consecutive games going back to last season. The single also extended Seidel's hitting streak to eight games.
On the mound, Calvin Mitchell came in during the second inning and pitched 3.2 innings for the Falcons, striking out three while not allowing any hits, walks or runs. This marks two consecutive outings for Mitchell without a walk and his first scoreless appearance of the season.
Jack Krause extended his on-base streak to 10 games for Bowling Green with multiple walks in the game. Krause ended with four walks in the game, one shy of the program and MAC records.
Caden Parker's double in the seventh inning marked his first hit at home as a Falcon and his second double of the season. He added a walk-off single in the seventh for his first multiple-hit day as a Falcon.
TJ Takats knocked a single in the fourth inning to bring his on-base streak to 10 games for the Falcons.
DJ Newman posted a multiple-hit day to extend his hitting streak to five games with 14 RBI on the five-game stretch.
Gavin Ganun singled in the sixth inning to stretch his hitting streak to four games for BGSU.
Leighton Banjoff drew a walk in the sixth inning that pushed his on-base streak to six games for the Orange and Brown.
David Silva made his Steller Field debut, pinch running in the seventh inning and scoring for the Falcons.

UP NEXT
The Falcons are set for a midweek contest on Tuesday (March 26) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. That game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start in South Bend, Ind. The Falcons will then play a Thursday-Saturday non-conference series on the road against Xavier. BGSU's next MAC series is against Northern Illinois on April 5-7 and their next home game is scheduled for April 10 at 3 p.m. against Purdue Fort Wayne.

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