Falcons Break Program Record For Walks Drawn In A Single Season, Split Day Against Oakland

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team split the series with the Oakland Grizzlies on Wednesday (May 1), falling in the first game, but winning the second 19-8. Over the two games, the Falcons scored a combined total of 37 runs with 18 in the first and 19 in the second. The split results move BGSU to 25-15 on the season, the most wins in a season for the Falcons since recording 25 in 2015. The Falcons are also now 12-1 when playing at home with the first game counting as a road contest.

BGSU added 19 walks to their season tally between the two games, breaking the program record for walks in a single season with 257. The record was previously set at 253 in 1978 and had stood for 46 years. Nathan Archer moved up his name in the record book in four different stats, two career and two season, while Jack Krause entered the top 10 all-time for career walks. Sam Seidel also matched the program record for doubles in a game with three during the day's first game, becoming the 13th player in program history, and the first since 2010, to hit the mark.

HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME 1

Beginning the game on Tuesday, April 2 in Rochester, Mich., the Falcons put together a two-out rally in the first. DJ Newman hit a line drive up the middle in the first for a single. Tyler Ross was hit by a pitch to put two on before a Jack Krause single to right field scored Newman for the 1-0 lead.
In the next at-bat, Bowling Green attempted a double steal. Krause was caught on the base paths, but stalled long enough for Ross to score for a 2-0 BGSU lead.
Oakland tied it in the bottom of the first with a bloop single to shallow left with runners on second and third for a 2-2 tally.
The Golden Grizzlies brought their first inning total to eight runs for an 8-2 lead after one played.
The Falcons loaded the bases in the second inning. Landon Roque and Brady Birchmeier both singled followed by a Cooper McKenzie walk. A passed ball allowed all runners to advance, including Roque scoring to cut into the lead 8-3.
Oakland added a pair of runs in the second for a 10-3 score.
Newman delivered a response for the Falcons, sending a solo home run out to right to chip away at the score, 10-4.
Newman's blast provided a spark for BGSU. Ross walked and Krause sent a ball sky high that landed for a single. Another walk, this one to Gavin Ganun, loaded the bases. Roque stepped in and smashed a double off the left field wall, scoring both Ross and Krause to trim the score to 10-6 and prompt a pitching change.
After the change on the mound, the Falcons kept the pressure on. McKenzie smacked a double to center, scoring Ganun and Roque to cut the deficit down to 10-8.
Nathan Archer drew a walk to put two on. Sam Seidel found the right center gap for a double, scoring McKenzie to inch closer with a 10-9 score.
The rally continued with Newman, who started the inning with a home run, drawing a walk to load the bases. Ross then ripped a double to the left center wall, scoring Archer and Seidel to put BGSU in front, 11-10.
A sacrifice fly for Oakland in the bottom half of the third tied the game at 11-11.
After a scoreless fourth, Seidel began the fifth with a drive to deep center field, advancing to third on the play with a double in the scorebook. Newman put a ball in play with a grounder to score Seidel and push BGSU back in front, 12-11.
Krause reached via walk and scored on a Ganun single to make it a 13-11 lead. Roque followed with a walk to put two runners on. TJ Takats was called on as a pinch hitter, hitting a three-run home run, his first at the collegiate level, to make it a 16-11 score.
A bases loaded double for Oakland in the bottom of the fifth followed by a two-run home run cut the lead to 16-15. A steal of home on a walk tied the game at 16-16.
In the sixth, Newman began the inning with a single to shallow center. He moved up to second on a grounder, took third on wild pitch and scored on a Krause single to put the Falcons back on top, 17-16.
A two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth swung the score back to Oakland at 18-17.
The game was put on pause following the sixth inning after the umpires deemed it unsafe to continue and was picked up on Wednesday (May 1) in Bowling Green.
Picking the game up in the seventh, Seidel ripped a double to deep left field. A fly out from Zack Horky was enough to bump Seidel to third before scoring on a Leighton Banjoff single to left center to tie the game at 18-18.
Oakland logged three runs in the bottom of the seventh to reclaim the lead at 21-18.

STAT LEADERS, GAME 2

Sam Seidel: 3-for-7, 3 2B, 1 RBI, 3 R
DJ Newman: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB
TJ Takats: 2-for-2, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
Landon Roque: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
Jack Krause: 3-for-6, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB
Cooper McKenzie: 3-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB
Tyler Ross: 1-for-1, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP

HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME 2

Nathan Archer took the first Oakland pitch of the game yard, going deep to right field for a 1-0 BGSU lead.
Oakland responded with a two-run home run in the top of the second to move in front before adding another in the inning for a 3-1 advantage.
The Falcons responded in the bottom half. TJ Takats drew a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Cooper McKenzie pulled a single into shallow left center, enough to score Takats.
Archer legged out an infield single to put two on for BGSU. Caden Parker laced a single right up the middle, scoring McKenzie with Parker taking second on an error in the field.
Jack Krause wasted no time before bringing two more in for the Falcons. Krause barreled a ball into the right field corner for a double, scoring both Archer and Parker for a 5-3 BGSU advantage. After an out, Oakland made the first pitching change of the game.
After the change, Sam Seidel crushed a triple into right field to score Krause and extend the lead to 6-3 entering the third inning.
A three-run home run for Oakland in the top of the third tied the game at 6-6.
The Falcons reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the third. Back-to-back-to-back singles from Takats, Gavin Ganun and McKenzie added a tally with Takats scoring on McKenzie's hit for a 7-6 lead.
Archer immediately added to the advantage with a three-run home run in the next at-bat, his second round-trip of the day, for a 10-6 BGSU lead through three played.
Oakland added one in the fourth to bring the score to 10-7.
Landon Roque began the bottom of the fourth with a high fly that dropped for a single and Takats was hit by a pitch. With two runners on, Ganun sent a double over the head of Oakland's left fielder, bringing both runners home. In the next at-bat, Archer continued his strong day by trading places with Ganun on a double for a 13-7 BGSU score.
After a walk to Parker, Krause obliterated a ball into the center field trees for a three-run blast, pushing the lead 16-7.
Banjoff continued the rally, getting a double to drop in the outfield's Bermuda Triangle of converging fielders. Roque made it count with a high fly ball over the fence in right center for an 18-7 advantage.
In the fifth, Ganun drew a walk to start the inning and took second on a balk. A groundout pushed him to third before another balk scored him for a 19-7 score and an Oakland pitching change.

STAT LEADERS, GAME 2

Kade Arn: W (1-1), 3.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R/ER, 4 K
Owen Poole: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 2 K
Nathan Archer: 4-for-5, 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R
Jack Krause: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB
Landon Roque: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Sam Seidel: 3-for-5, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Leighton Banjoff: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 R
Gavin Ganun: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB
Cooper McKenzie: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R

FALCON STAT FACTS

As a team, the Falcons drew six walks in the game to bring the team's season total to 257, breaking the program record. The previous record was set at 253 and had stood since 1978, standing for 46 years.
Bowling Green has now scored 10+ runs in 21 of their team's 40 games this year and have reached seven runs in 29 of them.
Hitting a home run in his first at-bat of the second game and another later in the game, Nathan Archer pushed his home run total for the season to 16, now tied for fourth all-time in program history for single-season home runs with Scott Dukate (2011). The first hit also extended Archer's on-base streak to 11 games.
Archer's home runs brought his career home run total to 33, moving him up to a tie for sixth all-time with Len Elias (1999-2002) in the record book. Archer scored four times in the game, bringing his total to 59 this season giving him sole possession of eighth on the single-season runs scored list, passing Lee Morrison's 55 from 2001.
Archer's day brought his career total bases to 319, moving him into the top 10 all-time for that stat as well. Archer is now tied for 10th with Eric Lawson (2004-07).
Jack Krause ripped a double in the second inning of the game to further his on-base streak to 30 games, the second-longest on the team, both active and overall. Krause also drew multiple walks on the day, bringing his career total to 95. The mark moved him into the top 10 all-time for career walks, passing Brian Hangbers (2006-09) with 94 for 10th.
With three doubles in the first game against Oakland, Sam Seidel matched the program record for doubles in a game. Seidel is the 13th player in program history to do it and the first since Dennis Vaughn on March 9, 2010.
Seidel logged a hit in each game for the Falcons, bringing his on-base streak to all 33 games he's played in this season. Going back to last year, Seidel has reached in 44 straight for Bowling Green.
With the stats from the first Oakland game now official, DJ Newman has a hitting streak of 15 games for the Falcons, dating back to March 30. Newman is one game away from breaking into the BGSU record book for the stat.
Leighton Banjoff logged multiple hits in the game for the Falcons, extending his on-base streak to 17 games for the Orange and Brown.
Kade Arn snagged the win for the Falcons, marking his first at the collegiate level. Arn pitched a career-high 3.2 innings and struck out a career-high four batters.
Owen Poole made his first appearance at Steller Field as a Falcon and his first outing since April 5. Poole tossed one inning for BGSU and struck out two.

UP NEXT
Bowling Green will stay at home for their next three games, hosting the Western Michigan Broncos in a three-game series this weekend. Friday (May 3) will be a 3 p.m. start with 1 p.m. first pitches for both Saturday (May 4) and Sunday (May 5). Saturday will also be Star Wars Day and Graduation before the game for BGSU baseball's graduating student-athletes.

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