Schmitz Wins 600th Career Game As Falcons Sweep Doubleheader

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score | Photo Gallery

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio—With a 14-6 win in game one of a doubleheader sweep over Akron on Saturday afternoon, head coach Danny Schmitz became just the third skipper in Mid-American Conference history with 600 career victories. After being presented with a team-signed ball between games, the Falcons would get Coach Schmitz his 601st career win with a 5-1 defeat in the night cap. With the two wins, the Falcons are now riding a six-game winning streak, improving their record to 13-19 (8-6 MAC) in the process.

In game one, the Falcons tied their season-high for runs in a game, beating the visiting Zips 14-6. Jeremy Shay led the charge for the Orange and Brown, knocking two home runs to the opposite field in a game that he went 4-for-5 in with three runs scored and four RBI. Junior Andrew Kubuski also reached base via walk in the contest to extend his on-base streak to 20 consecutive games.

Cody Apthorpe battled through five innings of work, as the defense committed four errors behind him which would lead to five unearned runs. Apthorpe went five innings, allowing just one earned run. The earned run that crossed the plate in the top of the third against Apthorpe snapped a streak of 25 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run.

All of the offense came in the early going of the first game, as the Falcons would lead 11-3 after just three innings.

Shay's two-run home run to right field got the Falcons on the board in the first inning, as Jesse Rait was driven in on the big fly. Rait had tripled to get on base in the inning.

Akron would take the lead in the top of the third, as the Falcons' defense of old returned, committing two errors in the inning, leading to the final two runs of the inning being unearned.

Bowling Green would respond in a huge way, sending 13 batters to the plate and scoring nine to take the lead for good after the bottom of the third. After a leadoff walk to Kubuski, three of the next four batters would get on base. Following a strikeout, the Falcons had the bases loaded and two outs. The next six batters would proceed to reach base, the big play of the inning coming on a three-run error committed by the Akron defense. Rait would hit a fly ball into the left-centerfield gap, a ball that Akron LF Jared Turocy would amazingly run down. However, Turocy would drop the ball, allowing all three Falcons to come around and score.

The Zips would get three more unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning, as the Bowling Green defense committed two more errors in the frame.

Bowling Green would leave no doubt, scoring three runs over the next two innings to give Ethan McKenney a 14-6 lead as he entered the game in the top of the sixth.

McKenney would go the final four innings for his second save of the season, striking out four and allowing just two hits.

Following the on-field ceremony to recognize Schmitz between games, redshirt junior Mike Frank would make sure that the Falcons came home with the game two victory, as well.

Frank would dominate Akron on Saturday afternoon, going eight innings and striking out a career-high eight Akron batters. Frank would carry a no-hitter with him until a one-out single in the top of the seventh. The Maumee, Ohio native would pick up his third win of the season, improving his overall record to 3-5.

Akron starter John Valek held the Falcons' offense at bay for the first three innings, before the Orange and Brown would strike for a three-spot in the bottom half of the fourth.

A Logan Walker single with one out in the inning would score Shay to get the Falcons on the scoreboard. Jake Thomas would eventually single to score two runners and put the Falcons on top 3-0.

Shay would double home Rait in the bottom of the fifth to put Bowling Green on top 4-0. Rait had led off the inning with an infield single, advancing to second on a throwing error by Akron. As he did all afternoon, Shay would deliver with his third extra-base hit of the afternoon for the RBI.

After breaking up Frank's no-hitter with one out in the seventh, Devan Ahart would come around to score from first on a two-out double into right-centerfield.

The Falcons would add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Senior Nick Bruns did not give the Zips a chance in the ninth, finishing off the doubleheader sweep of Akron.

Riding a six-game winning streak, the Falcons will hand the ball to Trevor Blaylock on Sunday afternoon. Coach Schmitz's ball club will look for their second straight sweep in Mid-American Conference play, with a 1 p.m. first pitch at Warren E. Steller Field.

What others are saying about Danny Schmitz and his 600th career victory

"I have a great amount of respect for how Coach Schmitz prepares his baseball team. I feel that the best coaches always get their teams to play hard and play smart. Under the direction of Coach Schmitz, the Bowling Green State (University) Baseball Team has always played hard and smart. Because of this, I consider Coach Schmitz as an outstanding mentor to his players and a great representative of Bowling Green State University. He is a true professional."
–Tony Vittorio, Head Baseball Coach, University of Dayton

“Congratulations to Coach Schmitz on No. 600! It is a great achievement showing his endurance and continuous success through his 23 years. Coaching against him, you could see his stamp on the program by the way his players played and respected the game, the way they were taught the fundamentals of baseball, and the competitive fire they brought to the field each game. I sincerely respect Danny for his contribution not only to the Mid-American Conference, but to college baseball as a whole. My heartiest congratulations, Coach!”
-Rick Rembielak, Head Baseball Coach, University of Akron

“Danny runs a first-class program and I owe a great deal of my professional success in coaching to him for his leadership in my eight years as assistant coach at Bowling Green State University.”
--Tod Brown, Head Baseball Coach, North Dakota State University (Former BGSU assistant under Danny Schmitz)

“Danny Schmitz and I have been great friends for a long time. He is one of the most fundamentally and technically sound coaches I have ever been around. His teams were always so well coached and represented Bowling Green State University in a first class manner. I'm not surprised he has reached this milestone and I wish him the best of luck for the remainder of his career.”
--Joe Carbone, Former Head Baseball Coach, Ohio University

“Danny Schmitz has done an outstanding job at Bowling Green. He has made the most with limited resources to field a competitive team year in and year out. Danny's teams are fundamentally sound and know how to compete. He's done things the right way for a long time and his success in noteworthy. It has always been a battle every time we played one of his teams. Hats off to Danny in his outstanding coaching career.“
--Rich Maloney, Head Baseball Coach, Ball State University (Former Head Baseball Coach at University of Michigan)

"Bowling Green is very lucky to have a coach, like Coach Schmitz, that dedicates himself and his program to hard work, integrity, and excellence. I couldn't have been more grateful or blessed to have had a college coach that instilled those things in me. Congratulations, Coach!"
--Burke Badenhop, Current Relief Pitcher, Milwaukee Brewers (Former player at BGSU for Danny Schmitz)

Career Milestone Victories
1^st win: March 9, 1991—6-3 W at Eastern Kentucky
100^th win: April 26, 1995—3-1 W at Ball State
200^th win: March 6, 1999—9-8 W vs. Pittsburgh (Homestead, Fla.)
250^th win: April 15, 2000—8-4 W vs. Marshall
300^th win: February 17, 2002—15-11 W at Tennessee
400^th win: April 29, 2005—5-0 W vs. IPFW
500^th win: March 31, 2009—8-3 W at Michigan
600^th win: April 20, 2013—14-6 W vs. Akron

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Team Stats

Jeremy Shay

Matthew Pitzulo

Jesse Rait

T.J. Losby

Upcoming Events

Recent Results