Falcons Swept By Ball State In Saturday Doubleheader

Saturday, March 21

Bowling Green, Ohio

12:00 pm ET

Bowling Green State University

5-12, 0-2

Ball State

13-7, 2-0

Ball State

Bowling Green

March 21, 2015 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: by Scott Swegan, BGSU Athletic Communications

Game One: HTML | PDF
Game Two: HTML | PDF

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio—The Bowling Green State University baseball team was swept in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Warren E. Steller Field by the Ball State Cardinals. The visiting Cardinals scored three runs in the eighth inning of both games to pull away from the Falcons, defeating the Orange and Brown by final scores of 6-1 and 5-2.

"Until we buy into the team concept and execute like we need to we are going to continue to struggle," head coach Danny Schmitz began. "We had them on the ropes in the seventh inning of game two; pressure was on Ball State in that situation and we were looking for a quality at-bat. Righter did hit a ball hard there, but I thought we gave them easy outs all day. I did think Zac Carey pitched very well today—he gave us a quality outing—but from an offensive standpoint we really need to be better."

Game One – Ball State 6, Bowling Green 1
Bowling Green got off to a strong start in game one, recording four hits within the first eight batters of the game to take a 1-0 lead. A day after recording just three hits in a 7-0 setback, the Falcons managed that during the first time through the order against Ball State starting pitcher Scott Baker.

Brandon Howard began the bottom of the first with a single up the middle. After two outs were recorded, Trey Keegan chopped a slow roller towards the Ball State third baseman. With speedy Kory Brown on first, he was able to race all the way around to third on the play to give BGSU runners on the corners with two outs. Left fielder Matt Smith delivered, dropping a single in front of the outfield to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.

The Cardinals looked poised to tie the game with a two-out rally in the top of the second, as Sean Kennedy walked to give BSU a baserunner. After a Scott Tyler single through the right side, Colin Brockhouse came to the dish with two runners on base and two outs. Brockhouse laced a single into right field, but Jesse Rait came up throwing home and Keegan applied the tag to retire Kennedy at the dish and keep the Falcons' lead at 1-0.

Rait then singled in the bottom of the second with one away, carrying his individual momentum to the plate after his outfield assist to end the visitor's half of the frame. After a stolen base, Rait advanced to third on a balk by Baker. The Falcons then missed a suicide squeeze attempt, as Rait was hung out to dry between third and home and was tagged out for the second out of the inning.

Momentum shifted from there, as Rait's single was the final hit the Falcons were able to muster off Baker in the game. Baker went the distance, allowing just those four hits while striking out five.

The big inning doomed the Falcons in the first game, as they took their 1-0 lead into the top of the fourth where the Cardinals grabbed the lead for good with three runs of their own. Three walks were followed by a sacrifice fly and a two-run triple to bring all three batters who had walked earlier in the inning home.

BSU then extended their lead with a three-run eighth inning, once again doing all of their damage with two outs. Shortstop Elbert Devarie walked with two away, and after another walk, Tyler delivered a crushing three-run home run to right field, giving the Cardinals a 6-1 lead.

Tony Landi pitched a career high 5.0 innings in relief of Jason Link during game one, throwing just 68 pitches to do so. He was sharp for much of his outing, allowing just two base runners to earn their way on through his first four innings of work.

Game Two – Ball State 5, Bowling Green 2
Missed chances proved costly for the Falcons in Saturday's second game, as they stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh in a tied game, before Ball State broke it open with three runs in the top of the eighth inning.

Freshman Zac Carey got the start for the Falcons on the mound, pitching a career high 5.2 innings and allowing just two runs in the game to the potent Ball State lineup. Both of the Cardinals' runs came in the top of the third inning off Carey, as they got three hits in the frame and took advantage of a Falcons' mistake when the infield could not turn what looked to be a routine double play which would have ended the inning.

Carey seemed to grow up in front of fans' eyes at Steller Field on Saturday, as he came back out in the top of the fourth inning to retire BSU in order. Carey, after allowing two runs in the top of the third, retired nine of the final 11 batters that he faced in the game before giving way on the mound to senior Trevor Blaylock in the top of the sixth inning with two outs.

The Falcons cut into the deficit in the bottom of the fourth, as Trey Keegan led off the inning with a solo home run to left field—the second home run of the season for Keegan. Matt Smith then followed with a single, but was retired on a batter interference call during the next at-bat as he attempted to steal second.

Carey and Blaylock gave the Falcons a chance on the mound, as the game remained a 2-1 score into the bottom of the seventh inning.

Greg Basalyga started the inning off with a single through the left side of the infield. Schmitz then signaled for Rait to sacrifice bunt, which he would do to perfection. Even better for the Falcons, Ball State threw the ball away on the bunt attempt, allowing both runners to move up a base and giving the Falcons two runners in scoring position with nobody out.

True freshman Cody Callaway—who spent the morning, and part of the first game at spring practice with the Falcons' football team—delivered with a single through the left side of the infield to score Basalyga and tie the game at 2-2, still with nobody out and Falcons' on the corners.

A groundout moved Callaway into scoring position, and then Howard worked a walk to load the bases with just one out. Ball State's B.J. Butler buckled down, getting two straight ground-ball outs to work out of the jam and keep the game tied into the eighth inning.

For the second straight game, the Cardinals took advantage in the eighth inning, putting the game out of reach with three runs. After a one-out single and walk, Rait was able to run a ball down in foul territory for the second out of the inning. But, Zach Plesac, who had entered the game in left field an inning prior, stepped to the dish. Plesac was Ball State's starting pitcher in Friday's game.

The sophomore delivered with a single through the left side, scoring a run to put the Cardinals ahead for good at 3-2. In his brief career against the Falcons, Plesac now has two wins on the mound, two saves, and a game-winning single.

Brockhouse, the next batter, broke it open with a triple just out of the reach of an outstretched, and leaping Rait in right field, putting Ball State ahead 5-2.

The Falcons managed two, two-out hits in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Butler once again worked out of the jam to preserve the lead, and eventually the win, for Ball State.

Bowling Green (5-13, 0-3 MAC) will return to action on Tuesday looking to snap a seven-game losing streak when they travel to the University of Michigan. First pitch from the Wilpon Baseball Complex is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.