Saturday’s Baseball Results
Bowling Green 7, Northern Illinois 5
Miami 4, Central Michigan 2
Ohio 10, Western Michigan 7
Kent State 6, Eastern Michigan 3
Toledo 5, Ball State 4
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
Bowling Green 7, Northern Illinois 5
Boxscore
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team picked up a 7-5 victory over Northern Illinois University on Saturday (May 12) afternoon at Steller Field. A Randy Righter three-run home run capped a four-run fifth for the Falcons. BGSU maintained the lead the rest of the way to force a series rubber match tomorrow (May 13) at 1:05 p.m.
"This is what we've been looking for as far as the three phases," said head coach Danny Schmitz after the win. "Our defense was solid, we put up the runs, and our pitching gave us a great chance to win the game. I look for our guys to come out tomorrow and play for the seniors, and try to send them out with a series win."
With the win, Bowling Green moves to 11-34 (6-15 MAC) on the season. Northern Illinois, with the loss, drops to 18-32 (7-16 MAC).
Miami 4, Central Michigan 2
Boxscore
OXFORD, Ohio -- Clutch two-out hitting and a dominant effort from Bailey Martin out of the bullpen paved the way in the Miami baseball team's 4-2 victory over Central Michigan on Saturday.
Miami (30-17, 14-9 Mid-American) evens the series and picks up its 30th victory of the season.
The Chippewas (22-27-1, 13-10 MAC) grabbed the lead on an Evan Kratt bases loaded RBI single in the first, but Zach Spears prevented further damage with a double play grounder. That was quickly answered in the bottom of the frame as Will Vogelgesang drilled an RBI single to right to leave it tied at one after a full inning of play.
A Miami miscue in the field allowed Central Michigan to regain the lead in the top of the third at 2-1. The Red & White managed to take advantage of a Chippewa error in the fourth as Adrian Texidor roped a two-out RBI single to left. MU loaded the bases with two outs, but the game remained tied 2-2 after four.
In the fifth, Parker Massman created some two-out magic of his own thanks to a two-run single with the bases loaded to put Miami ahead for the first time at 4-2.
After dodging some CMU scoring opportunities in the first five innings, MU brought Martin out of the pen in the sixth and he set the tone for his outstanding performance with the first 1-2-3 inning of the afternoon. The junior right-hander retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced to keep the lead going into the ninth.
With how efficiently he worked through his first three innings of work, Martin stepped back onto the mound in the ninth. After a one-out walk, Martin forced a flyout from Daniel Robinson and faced CMU designated hitter Griffin Lockwood-Powell. The Chippewas' leading home run hitter entered the at-bat with a perfect 3-for-3 day and hit a ball hard to right field, but it was flagged down in front of the wall to even the series as Martin.
Spears (4-4) evened his record on the season by allowing two runs (one earned) in five innings while striking out a pair. Martin notched his first save of the season by retiring 12 of 14 batters and fanning two batters while walking just one. Hayden Senger went 3-for-5 to pace the offense while Massman drove in two runs in a 2-for-4 performance.
The RedHawks and Chippewas battle in the rubber game of this series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
Ohio 10, Western Michigan 7
Boxscore
ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio baseball team (21-28, 9-14 MAC) kept its postseason conference tournament hopes alive by battling to beat Western Michigan (21-23, 10-11 MAC), 10-7, and even the Mid-American Conference weekend series on Saturday (May 12) Bob Wren Stadium.
The Bobcats bounced back from a tough 7-6 setback to the Broncos on Friday (May 13) in the series opener. Saturday's victory also snapped a seven-game losing skid for Ohio.
Junior first baseman Rudy Rott (Holmen, Wis.) continued his hot hitting, going 3-for-4 with his team-high 15th home run of 2018, a walk, two RBIs and three runs scored. The contest marked his team-high 24th multi-hit game of the season, team-high 15th multi-RBI game of the year and team-high eighth with at least three its. He has now hit seven home runs over the last seven games and has gone deep in four-straight games. Redshirt sophomore right fielder Ryan Sargent (Algonquin, Ill.) finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored, marking his eighth multi-hit game of the season and second with at least three hits. Sophomore catcher Tanner Piechnick (Canonsburg, Pa.) tallied two singles and scored a run. He recorded his 14th multi-hit game of the year, which ranks second on the squad.
Western Michigan jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Junior shortstop Connor Smith sent a one-out double to right center, then scored the game's first run on a double to left center by junior third baseman Jimmy Roche. Roche then scored one out later when junior catcher Jesse Forestell reached on an Ohio fielding error.
A spectacular defensive play gave Ohio some life in the third. Junior left fielder Nate Grys gave a pitch a ride deep to center field and appeared to have hit a home run. However, center fielder Sebastian Fabik (Lebanon, Ohio) leapt and snagged the ball before it cleared the wall, robbing Grys with a SportsCenter Top 10-worthy play.
The Bobcats used the momentum from Fabik's web gem to plate their first run in the home half of the inning. Sophomore shortstop Trevor Hafner (Perrysburg, Ohio) coaxed a one-out walk, then advanded to third when Fabik reached on a fielder's choice and a Western Michigan error. Rott made the Broncos pay for their mistake when he sent a single back up the middle to score Hafner and cut Ohio's deficit to 2-1.
Western Michigan retaliated in the fourth, however, as redshirt freshman first baseman Logan Hudson hit a one-out single up the middle to set the table for sophomore second baseman Drew Devine to hit a two-run home run to left center and extend the Broncos' lead to 4-1.
Ohio cut Western Michigan's lead in half again, though, in the bottom of the frame, as senior third baseman Tony Giannini (Carmel, Ind.) led off with a double to left and scored on a single to center by Sargent.
After redshirt senior right-handed pitcher/designated hitter Michael Klein (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) forced Western Michigan to strand a pair of runners on scoring position in the top of the fifth, the Bobcats seized control of the game with a five-run bottom half. Fabik got things started by drawing a walk, and Rott followed with a single to center. One out later, Klein coaxed a walk to load the bases for Ohio. Western Michigan then turned to its bullpen, replacing senior southpaw starting pitcher Jacob Piechota with redshirt sophomore right-hander Jack Szott. Fabik tagged up from third and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Giannini to make it a one-run contest. Sargent delivered a game-tying base hit to left center that plated Rott. Senior left fielder Evan Bourn (Overland Park, Kan.) then put Ohio in control when he belted a three-run home run to right to give the Bobcats a 7-4 advantage.
"It was a great feeling," said Bourn of his homer. "I just tried to live up every second of it. I was sitting on fastball away, and if he left something up off-speed, try to put a good swing on it. Luckily, I got a pitch that I could handle, and it was at a good time."
Ohio kept piling on with two more runs in the sixth. Rott coaxed a one-out walk, then advanced to third on a single to center by Piechnick. After Western Michigan replaced sophomore right-hander Zach Mehelich with junior lefty Matt McConnell, Rott scored on a passed ball. A single to right by Klein moved Piechnick up to third, and Piechnick scored one-out later on an infield single to short by Sargent to make it 9-4 in favor of Ohio.
The Broncos put a dent in Ohio's lead by scoring three runs on three hits and an Ohio error in the seventh. Redshirt junior designated hitter Andrew Stone coaxed a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a base hit to center by Smith and then scored on a two-base throwing error by the Bobcats that allowed Roche to reached second safely. One out later, both Smith and Roche scored on a single up the middle by Forestell, cutting Ohio's lead to 9-7. After freshman right fielder Blake Dunn doubled to left to put two runners in scoring position for the Broncos, freshman right-hander Eddie Kutt (Westlake, Calif.) entered the game to pitch for the Bobcats and got a huge third out, getting Hudson to fly out to right.
The Bobcats gave themselves some more breathing room in the eighth when Rott smashed a leadoff home run to right.
Kutt then came back out to pitch the top of the ninth. After hitting Grys with a pitch with one out, walking Forestell and surrendering a single through the left side by Dunn, Kutt got Hudson to hit into a game-ending 4-3-3 double play to seal the win for Ohio.
Klein picked up the victory on the mound for Ohio after throwing five innings, improving to 4-1 on the year. He permitted four runs -- three of which were earned -- on seven hits and a walk. Kutt notched his second career save, striking out one while allowing two hits and a walk over 2.2 scoreless frames of relief.
Devine led Western Michigan's bats, going 3-for-3 with a home run and a walk. Smith and Roche each went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Roche also collected an RBI. Dunn finished with a double and a single.
Piechota took the loss for the Broncos, dropping to 3-7 on the season. He surrendered five runs -- four of which were earned -- on five hits and four walks. He struck out two.
"It's just a really good feeling," said Bourn of the win. "Last night didn't go the way we wanted. We swung it well; it just ended up not going in our favor. Coach (Rob) Smith said to keep your head up and keep playing, and that's what we did. Luckily, it came out in our favor. We still have a chance to make the tournament. We've just got to focus on winning these next games and taking it game-by-game."
Ohio will go for its third league series win of 2018 when it battles Western Michigan on Sunday (May 13) in a 1 p.m. ET Senior Day showdown at The Wren. Prior to the game, the Bobcats will honor the careers of left-handed pitcher Butch Baird (Big Prairie, Ohio), right-handed pitcher Cory Blessing (Mayfield, Ohio), Bourn, catcher Nick Bredeson (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Giannini, right-handed pitcher Logan Jacik (Omaha, Neb.), Klein, right-handed pitcher Josh Petersen (Deshler, Ohio), right-handed pitcher Jake Roehn (Sandwich, Ill.) and left-handed pitcher Gerry Salisbury (Brunswick, Ohio). Sophomore left-handed pitcher Derek Carr (Newark, Ohio) is scheduled to start on the mound for Ohio and face junior lefty Chris Modrzynski of the Broncos. The series finale will mark another 'Sunday Funday', with all fans receiving free admission courtesy of OhioHealth. Max McDulin will have the call of the action on WOUB 1340 AM and online on OhioBobcats.com via Stretch Internet. The contest will also be streamed live by OhioBobcatTV via YouTube.
Kent State 6, Eastern Michigan 3
Boxscore
KENT, OHIO – Kent State simply flipped the script.
A day after watching Eastern Michigan score four late runs, the Golden Flashes stormed back in the seventh and eighth innings Saturday to erase a 3-1 deficit and claim a clutch 6-3 win. The win was especially clutch when second place Ball State lost to Toledo. When KSU clinched the win, it reinstated a three-game lead in the standings and trimmed the club's magic number to two.
The rally was necessitated when EMU took a 3-0 lead in the early moments of a game which started 90 minutes late due to rain. Kent State got on the board when Michael Turner walked with the bases loaded in the third. But the Eagles maintained the 3-1 lead throughout the majority of the contest.
In a key turning point, Kent State brought on Connor Wollersheim in the fourth inning. The southpaw was magnificent, shutting down the Eagles' bats and allowing the Flashes a chance at the comeback. He struck out four over three and a third innings.
The Golden Flashes offense did its part in the seventh. After EMU opened the door with back-to-back errors, Turner again came up clutch on a hit-and-run, banging a single into right to make it 3-2. But the inbound throw got away and Pavin Parks hustled home to tie it. After a lengthy battle and terrific at-bat, Pete Schuler singled through the right side to give KSU its first lead, 4-3.
In the eighth, Josh Hollander led off with a walk. Reilly Hawkins appeared to be attempting a sacrifice bunt, but fouled two off. On the next pitch, he belted a long home run to right to give Kent State some coveted breathing room. Leading now 6-3, KSU turned the ball over to stopper Collin Romel. He picked up a two-inning save to preserve the win.
The rubber match of the series is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. KSU will pay tribute to its seniors before the game.
Toledo 5, Ball State 4
Boxscore
Toledo, Ohio— The Toledo baseball team survived a ninth-inning rally from Ball State in its 5-4 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday.
Originally slated for a 1:05 p.m. start, the contest didn't begin until 3:20 because of rain. Leading 5-2 entering the final inning, the Rockets surrendered a two-run, two-out single that put BSU within one. Junior Nate Haugh was unfazed, though, and struck out the final batter of the game to seal the deal for UT.
Haugh earned his fifth save of the season, pitching two innings in relief of senior Sam Shutes. Toledo's starting pitcher tossed seven innings on Saturday and struck out seven. After allowing two runs in the first inning, the Rockets' starter held the Cardinals scoreless for the remainder of his outing and did not allow a hit in his final three innings of work. Shutes earned his ninth win of the season, tied with five others for third-most in a single season at Toledo.
At the plate, senior AJ Montoya launched a solo home run in the sixth inning, the 30th of his career. He becomes the fourth player all-time in program history with at least 30 home runs, joining Dan Sherwood (35, 2008-11), Jared Hoying (34, 2008-10), and Bill Bronikowski (30, 1994-97).
Junior Ross Adolph had two hits and freshman John Servello drove in a pair of runs. Freshman Chris Meyers extended his on-base streak to 20 games, the second Rocket with a streak that long this season (Servello, 23 games).
Toledo and Ball State will conclude the series on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
