Birchmeier, Laird Launch Home Runs In Weekend Finale
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Bowling Green State University baseball team wrapped up the second weekend of the season on Sunday (Feb. 23) against USC Upstate. After a comeback win for Bowling Green over USC Upstate on Friday (Feb. 21), the Spartans got the best of the Falcons on Sunday with a 9-2 final. Bowling Green's two runs came from solo home runs off the bats of Brady Birchmeier and Alex Laird. Despite the loss, the Falcons are 4-2 on the season, winning four of their first six games for the first time since 2007.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Bowling Green State University baseball team wrapped up the second weekend of the season on Sunday (Feb. 23) against USC Upstate. After a comeback win for Bowling Green over USC Upstate on Friday (Feb. 21), the Spartans got the best of the Falcons on Sunday with a 9-2 final. Bowling Green's two runs came from solo home runs off the bats of Brady Birchmeier and Alex Laird. Despite the loss, the Falcons are 4-2 on the season, winning four of their first six games for the first time since 2007.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In the bottom of the first, an error in the field resulted in an Upstate run. The Spartans tallied three unearned runs in the inning for a 3-0 advantage.
- A two-run home run in the second inning extended the lead for USC Upstate to 5-0.
- The Falcons tallied their first run of the game in the top of the third. With two outs, Alex Laird belted a solo shot to left field, his first career home run.
- Upstate responded with a run in the fourth inning and then another in the fifth, pushing their lead to 7-1.
- The second Bowling Green run of the game came in a similar fashion to the first. In the seventh inning, Brady Birchmeier launched a ball deep over the left field wall, his second home run of the season for a 7-2 score.
- An answer for USC Upstate followed in the bottom of the seventh with a pair, making it a 9-2 tally.
STAT LEADERS
- Logan Bell: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 1 K
- Connar Penrod: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 2 K
- Brady Birchmeier: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
- Alex Laird: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
- Garrett Wright: 1-for-3, 1 BB
- Sam Seidel: 1-for-2
FALCON STAT FACTS
- Alex Laird's third inning home run not only marked his first collegiate home run, but also tallied his first collegiate RBI as well.
- Brady Birchmeier's home run in the seventh went down as his second of the season while also giving him a team-leading 10 RBI on the year. Through six games, Birchmeier has already matched his 2024 home run total.
- Birchmeier's home run extended his hitting streak to open the season to six games, logging at least one hit in each. Going back to last season, Birchmeier has reached base in eight-straight games, the second longest streak on the team.
- Garrett Wright logged a single for BGSU in the contest, extending his team-leading on-base streak to 14 games going back to last year.
- Logan Bell and Connar Penrod both continued their strong starts to the season. Penrod now has three scoreless innings with six strikeouts to start the year while Bell has two scoreless frames and two punch outs.
UP NEXT
The Falcons' game on Tuesday against Butler has been canceled due to field conditions and weather. With that change, the next series will begin against Southern Indiana on Friday (Feb. 28) before taking on Southern Illinois on Saturday and Sunday (March 1-2). Friday is scheduled for a 1 p.m. EST start with Saturday set for 3 p.m. EST and Sunday for 2 p.m. EST.
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