BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team wrapped up the regular season on Saturday (May 17) at Steller Field, claiming a 4-2 victory over Northern Illinois. Being tied at the conclusion of every inning entering the eighth, Brady Birchmeier and Sam Seidel changed the script. Birchmeier doubled to the outfield with Alex Laird entering as a pinch runner. In the next at-bat, Seidel launched a two-run shot to right field, pushing BGSU in front for the 4-2 win. The win moves Bowling Green to 33-20 to conclude the regular season and 19-11 in the MAC before beginning the MAC Tournament on Wednesday (May 21). 

For the BGSU offense, Gunner Antillon and Garrett Wright partnered for the first two runs. Base hits for Antillon followed by Wright doubles resulted in runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, answering NIU tallies in the top half. For Wright, the two doubles give him 19 on the season, tying him for the program's single-season doubles record. He's also reached in 50 of his 52 games played, missing just one of BGSU's 53 games while playing five different positions over the course of the season. 

As for the mound, Landon Willeman tossed three shutout innings in the start, striking out five. Kade Arn took over from there, allowing only one earned run and one unearned run while striking out four over 3.2 innings of work. Titus Lotz took the bump in the seventh with two outs, claiming the win for the Falcons over 1.1 innings dealt. Ty Roder entered in the ninth, slamming the door shut for his first save of the season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Landon Willeman got the start for the Falcons, pitching three scoreless innings with five strikeouts while giving up just one hit, being to the first batter he faced.
• Northern Illinois registered the first run of the game, scoring in the fourth to take a 1-0 lead.
• The Falcons quickly responded. Gunner Antillon started the bottom half with a double off the right field wall. Garrett Wright traded places with him, roping a double into left field to score Antillon with a 1-1 tie.
• The Huskies added a run in the top of the fifth to push ahead with a 2-1 score.
• BGSU put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth. Antillon singled down the first base line before Wright lined a double into center, scoring Antillon from first to knot it up again, this time at 2-2.
• In the bottom of the eighth, Brady Birchmeier lined a double to left center with Alex Laird entering to pinch run. In the next at-bat with two strikeouts, Sam Seidel skied a two-run home run to right field, bringing Laird home with him for a 4-2 advantage.

STAT LEADERS

• Landon Willeman: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 5 K
• Kade Arn: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 K
• Titus Lotz: W (3-1), 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 1 K
• Ty Roder: SV (1), 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, 1 K
• Garrett Wright: 2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI
• Gunner Antillon: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 R
• Sam Seidel: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
• Brady Birchmeier: 1-for-3, 1 BB
• Cooper McKenzie: 1-for-4, 1 2B
• Caden Parker: 1-for-2, 1 BB, 1 HBP

FALCON STAT FACTS

• Garrett Wright doubled in the fourth inning and again in the fifth for BGSU, his 18th and 19th doubles of the season. Wright tied the program record for doubles in a season, a five-way tie. 
• For the season, Wright has 79 hits, putting him inside the Top 10 for hits in a single-season, now holding sole possession of ninth in program history.
• With the pair of doubles, Wright continued his streak with a hit in 16 of his last 17 games while reaching base in 50 of his 52 games played this season. In one of the two games he failed to reach base he still finished with two RBI. 
• Gunner Antillon doubled in the fourth inning for the first hit of the day for the Falcons. The knock for Antillon gives him a hit in 14 of his last 15 contests. Antillon added his third-straight multi-hit game and his 19th of the season.
• After returning to the lineup on Friday, Sam Seidel quickly found his rhythm again at the plate, belting a two-run home run to put the Falcons ahead in the eighth. Seidel now has five home runs on the season and 15 for his career, tied for second on the active roster.
• Getting the starting nod, Landon Willeman tossed three scoreless innings for BGSU while striking out five batters. Over his last two starts, Willeman has totaled eight consecutive shutout innings while striking out 10 and giving up just four hits and one walk.
• Titus Lotz picked up the win for BGSU, throwing 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. The win marked the third of the season for Lotz while the scoreless outing was his 12th of the year. 
• After Connar Penrod threw over 30 pitches on Friday, Ty Roder picked up the closing duties for BGSU on Saturday, tossing a scoreless ninth inning to log the save. The save is Roder's first, becoming the fourth different Falcon this year to notch a save with BGSU totaling a program-record 17 as a team.
• Brady Birchmeier now has a hit in both of his games back in the lineup. Going back to before his absence, Birchmeier has a five-game hitting streak with six runs scored, three RBI and two doubles during the streak. 

UP NEXT
The Falcons will transition to the postseason, beginning with the MAC Tournament in Avon, Ohio. BGSU enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed in the field, taking on No. 5 Toledo in the first round, set for a 6 p.m. first pitch on Wednesday (May 21). 

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