BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team wrapped up the weekend series against Notre Dame on Sunday (May 11), hosting the Fighting Irish at Steller Field. Notre Dame marked the first Power 5 opponent at Steller Field for BGSU since 2009. Bowling Green and Notre Dame went head-to-head in a pitcher's duel with Landon Willeman producing five strong innings in the start, not allowing a run while striking out five. Despite BGSU outhitting the Irish, Notre Dame pushed in front for the 4-0 final, cracking the scoring column in the sixth and seventh before Connar Penrod and Logan Bell shut the ND offense down again in the eighth and ninth. Bowling Green drops to 31-19 on the season with four games left in the regular season before the MAC Tournament begins on May 21.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Falcons loaded the bases in the third inning. Carter Mottice singled up the middle, taking second on a sacrifice bunt by Garrett Sloan. Later in the inning, a Garrett Wright infield single put runners at the corners before Gavin Ganun was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Zack Horky laced a liner up the middle, but it was snagged in self defense by the Notre Dame pitcher to end the inning with the scoreboard still empty for both sides.
• Bowling Green went to the bullpen following the fifth inning with Landon Willeman tossing five scoreless innings in the start, striking out six. 
• Notre Dame put the first runs of the game on the board in the top of the sixth, jumping out to a 3-0 advantage. 
• The Fighting Irish added to their lead in the seventh with an unearned run to push the score to 4-0.
• In the final two frames, Connar Penrod and Logan Bell locked up the Notre Dame offense, combining for two scoreless innings. Penrod struck out one batter in the eighth before Bell tallied two in the ninth. 

STAT LEADERS

• Landon Willeman: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R/ER, 5 K
• Kade Arn: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 K
• Connar Penrod: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 1 K
• Logan Bell: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 2 K
• Garrett Sloan: 1-for-1, 2 Sacrifice Bunts
• Brayden Curlis: 1-for-3
• Zack Horky: 1-for-4
• Gunner Antillon: 1-for-4
• Garrett Wright: 1-for-4
• Carter Mottice: 1-for-4

FALCON STAT FACTS

• Landon Willeman produced arguably his best start of the season. Willeman threw 75 pitches over five innings, dropping in 50 for strikes. The outing marked his first shutout appearance of the season. He added five strikeouts, the most since his first start of the season when he had six against Middle Tennessee. 
• Zack Horky laid down a bunt single in the bottom of the sixth, extending his on-base streak to 20 games and his hitting streak to 13 games, both leading the team.
• Garrett Wright recorded a base hit in the game, giving him a hit in 13 of the last 14 games while reaching in 37 of the last 38 contests for the Orange and Brown. 
• Gunner Antillon registered a hit in the first inning, giving him a base knock in 11 of the last 12 games he's appeared in for BGSU. 
• Connar Penrod added another scoreless outing to his season, marking his 18th scoreless appearance out of 20 total, bringing his ERA down to 1.90. Penrod also registered his 30th strikeout of the season. 
• Logan Bell tossed a scoreless ninth, giving him three consecutive scoreless outings that have spanned 4.2 innings. Bell struck out a pair of batters, giving him seven over the 4.2 inning stretch. 

UP NEXT
The Falcons will head into the final week of the regular season with four games left on the schedule. BGSU and Toledo will play the final game of their four-game season series on Tuesday (May 13), a non-conference contest at Scott Park with a 3 p.m. first pitch. Bowling Green is set to conclude the season at home with a three-game series against Northern Illinois, starting on Thursday (May 15). 

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