BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team began the final series of the regular season on Thursday (May 15) against Northern Illinois at Steller Field. The Falcons and Huskies combined for 28 hits and produced 22 runs over the nine frames of baseball in an offensive battle. Bowling Green struck first with three runs in the first, but NIU followed with five in the second and didn't surrender the lead from there, claiming a 14-8 final score. With two games left in the regular season, BGSU moves to 31-20 on the season while being 17-11 within the MAC. 

With results from around the conference, it's now known that BGSU will play Toledo in the first round of the MAC Tournament. The seeding between the teams is still undecided with the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds still in play for both teams depending on the results of the final two regular season games for each team. A Bowling Green win or Toledo loss will lock BGSU into the No. 4 spot. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Falcons started the scoring in the bottom of the first. Gunner Antillon started the BGSU half with a single to right field. Garrett Wright doubled down the right field line on the next pitch, putting two in scoring position. Zack Horky followed with a double of his own, going to right center with both Antillon and Wright coming home.
• Gavin Ganun drew a walk to put runners at the corners after Horky took third on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, Caden Bates was able to convert a sacrifice bunt that brought home Horky for a 3-0 lead after one inning played. 
• Northern Illinois responded in the top of the second, registering five unearned runs for a 5-3 lead.
• Horky led off the bottom of the third inning with a triple to the right center gap. Ganun was able to put a ball in play, bringing home Horky for a 5-4 score.
• NIU added insurance in the fourth inning with a three-run home run and another run later in the frame to move the lead to 9-4.
• In the bottom of the fifth, Zack Horky singled through the left side to reach base. Ganun ripped a double down the left field line, scoring Horky and prompting an NIU pitching change with the score at 9-5.
• After the change on the mound for NIU, Caden Parker was hit by a pitch to put two on. Bates delivered a single to right field, scoring Ganun from second to cut the score further to 9-6.
• Northern Illinois increased their lead with two runs in the sixth for an 11-6 score.
• Garrett Sloan started the bottom of the sixth with a bloop single to left field. Antillon drove a single into right center for runners at the corners. Wright was able to put a ball in play that brought home Sloan for an 11-7 score through six innings.
• In the eighth, Carter Mottice drew a walk followed by a Sloan single and Antillon hit-by-pitch to load the bases. Wright was able to lift a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Mottice from third for an 11-8 score.
• NIU added runs in the ninth for a 14-8 advantage. 

STAT LEADERS

• Zack Horky: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 R, 2 RBI
• Garrett Sloan: 2-for-2, 1 R, 1 BB
• Gunner Antillon: 2-for-4, 1 R
• Gavin Ganun: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
• Garrett Wright: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R
• Caden Bates: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
• Logan Bell: 0.1 IP, 1 Pitch, 0 H, 0 R/ER

FALCON STAT FACTS

• With a double in the first inning, Zack Horky extended his hitting streak to 14 games and his on-base streak to 21 games, both leading the team currently. He needs one more game on his hit streak to enter the program's all-time list for consecutive games with a hit.
• Horky later tripled in the third inning, his first triple of the season and the second of his career with the first being on March 29, 2022 against Michigan State on the road. He also finished with three runs scored, matching his career-high, his third time this season scoring three times in one game. 
• Logging a double in the first inning, Garrett Wright now has a hit in 14 of his last 15 games while reaching base in 38 of the last 39 games as well. 
• Gunner Antillon's first inning base knock gave him a hit in 12 of his last 13 games. During that stretch he's scored 15 times.
• Antillon was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning, his 10th time being hit this season. The mark puts Antillon in a tie for ninth all-time for HBPs in a season, tying with eight other players. 
• Garrett Sloan tallied a pair of hits in the game for the Falcons, his sixth multi-hit game of the season. 
• With his first inning sacrifice bunt, Caden Bates recorded the first RBI of his collegiate career. He later added another RBI in the fifth inning, his first multi-RBI game of his collegiate career. 
• Logan Bell needed just one pitch to record the final out in the top of the ninth. The out increased Bell's scoreless streak to five innings that spans across four outings. 

UP NEXT
The Falcons and Huskies will continue the series on Friday (May 16) before concluding it on Saturday (May 17), both set for 1 p.m. starts. Saturday will also be Senior Day for the Falcons with a pregame recognition. 

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