BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team concluded the series against Ball State on Saturday (April 19). After combining for 41 runs on Friday (April 18), the Falcon and Cardinal bats went back to work on Saturday, maintaining the momentum. In a back-and-forth game the two teams combined for 28 runs, but a five-run ninth inning for BSU made the difference in the 16-12 final score. The result moves Bowling Green to 25-13 on the season while being 13-8 within the Mid-American Conference. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Ball State scored two runs in the top of the first. The Cardinals added a solo home run in the second for a 3-0 lead.
• Gavin Ganun started the BGSU half of the second by drawing a walk. A fielder's choice knock by Zack Horky put him on first instead. With a runner on, Gunner Antillon started a streak of singles for the Falcons followed by Brayden Curlis that included an RBI with Horky scoring.
• Carter Mottice kept the singles rolling for the Falcons, legging out an infield single off a bunt to load the bases. Alex Laird stepped in and delivered a full-count single to right field, scoring both Antillon and Curlis for a 3-3 tie and a Ball State pitching change.
• After the change, Garrett Wright found space in the right side of the infield for an RBI single with Mottice scoring, pushing the Falcons in front 4-3.
• The third inning started similarly to the second for BGSU. Ganun drew a walk to start before singles from Horky and Antillon with Antillon's scoring Ganun. 
• A walk to Mottice loaded the bases for Laird. With the bases juiced and one out for Laird, the second time in the game with that situation, he lifted a sacrifice fly to left for an RBI, bringing home Horky for a 6-3 lead.
• In the fourth, Ball State tallied four runs to move in front, 7-6, before a BGSU pitching change.
• Wright started the fourth with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Birchmeier laced a single up the middle, scoring Wright for the first run of the inning. 
• Another wild pitch moved Birchmeier to second before scoring on a double to left center by Horky, the first BGSU multi-base hit of the game. 
• With two outs in the inning, Curlis drew a walk before a Ball State pitching change. Mottice legged out an infield single, scoring Horky. Laird followed with a double into left center, scoring Curlis for a 10-7 BGSU advantage through four innings played.
• Ball State tallied two runs in the fifth, cutting the score down to 10-9 at the midway point. Another pair of runs in the seventh pushed the Cardinals in front 11-10.
• In the bottom half, TJ Takats belted a solo home run over the scoreboard in right center to knot it back up at 11-11.
• Ball State tallied five in the top of the ninth for a 16-11 lead.
• In the bottom of the ninth the Falcons added a run. Wright singled to start the inning, but a fielder's choice put Ganun on first instead. Horky singled to move Ganun up before an Antillon single brought him home for the 16-12 final score. 

STAT LEADERS

• Alex Laird: 3-for-4, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 1 SB
• Garrett Wright: 4-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
• Zack Horky: 3-for-6, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 R
• Gunner Antillon: 3-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB
• Carter Mottice: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
• Brayden Curlis: 1-for-5, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB
• TJ Takats: 1-for-6, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
• Brady Birchmeier: 1-for-6, 1 RBI, 1 R

FALCON STAT FACTS

• Gunner Antillon recorded a three-hit day, continuing a strong week for the Falcon shortstop. Against Ball State, Antillon hit .714 for the series with 10 hits, eight RBI, five runs scored, three doubles and a home run. For the week as a whole, those numbers jumped to a .700 batting average, 14 hits, 12 RBI, six runs scored, five doubles and two home runs.
• Garrett Wright posted his second-straight four-hit game, extending his on-base streak to 26 games, the most by a Falcon this season. Like Antillon, Wright put up a solid week, hitting .611 with 11 hits, a team-high nine runs scored, three RBI and four doubles while also being hit by three pitches and drawing three walks. 
• Alex Laird ripped a career-high three hits for Bowling Green and added a career-high four RBI as well. Laird now has three multi-hit games this year and two multi-RBI. 
• After a four-hit day on Friday (April 18), Zack Horky followed it up with three hits on Saturday (April 19). During Saturday's game he also matched his career-high for runs scored with three, leading the team for the game. 
• Carter Mottice continued the strong start to his collegiate career. Starting the last eight games for the Falcons, Mottice has reached base in seven and logged a hit in six. He's also posted three multi-hit games while totaling eight runs scored, five RBI and three doubles.
• Brayden Curlis extended his hitting streak to five games for the Falcons, registering six hits, five runs scored and four RBI over the five-game stretch. He's also added a double and his first collegiate home run during the span. 

UP NEXT
The Falcons will head north to Ann Arbor, Mich. for their next game, taking on the Michigan Wolverines on Tuesday (April 22) with a 4 p.m. first pitch. The Falcons will then return home for a three-game weekend series against Eastern Michigan, beginning Friday (April 25) at 3 p.m.

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