Bowling Green drops 2 to Silliman
Published 11:47 pm Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Bowling Green’s Buccaneers lost both ends of a doubleheader, 13-0 and 13-10, against Silliman’s Wildcats out of Clinton at home Friday.
Things got off to a rocky start for Bowling Green (6-12 at press time) in the opener, as Silliman (10-10) jumped out to a 7-0 first-inning lead.
The Wildcats recorded five hits and took advantage of two errors.
Caleb Jackson walked. Jackson did a nice job all day of getting on base. For the double header, he reached six times in nine plate appearances. Jackson walked three times, singled, got hit, reached on an error and scored four times.
“It was good,” Jackson said. “I didn’t have good enough at bats in clutch spots, but we did good overall.”
Colton Courrege put down a sacrifice bunt and Jackson alertly went to third on the play. Darian Tunstall’s RBI single to center plated Jackson for a 1-0 lead. Jordan Talley singled to left on a hit-and-run. The throw to third went into Bowling Green’s dugout, allowing the second run to score and Talley to reach second. Tyler Boyd grounded one to shortstop. The Bucs threw to third, but it hit the runner.
With runners on the corners Zach Kelly put down a bunt. Bowling Green had the runner at third in a rundown, but obstruction allowed him to score. Both players advanced during the rundown, putting runners at second and third.
Tre Berthelot made it 5-0 with a two-run single to left. Thomas Myles’ run-scoring double down the left field line gave the Wildcats a 6-0 cushion. After the second out, Jackson added another run with an RBI single.
Bowling Green’s Thomas LeBlanc and Russ Smith singled and Trent Ball walked in the first, but the Bucs could not capitalize. Smith walked four times in five plate appearances in the second game. LeBlanc totaled two hits in the first game.
Silliman added another in the third when Myles singled and later scored prior to a runner being tagged out between second and third that ended the inning.
Ball hit two solo homers in the second game, one each in the third and fifth inning.
Ball said the Bucs played better in the second game, but not to their potential.
“We’re a way better team than that. Way better,” Ball said.
Silliman tallied three more in the fourth and two in the fifth.
Talley and Boyd opened the fourth with a single and double respectively before Berthelot walked after a strikeout. Myles lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 9-0, and Hunter Lockhart plated two more with a two-run double and an 11-0 lead. Lockhart posted three hits for the two games.
Silliman coach John Beauchamp used several players off of his bench in the fifth.
Trey Rockforte singled before Logan Milton reached on an error and Clay Reynolds walked. Austin Zachary drove in a run by being hit. Will Barnett added another run with a fielder’s choice, forcing the runner at third.
Bowling Green’s James Lavigne singled in the fifth but was stranded at first.
The Buccaneers finished with six hits in the opener. Devin Smith and Arden Bird had the others.
Bird reached base four times in the doubleheader despite not starting the second game. He also drove in three runs.
The second game saw Bowling Green nearly erase a 9-2 deficit with the potential winning run at the plate in the seventh, but the Bucs came up short.
The Bucs trailed 13-5 as the game entered the bottom of the sixth. It appeared Silliman was headed for a doubleheader sweep, but Bowling Green had other ideas.
LeBlanc drew a walk and with one out, Ball was hit.
With two outs, Devin Smith singled to load the bases and Jason Crowe drew an RBI walk to make it 13-6. After a pitching change, Bird came up with an infield single to third and it was 13-7.
The next hitter grounded out, and Buccaneers left the bases loaded.
Bowling Green continued to battle back, putting up three runs in the seventh. Seth Schilling reached on an error to leadoff. After the first out Lavigne reached on another error, and Ball was hit.
Russ Smith drew an RBI walk and Devin Smith’s RBI single to left made it 13-9, which brought the potential tying run to the plate. After the second out Bird drew another run-scoring walk and it was 13-10, but a strikeout ended it.
Bowling Green coach Matt Sessions said he has a young group. The Bucs have just one senior in Russ Smith.
“It’s my job to get them better prepared,” Sessions said. “Tonight, we weren’t ready to go. We’ve hit a wall. With some hard work, hopefully we can overcome it and get better.”