DEFIANCE — Bowling Green baseball, behind the masterful pitching of senior Will Brose, recorded a 3-2 victory over Defiance, the state’s 10th-ranked program, on the road in non-league action Thursday.
Brose allowed two earned runs, while scattering five hits over seven innings. He fanned seven while walking two.
BG fell behind 1-0 in the bottom of the third when junior Brady Borton launched a two-out home run over the left field fence. It was the Bulldogs’ first hit of the game.
BG finally got on the board in the fifth after stranding six runners over the first four frames. The Bobcats used four straight hits to start the fifth — an infield single to short by junior Rhett Winger, consecutive bunt hits by sophomore Kasey Dean and senior Logan Neifer, and an opposite field RBI single to left past a diving third by senior Braden Loomis.
BG took the lead when junior Carter Earl grounded into 4-6-3 double play scoring Dean. Brose followed with a soft line drive single to center to put BG up by two. Neifer scored on the hit which stood as the game winner.
The Bobcats had the chance for more after two straight walks to senior Brent Boston and junior Evan Meyer (his third walk in as many plate appearances), but left the bases juiced.
For the game, BG stranded 10. Brose threw a total of 109 pitches.
The Bulldogs had a late rally in the seventh after pinch hitter Abel Rubio, a junior, reached on an infield hit to deep short. The throw bounced by the first baseman but Rubio had it beat anyway.
After a pop up to the catcher, Earl, third baseman Loomis robbed Borton of a base hit with a diving stop to his left and getting the force at second to end the game.
An inning earlier Loomis made a diving grab, retiring junior leadoff hitter Noah Gomez at first.
Junior Cody Shaw took the loss after being chased in the fifth. He allowed all nine Bobcat hits. He struck out four, but walked five and hit a batter.
Senior Luke Webb finished the game allowing just one hit over the last 2.1 innings. He struck out four and walked none.
Neifer, Loomis, and Dean each had two hits to pace the visitors. Neifer’s double to the left center wall was BG’s lone extra-base hit.
BG moves to 7-5 overall and travels to Findlay on Friday for a 5 p.m. content. Defiance saw its seven game winning streak snapped and falls to 7-2.
