NCAA baseball: Bowling Green strikes first, but falls to Louisville 8-3

When you're the only team with a losing record, odds are it's going to be an uphill battle. Louisville is the host as well as one of the highest-seeded teams. Bowling Green isn't even one of the top 200 RPI teams. At least they gave 'em a scare, if even for a little while.

Here's what happened. Jeremy Shay's solo shot gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead early on, but it only lasted an inning as Louisville kept tacking on runs and blowing the game open in the fifth inning, capitalizing on all sorts of ways: doubles in the gap, wild pitches, steals, and an error.

Mike Frank was a little erratic, allowing seven runs (five earned), eight hits, a walk. He also hit two batters and threw two wild pitches. Ethan McKenney did a good job in relief mopping up, allowing one run in three innings and facing just one batter above the minimum.

Shay went 2-for-4, but nobody else on the team had more than one hit. Brian Bien, despite his error, finished the day 1-for-1 with two walks.

So BGSU will play Oklahoma State at noon on ESPNU for the right to stay alive in the regional. OSU fell to Miami of Florida 7-0, which is their fifth straight loss. Know this: it's incredibly mind-boggling that Bowling Green was the team left standing in the MAC tournament, but in a year where lots of teams played erratically, BGSU played hot at the right time. 8-3 could have been a worse outcome, but the Cowboys look slightly vulnerable.