Bowling Green has shown an affinity for taking all it can to get on the basepaths this season.

Why settle for just one base, when another – or a few – are there for the taking? The Purples’ aggressive baserunning was in full flower Monday against Warren Central in the first of a three-game District 14 series. Bowling Green swiped 15 bases in 16 attempts during a 13-3 six-inning victory, including third three times and home once.

Three Purples – Eli Burwash, Evan Spader and Turner Nottmeier – finished with three steals apiece as Bowling Green took the opener of a three-game series against Warren Central (5-18 overall, 0-10 District 14).

“That’s part of our bread and butter, that’s part of our game,” Purples coach Nathan Isenberg said. “We’re going to attack, we’re going to steal bases. Hopefully we can keep doing that. We’ve got some guys who do a really good job of that.”

Unbeknownst to Isenberg, his players had a bit of extra motivation to win Monday. Concealed from sight, a sign commemorating Isenberg’s 300th career victory as a coach was ready for unveiling and set for hanging behind the home dugout at Harold J. Stahl Field.

Most of Isenberg’s 300 wins came at Henderson County, but the first-year Bowling Green coach has already made a strong impression on his players.

“I think he’s got a long career here,” Purples junior second baseman Carson Kelley said. “If he keeps up the good work, he should get to 500 here.”

Isenberg has added considerably to that total in his still short tenure at Bowling Green (19-9 overall, 8-2 District 14).

“It just means I’ve coached a lot of really good teams and a lot of really good players,” Isenberg said. “I’ve been fortunate to coach some really good programs.”

The Purples jumped on the Dragons early with a six-run outburst in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Burwash set the tone by drawing a walk, then stealing second and third base before coming home on a tailing double to right field by Joe Howard.

Bowling Green starting pitcher Jackson Haga followed with a two-run double, then Geoffrey Ross and Bo Morton tallied back-to-back singles off Warren Central starter Kyle Torrence, with Morton plating another run. Nottmeier came in as a courtesy runner and stole second before Kelley drove in another run on a sacrifice fly. Scotty Brown drew a walk, then stole second and drew a throw to allow Nottmeier to dash home for a delayed double steal.

From there, Torrence quieted the Purples for the next three innings.

“We can’t put ourselves in a hole that early,” Adam Biller said. “It took Kyle a little bit of time to get in a rhythm today, but our defense wasn’t ready to play from the get-go and let a couple balls fall.”

Haga, a Liberty University signee, worked two quick innings and Charlie Cummings followed with another hitless frame. The Dragons, missing slugging first baseman Jordan Lindsey due to illness, nearly broke up the no-hitter in the fourth. Central’s Jerry Adams slashed a sinking liner to left that held up just long enough for Spader to reach with a diving catch, then DC Rigsby punched a grounder through the middle that Kelley corralled and completed the play with a throw in time to first.

After the Purples added another run when Ross scored on reliever Daelin Rigsby’s balk, the Dragons did break through in the sixth against reliever Carson Myers.

Central’s Skyler Martinez drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a balk and stole third. Noah Thomas also walked and stole second. Jordan Miller got the Dragons on the board with a run-scoring single, then DC Rigsby slashed a two-run double to right that got his team within 7-3.

Bowling Green amped up the pressure in the bottom of the sixth, stealing six bases during a six-run rally. Burwash had an RBI double, stole third and scored on a wild pitch. Later, Ross drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, pinch hitters Jonah Thurman and Charlie Key drove in runs before Kelley ended it via the 10-run mercy rule with an RBI single.

“Coach Isenberg teaches us to be aggressive,” Kelley said. “You get thrown out in some games, but he wants us to stay aggressive on the bases.”

Game 2 of the three-game series is Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at South Warren.

Warren Central 000 003 – 3 2 1

Bowling Green 600 016 – 13 9 0

WP — Haga. LP — Torrence.{&end}