Saturday, April 30
Bowling Green, Ohio
2:00 pm
Bowling Green State University
7
vs
6
Ball State
Stratton’s Historic Day Sparks Falcons To Wild Extra-Inning Win
April 30, 2011 | Softball
Boxscore - BGSU 7, Ball State 6; 12 Innings
Bowling Green, Ohio – Freshman Erika Stratton became the first player in Bowling Green softball history to hit three home runs in one game, sparking the Falcons to a stunning 7-6 win over Mid-American Conference leader Ball State Saturday afternoon in 12 innings. Bowling Green battled back from a five-run deficit to win the wild affair.
Amazingly, Stratton did not hit even one home run in the first 38 games of the season. She added a double as well for 14 total bases, just two shy of the NCAA Division I record. Entering the 2011 season, there had been just two four home-run games and 49 three home-run games in NCAA Division I history. It is just the 15th multi-homer game in BGSU softball history and the first since teammate Paige Berger blasted two bombs at No. 24 Notre Dame on April 12.
The effort overshadowed an impressive pitching performance by Melissa Bott, who came on in relief to throw the final 9 2/3 innings. She scattered 11 hits against arguably the best offensive team in the MAC, giving up just one earned run and striking out three batters. She forced Ball State to line into three double plays, all coming in the seventh inning or later.
It appeared Ball State might end the game early as the Cardinals hit two-run homers in the second and third innings and led 5-0 heading into the bottom of the third. But that's when Stratton went to work. She opened that frame with a home run to left field, the first of her career.
At the time, the home run seemed harmless enough as Ball State's offense seemed to be in rhythm and the Falcons still trailed by four runs. But Melissa Bott faced just three batters in the top of the fourth and Bowling Green continued the comeback in the bottom of the frame.
Berger singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on a passed ball. Katie Yoho had a one-out bunt single and Melissa West pushed Berger home with a sacrifice bunt. Zada Lines then reached on an error which scored Yoho to make it 5-3.
In the top of the fifth, Ball State put together three hits but Lindsey Arney threw out a runner at the plate to keep the Cardinals off the board. In the bottom of the inning, Bowling Green kept the offense going as Hannah Fulk singled to center field to lead off. Rachel Proehl then had an infield single and the runners moved up on a passed ball. Andrea Arney's single to shortstop drove in Fulk to cut the deficit to one.
Bott worked around an error in the top of the sixth and Stratton came up big in the bottom of the inning, tying the game with a one-out home run, her second of the contest, that made it 5-5.
Bott issued a one-out walk in the top of the seventh but Taylor Rager lined into a double play to end the threat. The Falcons were unable to score in the bottom of the inning, sending the contest to extra innings.
Ball State broke the tie in the top of the eighth on an Alison Mercado RBI single but Bott limited the damage by inducing a ground out with the bases loaded. That proved to be important as the Falcons attempted to rally from just one-run down.
In the bottom of the inning, Adrienne Dick took a one-out walk and Stratton once more found a pitch to hit, ripping a double into the left center gap. Lindsay Arney singled through the left side of the infield to tie it once more.
Over the next four innings, both teams squandered opportunities to score as Ball State lined into two double plays and had a player thrown out at the plate in the top of the 10th. Bowling Green wasted two hits in the ninth and appeared to waste another chance in the bottom of the 12th when Lines lined into a double play after West had led off the inning with a single. But Stratton took a 1-2 pitch and drove it over the right center field wall for the walk-off homer, her third of the contest.
Ball State outhit Bowling Green 15-14 in the game and each team had two errors. Stratton was the only player on either team with four hits, finishing 4-for-5, scoring three runs and driving in three. Proehl, Berger, and Andrea Arney all had two hits for the Falcons.
With the loss, Ball State falls to 32-18 overall and 12-4 in conference play. Bowling Green improves to 8-31 overall and 2-14 in league action. The two teams will tangle once more Sunday with a 1 p.m. start at Meserve Softball Field in Bowling Green.
BGSU All-Time Multi-Homer Games
Libby Voshell – March 12, 2001 vs. Illinois
Kandice Machain – March 30, 2002 at Kent State
Gina Rango – April 24, 2004 vs. Northern Illinois
Jeanine Baca – April 29, 2004 at Detroit
Gina Rango – Feb. 25, 2006 vs. UAB
Gina Rango – April 30, 2006 vs. Toledo
Hayley Wiemer – March 30, 2007 vs. Kent State
Hayley Wiemer – Feb. 22, 2008 vs. Lipscomb
Allison Vallas – April 11, 2008 vs. Eastern Michigan
Hayley Wiemer – May 4, 2008 at Akron
Haleigh Bielstein – May 8, 2008 vs. Ball State
Hayley Wiemer – March 28, 2009 vs. Toledo
Paige Berger – Feb. 20, 2010 vs. Winthrop
Paige Berger – April 12, 2011 at Notre Dame
Erika Stratton – April 30, 2011 vs. Ball State (3 Home runs)
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