Falcons Take Two to Complete Weekend Sweep in Akron

Saturday, April 21

Akron, OH

1:00 PM ET

Bowling Green State University

23-19, 6-9

Akron

2-36-1, 1-16

Bowling Green

Akron

April 21, 2018 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Brooke Parker picks up a win and a save on Saturday

By: AKRON, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Junior Brooke Parker fired a two-hitter in Saturday's (April 21) opening game, then came back to pick up the save in the nightcap, as the Bowling Green State University softball team swept a doubleheader against the University of Akron at Lee R. Jackson Field. The Falcons' victories came by scores of 5-1 and 7-5.

LINKS
BGSU-AKRON STATISTICS: Game 1 | Game 2

Parker went all the way to earn her 10th win of the season in the opener, then faced just one batter, but got two outs, in game two. With BG (24-19, 7-9 Mid-American Conference) clinging to a two-run lead in the bottom of the seventh, the Zips had runners at first and second with just one out. Parker, however, induced Laura Lakins, UA's RBI leader, to hit a ground ball to Aspen Searle at shortstop. Searle flipped the ball to second baseman Sammy Dees, and the freshman fired it to first baseman Kaylee Parker for the game's final out.

The Falcons scored a combined five runs in the first inning of Saturday's two wins, and BGSU scored nine first-inning runs during the three-game sweep.

BGSU has won six games in a row, and the Falcons have matched the win total for all of last season.

The Falcons entered the weekend in 11th place in the overall MAC standings, but the sweep at Akron enabled BGSU to move into third place in the East Division and eighth place overall. The top-eight teams in the final regular-season standings will qualify for the MAC Tournament (May 9-12).

QUOTING COACH WILLIS
"We did a great job of taking an early lead and setting the tone in both of today's games, and we also successfully added to the lead, with Sarah's home run and Logan's pinch-hit single in the first game, and the big four-run third inning in the second game."

"Our defense was solid all day long, and our pitchers gave us good efforts as well. Brooke and Meredith each gave us a chance to win, and Brooke did a great job of closing the door in the second game."

SIX IN A ROW

The Falcons have won six consecutive games, all in MAC play. The six-game winning streak matches a season-best, as BG opened the year with six-straight wins (Feb. 9-16, 2018).
BGSU has won six MAC contests in a row for the first time in just over a decade, since the 2008 Falcons posted six-straight league wins en route to a 14-5 conference mark.

24 IN ALL

The Falcons are now 24-19 on the season, and BGSU has matched the win total for all of last year. The 2017 team finished with a 24-32 overall record.
BGSU has not won more than 24 games in a season since the 2013 club finished with a 27-24 mark.

LET'S GET IT STARTED (HA)

The Falcons have scored in the first inning in each of the last five games, and BG has put a crooked number on the scoreboard in the last four contests. BGSU has 14 first-inning runs in the last five games – all wins – and the Falcons have scored 13 runs in the first frame over the last four games.

BGSU-AKRON GAME 1 – HOW IT HAPPENED

The Falcons, after scoring four first-inning runs in Friday's win over the Zips, scored twice in Saturday's opening game. Junior Alex Sorgi began Saturday's action by reaching on an error and freshman Sammy Dees was hit by a pitch from UA starter Kayla Kmett.
Senior Aspen Searle's single loaded the bases, and junior Kalie Holcomb lifted a fly ball to center field, with Sorgi tagging and scoring on the sacrifice fly. Dees and Searle each had advanced on the play as well, and after the runners were forced to hold on an infield grounder, junior Kaylee Parker's single to left plated Dees with the game's second run.
After that Parker base hit, neither team had a baserunner until Akron's Maddy Clowdus led off the home half of the third inning by drawing a walk against BGSU starter Brooke Parker. Back-to-back sacrifice bunts moved the runner to third base, and walks to Sydney Jascoe and Cassie Gillespie then loaded the bases, before Parker got Caitlin Gambone to pop up to Dees at second base.
In the top of the fourth, Kaylee Parker singled with one out, and freshman Sarah Gonzalez then turned on a Kmett pitch and drove it over the fence in left for a two-run homer and a 4-0 BGSU lead.
The Zips got on the board in the bottom of the inning. After Kimberly Rodriguez led off with a double to right-center – Akron's first hit of the game – a grounder moved her to third base, and she scored on a bunt by Laura Lakins.
BG got singles by Alex Sorgi and Searle in the fifth, but could not add to the lead, as a caught stealing and two line-drive outs ended the threat.
Kaylee Parker walked with one down in the sixth, and pinch-runner Taylor Blevins promptly stole second base. One out later, sophomore Logan Everett came through. Everett lined a ball up the middle for a pinch-hit RBI single, while Blevins rounding third and heading home to give the Falcons a 5-1 lead.
The Zips threatened in the bottom of the inning. Gillespie drew a leadoff walk, and after BG shortstop Searle made a leaping catch of a Gambone line drive, Jordan Crews singled, and a Lakins walk loaded the bases. But, Brooke Parker got Clowdus to hit a grounder to third baseman Gonzalez, and the Falcon freshman raced to the bag to force Gillespie for the third out.
BG went in order in the top of the seventh, but Parker worked a 1-2-3 inning as well, and the Falcons had the win.

BGSU-AKRON GAME 1 – STATS & LEADERS

The Falcons outhit the Zips, 7-2, in Saturday's opener. Kaylee Parker was a perfect 2-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI.
Searle went 2-for-4, while Alex Sorgi, Gonzalez and Everett each had a hit.
Everett had a pinch-hit RBI single, and Sorgi scored a run in the win.
Gonzalez, of course, had a two-run homer, her seventh of the year, to give BG a 4-0 lead in the fourth.
Brooke Parker threw a complete-game two-hitter to improve to 10-6 on the year. She walked five batters, but allowed only one run in the win.
Kmett took the loss despite throwing a complete game and allowing seven hits. She walked one and struck out two.
Rodriguez and Crews had Akron's only hits, and Rodriguez scored the lone run for the Zips.

BGSU-AKRON GAME 2 – HOW IT HAPPENED

For the third time on the weekend, the Falcons put a crooked number on the scoreboard in the first inning. Alex Sorgi led off by drawing a walk against UA starter Kooper Vertz, and Dees followed with a looper over the head of the second baseman for a single.
Searle singled to center to load the bases, and Holcomb's single to right field scored a pair of runners. Vertz got a strikeout, and one of her outfielders then made a nifty running catch of a drive by Kaylee Parker, but Searle tagged and scored on the play, giving Parker a sacrifice fly and the Falcons a 3-0 lead.
Akron threatened in the second, when Lakins walked and Clowdus doubled with two outs. But, BG starter Meredith Miller got Madison Carter to pop up to Searle at shortstop.
BGSU increased the lead in the third inning, sending 10 hitters to the plate and scoring four times. Searle began the inning with a double to left-center, and BG had runners at the corners after Holcomb reached on an infield error.
The Zips made a pitching change, but senior Laine Simmons greeted Vertz with a double to left field that scored Searle. Holcomb advanced to third on the play, and she tagged and scored on Kaylee Parker's second sac fly in as many plate appearances.
After a long at-bat by Gonzalez, the freshman drew a walk, and Blevins – pinch-running for Simmons – scored on an Everett grounder to the right side. The UA first baseman threw home, but Blevins beat the throw and everyone was safe.
One out later, Alex Sorgi walked to load the bases, and Dees singled up the middle to score Gonzalez.
Akron responded, stringing together three consecutive hits with one out in the home half of the third. Jascoe doubled, and Gillespie and Rodriguez each singled. UA scored another run on a double steal and a BG error, and Gambone's fielder's choice scored Akron's third run. After a walk, Simmons threw out a runner attempting to steal third base to end the inning.
The next three innings saw each team pick up just one hit. Gonzalez doubled to lead off the BG fifth, but she was stranded at third. In the bottom of the inning, Gillespie walked and Gambone singled to give Akron two one-out baserunners. But, Miller got a fly ball to shallow left, with the runners forced to hold, and a soft liner by Lakins was grabbed by Searle.
Both teams went in order in the sixth, but the Zips mounted a seventh-inning rally. Jascoe led off with a double, and Rodriguez homered to cut BG's four-run lead in half. Gambone and Crews each singled, and suddenly, the potential winning run was coming to the plate with just one out.
Brooke Parker replaced Miller in the circle, and the junior needed just three pitches to get out of the jam. Parker got Lakins to hit a ground ball to short, and the Falcons proceeded to turn a slick 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

BGSU-AKRON GAME 2 – STATS & LEADERS

Akron had 10 hits in the game, with Clowdus, Gambone, Jascoe and Rodriguez picking up two apiece. Clowdus and Jascoe each had two doubles, and Rodriguez homered as half of UA's hits went for extra bases.
The Falcons had eight hits, including three doubles, in the win. Dees and Searle each went 2-for-4, with Searle hitting a double and scoring twice. Dees had a run and an RBI.
Holcomb had a hit and drove in a pair of runs, while Kaylee Parker also had two RBI in the win.
The top-five batters in the BG order combined for seven of the team's eight hits.
Miller picked up the win, improving to 13-11 on the year. The victory was her fourth in a row. She allowed 10 hits and four earned runs before leaving with one out in the sixth. Miller walked three batters and struck out a pair.
Brooke Parker earned the save, her third of the year.
Vertz took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) and five hits in two-plus innings. Kmett surrendered two runs and three hits in five innings of relief.

FALCON NOTES

Freshman Sarah Gonzalez, as mentioned, homered on Saturday, giving the Falcons 36 round-trippers on the season. That marks the highest total since the 2012 team hit 46 dingers. The school record for homers in a season is 47, set by the 2007 club.
The current team's total of 36 homers is the third-highest in program history, trailing only the '07 and '12 teams.
Senior Aspen Searle has had six consecutive two-hit games. She is 12-for-22 (.545) at the plate during BGSU's six-game winning streak, and also has six runs, four RBI and a .727 slugging percentage.
Junior Kaylee Parker is hitting a team-leading .563 (9-for-16) during the six-game win streak, with two doubles, a homer and a BG-best slugging pct. of .875 along with five RBI during that stretch.
Both senior Laine Simmons and junior Kali Holcomb have seven RBI during the Falcons' six-game winning streak. Simmons had a total of seven RBI on the season prior to the current six-game stretch.
Holcomb now has a team-leading total of 41 RBI on the year, and she is just one RBI away from tying the school single-season record. Gina Rango drove in 42 runs during the 2004 season.
Freshman Sammy Dees has eight hits in 16 at-bats (.500) over the last five games, and has scored six runs in that time.
Junior Alex Sorgi has seven hits, five stolen bases and seven runs scored in the last six games, all wins.
Junior Brooke Parker is 2-0 with a save in her last three appearances. She has an ERA of just 1.11 and has allowed opponents to hit just .146 against her during that time.
Fellow junior Meredith Miller has won four-straight decisions, and has an ERA of 2.05 and three complete games in that span.
Sophomore Logan Everett is now 2-for-3 as a pinch-hitter this season, with base hits in each of her last two pinch-hitting appearances.

UP NEXT

The Falcons will close the non-conference schedule with two games in as many evenings. The Falcons host Detroit Mercy on Monday (April 23), beginning at 5:00 p.m. at Meserve Field. The following night (Tuesday, April 24), BG heads to Notre Dame to take on the Fighting Irish in another 5:00 p.m. start.
Then, BGSU plays six-straight games at Meserve Field to end the regular season, beginning with a three-game series vs. Kent State next Friday and Saturday (April 27-28). The Falcons will end the regular-season schedule with a three-game set vs. MAC-leading Ohio (May 4-5) at Meserve Field.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS

For more information on all things BGSU softball, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUSoftball) and Instagram (@bgsu_softball) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.