Falcons Split Twin Bill with Broncos, Berger Ties School Record

Friday, April 16

Bowling Green, Ohio

1:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Western Michigan

Smashing her ninth long ball of the season, Berger threatens to break the BGSU record for number of homers in a season.

Photo by: Doug Sampson

April 16, 2010 | Softball

By: by Hannah Archer, Athletic Communications Intern

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio—The Bowling Green State softball squad split a twin bill with the Western Michigan Broncos today (April 16) falling 3-1 in the first but dominating 5-1 in the second. Freshman Paige Berger was the sole Falcon to put a run on the scoreboard in the first game when she recorded her ninth long ball of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning. Berger's nine long balls tie the school record for number of homers by a freshman AND she threatens to trump Hayley Wiemer's record of home runs in a season (11) as Berger only needs to nail two more in the 14 remaining games of the season.

Adding another win and a loss to the season, the Falcons record holds strong at 9-15 overall and 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference play.

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

In game one of the Falcon's final doubleheader of the 2010 campaign at Meserve Softball Field, both teams struggled to get started at the plate, failing to record any hits until the bottom of the third inning when BGSU put up two.

Melissa West initiated the Falcons offense with a single down the third baseline. Hannah Fulk followed West at the dish and put her teammate in prime scoring position with a double down the left field line. The two Falcon hits were followed by a popped ball and a strike out, ending the inning with two Falcons left on base.

In the top of the fourth and fifth innings, the Broncos finally got their offense going, posting 2 hits and three runs between the two innings, allowing WMU to take a 3-0 lead.

The Falcons made an attempt to narrow that lead in the bottom of the sixth, recording 2 hits that resulted in one run. Berger nailed her one-run homer over the right field fence to taper the score to 3-1. Still in the top half of the Falcon lineup, Andrea Arney was served four balls for a walk followed by a double by Susan Sontag, advancing Arney to third; again, though, the Falcons ended the inning with two left on base, unable to convert those base-runners into runs.

Both juniors took turns in the circle with Zada Lines throwing the first four point two frames and Melissa Bott pitching the last two point one innings. Lines fanned six batters while Bott threw three strikeouts.

Game one of the doubleheader against the Broncos ended as a 3-1 BGSU loss.

After losing one, BGSU was determined to fight back to take one win away from the day. After outhitting the Broncos nine hits to two, including three by Hannah Fulk and two each by senior Karmen Coffey and Susan Sontag, the Falcons were victorious in game two, winning 5-1.

In the win, the Falcons kept the Broncos hitless in five innings and scoreless in six. Again, both Melissa Bott and Zada Lines could be found at the mound for the Falcon defense. Bott started the game, pitching four point one innings, while Lines wrapped-up the game, pitching the final two point two innings, and striking out four.

The Falcons got their bats swinging early in the first frame when Coffey recorded the first hit of the game with a double to the left field fence, and continued rounding the bases recording stolen base number 13 of the season.

The Falcons continued their offensive attack in the bottom of the second frame, jump started by a hit by Andrea Arney in the second. Arney was then able to advance to second on a single by Sontag, who nailed a single right past WMU's second baseman and up through the middle. With no other Falcons could convert hits into bases, BGSU ended the inning with two runners left on base.

With both teams seeming to stall a bit, as neither team recorded a hit or a run in the third or fourth, the Falcons made yet another attack in the bottom of the fifth, this time converting hits into runs.

The Broncos put the first run on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth when WMU's left fielder, Courtney Rousseau, was brought home on a single by Bronco pitcher, Diana Patterson. Entering the bottom of the frame, the Broncos led 1-0.

The Falcons were not ready to give up just yet and rallied back in the bottom of the inning when they were able to record three hits that resulted in three runs, giving BGSU its first lead of day. With the inning starting out with Melissa West being served four balls, Fulk was able to advance West to second on a single WMU's shortstop. At the dish next was Rachel Proehl who reached first on a fielder's choice to third, where West was tagged out. Still, with only two outs and two runners still on base, Coffey smashed a triple to the right field corner, allowing Fulk and Proehl to score. Following Coffey's triple, the Falcons leading hitter, Paige Berger, nailed a single up the middle to bring Coffey home and further widen the Falcons lead to 3-1.

BGSU cushioned its lead to 5-1 in the sixth inning as they posted two more runs on two hits. Susan Sontag got the Falcons going with a single to right field, but advanced to second when Adrienne Dick tapped down a sacrifice bunt. After Zada Lines was walked, putting Falcon runners on second and first bases, Fulk nailed a double for her third hit of the game, to bring home Sontag and Lines, putting the Falcons up 5-1.

With the Bronco's unable to record anymore hits or runs, the Falcons reigned victorious in game two, taking a 5-1 victory.

Head coach Shannon Salsburg and the Falcons will be right back in action tomorrow (April 17) and Sunday (April 18) against the Northern Illinois Huskies at 2:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m., respectively. On Sunday, the Falcons will say thank you to seniors Karmen Coffey and Susan Sontag on 'Senior Day' with the senior-class celebration commencing at 12:50 p.m.