Falcons Pound Out 21 Hits To Gain Split With Akron

Friday, April 30

Akron, Ohio

1:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Akron

April 30, 2010 | Softball

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications

Game 1 Boxscore - Akron 2, Bowling Green 0
Game 2 Boxscore - Bowling Green 9, Akron 7

Akron, Ohio – The Bowling Green softball team posted 21 hits in the second game of Friday's doubleheader with Akron, earning a 9-7 win and a split on the day. Despite outhitting the Zips 5-3 in the opener, the Falcons came up on the short end of a 2-0 decision in game one.

Zada Lines went 4-for-4 with a homer and four RBI at the plate in the nightcap and pitched six innings to pick up the victory on the mound. Susan Sontag went 4-for-5 in the contest, while Hannah Fulk and Paige Berger had three hits each.

After being shut out in the first game, Bowling Green wasted no time getting on the board in game two. Fulk led off the game with a double and scored on a Karmen Coffey bunt single two batters later. With two outs, Missy Bowman picked up an RBI single and Lines followed with a two-run double to make it 4-0 after one.

Akron cut the deficit in half by scoring two runs on two hits and an error in the bottom of the second but Bowling Green came right back in the top of the third. Lines hit a two-out solo homer and Fulk singled home another run to make it 6-2.

Akron's Krista Hansen hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third and the Zips scored two more runs in the fourth to make it 6-5. But the Falcons never relinquished the lead, scoring two in the sixth and another in the seventh to get the win. Coffey opened the sixth with a home run and Lines drove in another run on a single in that frame. Berger's seventh inning double drove in the final run for the Falcons.

In the opening game, Melissa Bott and Lines combined to hold Akron to just three hits but the Zips scored single runs in the third and fifth for the 2-0 win. The Falcons tried to rally in the seventh as Bowman hit a one-out double and Adrienne Dick walked with two outs, but Akron's Alex Riedeman stopped the threat for the complete game shutout.

With the split, Bowling Green stays a game ahead of Akron in the Mid-American Conference standings at 7-9. With two Western Michigan losses, the Falcons have moved into sole possession of seventh place in the conference standings. The top eight teams in the final regular season standings advance to the MAC Tournament.

Akron is now 19-29 overall and Bowling Green is 11-23. The Falcons will play at Ohio Saturday in a doubleheader beginning at noon. This is a schedule change due to expected inclement weather in Athens Sunday.