Softball Sweeps WMU On Senior Day

Sunday, April 29

Bowling Green, Ohio.

1:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Western Michigan (Sball Bingo - Qdoba HR/FB - PJ's Price Is Right)

Senior Melissa West

April 29, 2012 | Softball

By: John Enright-Athletic Communications

Game 1 - Boxscore | Game 2 - Boxscore | Shannon Salsburg Audio | Rachel Proehl Audio | Photo Gallery

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio. -- The Bowling Green State University softball team swept Western Michigan Sunday afternoon, defeating the Broncos 4-0 in game one, before completing the sweep with a 2-1 win in the second contest. The sweep was a perfect home send off for Falcon seniors Melissa West and Rachel Proehl, who were honored before the game for Senior Day.

Proehl and junior Paige Berger led Bowling Green in hits in the first contest, each going 2-for-4. Berger and fellow junior Hannah Fulk both homered in the contest, accounting for three of the Falcons four RBI. Freshman Jamie Kertes (16-9) picked up the win, tying a career high with nine strikeouts in 5.0 innings of play.

Bowling Green scored their first run in the bottom of the third, thanks to a bases loaded single from freshman Shelby Fink. With two outs and three runners on, Fink hit a chop single towards the pitcher, allowing Berger to charge home from third. Berger barely beat the throw from the pitcher, giving Bowling Green the 1-0 lead.

The Falcons poured on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by two home runs in the inning. Fulk belted a two-run shot to start the scoring, marking her 10^th home run of the season. Berger quickly followed with a solo homer, giving Bowling Green the 4-0 lead.

Freshman Paris Imholz pitched the final two innings, allowing just one hit to secure the win for Bowling Green.

The Orange and Brown finished the sweep of Western Michigan with a 2-1 win in game two, increasing the Falcons' winning streak to three games.

Fink earned the only two RBI for Bowling Green in game two, going 1-for-2 in the contest. Imholz (16-8) picked up the win, allowing just four hits and one run in 4.1 innings of play. Kertes was perfect in relief, holding the Broncos hitless in the final 2.2 innings of play for the save.

The Falcons scored all the runs they would need in the bottom of the fourth, crossing home plate two times on two hits in the frame. Fink once again came to the plate with the bases loaded, once again delivering in the clutch. Fink belted a single up the middle, scoring two runs on the hit, giving Bowling Green the 2-0 lead.

The Broncos scored a run in the following inning, but it wasn't enough, as Kertes shut down WMU for the 2-1 Falcon win.

“It was an all out team effort,” said head coach Shannon Salsburg when asked about the team's play through the week. “Some days we had better pitching, some days we had better defense and we had clutch hitting. We found ways for all three phases to impact the games at different times. Anytime you go 3-1 on a tough weekend, that's fantastic.”

Bowling Green is now only four wins away from breaking the school record for wins in a season. The record for most wins in a season is 37, set in 1992 and 2006.

The Falcons (34-17, 14-4 MAC) are back in action this weekend, as they hit the road to play a doubleheader against Miami. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.