Falcons Finish Red And Blue Classic With 2-0 Win Over Tennessee-Martin

Sunday, February 23

Oxford, Miss.

11:15 A.M. CT

Bowling Green State University

4-8-1

Tennessee Martin

4-7-1

Bowling Green

UT-Martin

Braiden Dillow allowed only one hit in the game in 2.1 innings of work.

Falcons Finish Red And Blue Classic With 2-0 Win Over Tennessee-Martin

February 23, 2014 | Softball

Box Score

Braiden Dillow and Jamie Kertes combined to throw a three-hit shutout.

By: by Jake Dorow, Athletic Communications

Falcons 2, Skyhawks 0 (boxscore)

OXFORD, Miss. – The Bowling Green State University softball team defeated the University of Tennessee at Martin Sunday afternoon (Feb. 23), defeating the Skyhawks 2-0 in the Falcons' final game of the Red and Blue Classic at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. The Falcons (4-8-1) finished the tournament going 3-2 over the weekend, closing with a .267 batting average and a 2.84 ERA as a team.

Senior captain Katie Yoho led the Falcons offensively, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Freshman Chelsea Raker continued her hot hitting at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a double in the game. Raker batted a team-high .429 (6-for-14) at the Red and Blue Classic, including a double and a home run with two RBI over the tournament.

Sophomore Braiden Dillow and junior Jamie Kertes combined to pitch a three-hit shutout in game. Dillow started in the circle for Bowling Green, allowing just one hit in 2.1 innings of work, while Kertes (2-6) finished the game allowing just two hits in 4.2 innings to earn her second victory of the season.

Scoreless after four innings, the Falcons broke the tie with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. After freshman Haley Schrock led off the inning with a walk, Amanda Durham sacrificed Emily McClelland, who pinch ran for Schrock, to second base. After Erika Stratton singled to the left side, Yoho smashed a hard-hit ball to the left side to score two, giving Bowling Green a 2-0 lead.

The two-run inning was more than enough for Kertes, as the junior struck out three batters and did not allow a single hit over the final two innings of play to earn her second victory of the season.

"I am proud of the way we fought this weekend," softball head coach Shannon Salsburg said. "Each game presented its own challenge and we had to fight through adversity to leave Oxford winning the weekend at 3-2."

For the tournament, four Falcons batted .300 or better during a 3-2 stretch. Raker (.429), Stratton (.357), Trista Mokienko (.333) and Sami Parave (.300) combined for 18 hits and four doubles on the tournament. Yoho, meanwhile, batted .294 with three RBI to help the Falcons offensively.

Kertes went 2-2 in five appearances over the four-day stretch, posting a 2.06 ERA and 12 strikeouts at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. Dillow, who made four appearances over the weekend, posted a 3.50 ERA and recorded a career-high six strikeouts against Northern Colorado on Feb. 21.

The Falcons will be back in action on March 7-9 at the UCF Knights Spring Fling in Orlando, Fla. The Orange and Brown will take on Colgate at 9 a.m. and Troy at 11 a.m. on March 7 to begin the tournament.