Falcons Earn Split on Day One of 2015 Season

Saturday, February 7

Cleveland, Ohio

6:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

1-0

Niagara

0-4

Bowling Green

Niagara

Braiden Dillow picked up the win vs. Niagara and had an ERA of just 0.82 on the day

February 07, 2015 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BGSU pounds out 21 hits, scores 13 runs in Saturday action in Cleveland

By: CLEVELAND, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University softball team began the 2015 season Saturday evening (Feb. 7), splitting a pair of games at the Cleveland State University Dome Tournament. The Falcons of head coach Shannon Salsburg pounded out 13 hits in a 9-1 win over Niagara, before falling by an 8-4 outcome to Bucknell.

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BGSU-BUCKNELL STATS: HTML | PDF

Junior pitcher Braiden Dillow picked up the win against Niagara, with six innings of one-run, five-hit ball. She walked just one batter and struck out six vs. the Purple Eagles.

Dillow returned to the circle in relief in the Bucknell game, giving up just one unearned run in five innings of work. On the day, Dillow had an earned-run average of just 0.82, allowing opponents to hit just .184 against her in 11 innings.

At the plate, every one of the nine hitters in BG's starting lineup had at least one hit in the Niagara game, with four players banging out two hits apiece. That quartet included juniors Marina Cobbs and Molly Holliday, sophomore Trista Mokienko and freshman Morgan Evangelista. Three other Falcons -- sophomore Haley Schrock and freshmen Katee Hinkle and Kayla Koch -- drove in two runs apiece vs. the Purple Eagles.

"We did a lot of good things in both games," said Salsburg. "We scored runs throughout the order and made some great defensive plays. One inning got away from us in the second game and we simply got into too deep of a hole.

"Braiden Dillow had a strong first day for us. She threw a lot of innings and got stronger as the day went on. We look forward to coming out tomorrow and working to improve."

The Falcons never trailed vs. Niagara, scoring twice in the top of the first inning to assume control. NU got a run back in the second, but the Falcons scored three times in the fifth frame, then broke the game wide open with a four-run seventh. Freshman Briana Combs made her debut in relief of Dillow, pitching a one-two-three seventh inning as BG closed out the victory.

In the Bucknell game, the Falcons again broke on top with a run in the bottom of the first, but the Bison scored three times in the second inning and five times in the third to take an 8-1 lead. The Brown and Orange scored twice in the bottom of the third and added a run in the fourth, but could draw no closer.

Cobbs again had two hits vs. Bucknell, scoring two of the Falcons' four runs, while sophomore Aspen Searle had a solo home run against the Bison.

For the Falcons, the 2015 season began with Searle drawing a walk and promptly stealing second on the very next pitch. Cobbs moved Searle to third with a single, and Cobbs then stole second to put two runners in scoring position. The first run of the season came when Mokienko singled up the middle to plate Searle, with Cobbs taking third on the play. One out later, Evangelista walked to load the bases, and Schrock looped a single to right field to score Cobbs. NU pitcher Sydney Smyers worked out of the jam to avoid further damage, but the Falcons had a 2-0 lead after half an inning.

In the bottom of the first, Dillow allowed a leadoff single, and a one-out error put two runners aboard, but the junior proceeded to whiff the next two batters to end the inning.

In the second inning, NU put two runners in scoring position with no outs, on a leadoff walk and a double to left center. The Purple Eagles got a run on a two-out grounder, but Falcon second baseman Searle kept the ball from going into the outfield, holding NU's second runner at third base. Dillow induced the next batter to hit a fly ball to left, which Schrock gloved to end the inning.

The top of the third inning saw Mokienko blast a ball to deep left-center for one of just two extra-base hits for the Falcons in the game. But, after the one-out double, Mokienko was stranded at second.

NU got the potential tying run to third base in the bottom of the third, as Desarae Maldonado doubled with one out and advanced to third on a grounder. But, Dillow struck out Victoria Bretz to end the inning for the second time in the game.

The fifth inning saw the Falcons score three times to take a 5-1 lead. Holliday singled to lead off the inning, and Cobbs moved her to second on a one-out infield single. Both runners moved up on a double steal, and after Mokienko ripped a liner that was grabbed by the shortstop, Koch plated them both, blasting a double to the fence in right. Then, Evangelista singled up the middle to score pinch-runner Emily McClelland.

NU put runners at the corners with two outs in the fifth, but Dillow retired Bretz to end the inning for the third time on the evening, getting her to ground out to third base.

The Falcons broke the game wide open in the top of the seventh. Mokienko walked, and Koch was hit by a pitch. Evangelista singled to left to load the bases, and Mokienko scored on a groundout by Schrock.

Senior Chloe Giordano's single plated Koch to make it a 7-1 game, and Giordano took second base on the throw, putting two runners in scoring position. The next batter, Hinkle, brought them both around, lacing a single past the shortstop to give the Brown and Orange a 9-1 advantage.

Combs replaced Dillow in the circle and got a grounder to short, a popup to third and a game-ending strikeout.

The Bucknell game saw the Falcons take a first-inning lead for the second time in as many games. Senior Jamie Kertes worked a quick one-two-three inning in the top of the first, and BG took the lead when Koch singled down the right-field line to plate Cobbs, who had reached on an error.

BU responded, however, scoring three times in the second inning. The Bison put runners at the corners with no outs on a single and a double, and after Kertes induced Mariah Midyette to hit a popup to shortstop, Cheyanna Young singled up the middle to tie the game. Another run scored in a wild pitch, and an Erin Cox single plated a third run before Kertes got back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.

The Bison got back-to-back singles to begin the next inning, however, and Combs replaced Kertes in the circle. She was greeted by a Kristen Zahn double, however, and a single scored another run.

Dillow entered the game and got a grounder to second, but another run scored. With two outs, BU scored two more runs, on a wild pitch and a passed ball, respectively, and the Falcons trailed, 8-1.

Dillow allowed just two hits over the remaining four innings, and the Brown and Orange began to cut into the Bucknell lead. In the bottom of the third, Searle blasted a ball over the fence in left-center. The solo homer was Searle's first of the year and the fourth of her career. Cobbs and Mokienko each singled up the middle, and one out later, an Evangelista single brought Cobbs around to score. With runners at second and third, however, Bucknell starter Dana Nielsen got an inning-ending groundout.

In the fourth inning, Giordano greeted BU reliever Taylor Langtry by ripping a pitch to left field for a leadoff triple. Landtry got a groundout that forced Giordano to hold at third, but the next batter, freshman Kayla Gregory, hit a grounder to second that plated the run to make it an 8-4 game.

But, the Falcons could draw no closer. A double-play ball erased a BG leadoff walk in the fifth inning, and in the sixth, a pair of runners were stranded. Schrock's single and a walk to Giordano put two runners on base with one out, and they moved up to second and third on a wild pitch. But, reliever Amanda Fazio got a popup to second base, then a grounder that resulted in an inning-ending fielder's choice.

In the seventh, a one-out single was erased by a game-ending double play.

On the day, nine different Falcons had at least one hit, with Cobbs and Evangelista batting .500 and Mokienko .429 in the two games. Cobbs was 4-for-8 with a team-leading four runs scored. Koch had a BG-high three runs batted in on Saturday, with three of her teammates driving in two runs apiece.

The Falcons are back in action on Sunday (Feb. 8), concluding play in the CSU Dome Tournament with two more games. BG will face Canisius at 3:30 p.m. and Robert Morris in a 6:00 p.m. contest.