Flashes Fend Off Falcons Friday

Friday, April 24

Bowling Green, Ohio

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

16-24, 5-10

Kent State

32-11, 10-4

Kent State

Bowling Green

Lauren Newmark safely slides into second during Friday's second game vs. KSU

Photo by: Larry Clapper

April 24, 2015 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BGSU hosts Buffalo in 1:00 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Kent State University pitcher Emma Johnson was dominant in game one, then came on in relief to hold off the Bowling Green State University softball team in game two, as the Golden Flashes swept a Friday (April 24) doubleheader. KSU downed the Falcons by scores of 3-0 and 1-0 in Mid-American Conference action at Meserve Field.

BGSU-KSU Photo Gallery - Ruben Kappler, BGSU Mkt. & Comm.

Johnson threw a no-hitter in the first game, allowing only a sixth-inning walk, then got the final four outs of the nightcap to earn a save for the MAC East Division-leading Flashes (33-11, 11-4 MAC).

Johnson retired the first 15 BGSU batters she faced on Friday, before sophomore Haley Schrock won a lengthy battle by drawing a leadoff walk in the sixth inning. The KSU senior responded by retiring the next three batters to get out of the inning, then setting down the Falcons (16-25, 5-11 MAC) in order in the seventh for her second no-hitter of the season.

In the second game, the Flashes got an unearned run in the first inning and made it hold up, holding off several BGSU would-be rallies down the stretch.

"Emma Johnson ... I thought we had the right approach against her, but sometimes you just have to tip your hat to somebody when they're on fire," said BGSU head coach Shannon Salsburg. "Statistically, she is truly one of the best in the nation. She beat number-four Michigan; I mean, the kid is very, very good. So, we knew it would have to be a low-scoring event, and we kept it there for the most part, and we knew that we would have to string a couple hits together. But, she just doesn't give you a lot of hits. Again, sometimes you just have to tip your hat."

BGSU senior Jamie Kertes, for her part, matched Johnson over the first few innings. Kertes needed just 34 pitches (throwing 26 for strikes) to get through the first three innings, while Johnson threw 46 pitches (34 strikes) during that same span.

Kertes gave up a first-inning hit, but still needed just nine pitches to get three outs. Fly balls to center and left -- with Schrock making a nice diving catch in shallow left -- produced the first two outs, before Maddy Grimm followed with a single. But, Kertes got Holly Speers to fly out to right to end the half inning.

Johnson, however, followed nearly the same blueprint to success in each of the first five innings. She retired the Falcons in order, with two strikeouts in each of those five frames. Despite allowing the walk in the sixth inning, Johnson recovered to get two more strikeouts. She added a final strikeout in the seventh to give her 13 for the game.

In the KSU second, Michele Duffy led off with a single, but when Janel Hayes laid down a bunt, Falcon freshman catcher Morgan Evangelista fielded the ball and fired it to shortstop Aspen Searle in time to cut down the lead runner. After Searle grabbed a popup in shallow leftfield for the second out, freshman second baseman Katee Hinkle made a highlight-reel catch of a liner by Paige McCrary. McCrary hit a ball that seemed ticketed for centerfield, but Hinkle ranged to her right and made a headlong dive to grab the ball for the third out.

Kertes got the first two outs of the third inning, including a strikeout of Kim Kirkpatrick, and after Dani Ramos hit a bloop single, Kertes struck out Grimm after a lengthy at-bat.

Schrock battled Johnson through a long at-bat to begin the bottom of the inning, before hitting a popup that third baseman Grimm caught in foul territory. Johnson fanned the next two batters.

In the fourth, KSU broke on top as Duffy hit a drive that just cleared the fence in center. The solo homer was her fifth of the season. After a two-out infield hit, Kertes whiffed McClary on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.

The Flashes increased the lead in the fourth. With one out, Kirkpatrick lined a double to centerfield, but rounded the bag and was seemingly caught between second and third. She started back toward second base, but when the throw went to second, Kirkpatrick reversed her field and made it to third safely. Two pitches later, she trotted home as Ramos hit a ball into the gap in right-center for a triple.

Junior Braiden Dillow entered the game, and was greeted by a single to left by Grimm, giving the visitors a three-run lead. Then, a BG error put runners at the corners, but Dillow gloved a soft liner by Duffy, and threw to first to easily double up pinch-runner Emily Dobbin.

Dillow retired the side in order in the sixth, with a strikeout and back-to-back grounders to third baseman Chloe Giordano. In the bottom of the sixth, Schrock hit a long drive to left that landed approximately eight feet foul. But, Schrock worked the count full, then took ball four to give BG a baserunner for the first time.

Johnson got a strikeout, but pinch-hitter Amanda Durham hit a grounder to the right side that advanced Schrock to second. Johnson, however, came back with another strikeout to end the threat.

Dillow again set the Flashes down in order in the seventh, with Brooke Dodson fouling out to Marina Cobbs in right before Kirkpatrick and Ramos each struck out swinging. But, in the bottom of the inning, a groundout, a strikeout and a popup to second ended the game and gave Johnson her no-hitter.

Johnson threw an even 100 pitches in the win, with 77 strikes. She walked one batter and struck out 13, improving to 17-5 on the year.

Kertes allowed three runs and seven hits in four-and-a-third innings of work, throwing 41 of her 56 pitches for strikes. Dillow allowed only one hit, facing nine batters and getting eight outs. Both Kertes and Dillow struck out three hitters and did not allow a walk.

In the second game, the Flashes got the only run starting pitcher Ronnie Ladines and Johnson would need in the first inning, scoring an unearned marker against sophomore Briana Combs. With one out, Ramos beat out an infield grounder, and continued on to second when the throw to first sailed high. The next hitter, Grimm, beat out a slow roller toward first base on the 10th pitch of her at-bat, putting runners at the corners.

Speers hit a grounder to second baseman Hinkle that produced the second out. But, Ramos crossed the plate with what would prove to be the only run of the game. Combs got the next hitter, Duffy, to ground out to third baseman Giordano to retire the side.

Junior Molly Holliday beat out a bunt to the right side of the infield with one out in the bottom of the inning, BG's first hit of the afternoon. Fellow junior Cobbs hit a grounder to short that advanced Holliday to second, but Ladines got a strikeout for the third out of the frame.

Combs set down the Flashes in order in both the second and third innings, part of a stretch in which the sophomore retired nine-straight KSU batters. BG was retired in order in the second, but freshman Lauren Newmark got things started in the third.

Newmark fell behind, 0-2, in the count, then worked Ladines to a full count before hitting a blooper just over Ladines and the circle for a single. Hinkle's sacrifice bunt sent Newmark to second, and on a grounder to third by Searle, Newmark broke for third when the KSU third baseman fired to first, beating the return throw to put a runner on third. The next hitter, Holliday, hit a ball just over third base, but foul, on the next pitch. Holliday then hit a sharp grounder, but shortstop Speers gloved it and threw to first to retire the side.

Speers would single to center with one down in the fourth, but Combs worked around that hit by getting a pair of grounders. With two down in the bottom of the inning, Evangelista singled to center, and Combs pinch ran for her. Combs took second on a KSU passed ball as Schrock worked the count to 3-0. Schrock took a called strike, then lined a single up the middle. But, Combs was out at the plate attempting to score, and Ladines was out of the inning.

In the fifth, Lauren Kesterson singled with two outs, but she was erased attempting to steal on the very next pitch, as catcher Evangelista fired a strike to shortstop Searle, who applied the tag.

In the bottom of the fifth, junior Marisa Shook drew a leadoff walk. One out later, Durham pinch-hit and laid down a bunt, but third baseman Grimm fired to second to force Shook. Then, Ladines got Searle to hit a fly ball to center for the third out.

In the Falcon half of the sixth, Cobbs lined a ball just past the diving effort of second baseman Kesterson and into centerfield for a one-out base hit. Giordano followed with a liner of her own. The smash caromed off the glove of Grimm at third base, and went directly to shortstop Speers. Speers threw to second, and it was ruled that her throw beat Cobbs to the bag for the second out.

Giordano alertly took second base before KSU returned the ball to the pitcher's circle, but Johnson entered the game and got a popup to short for the third out.

KSU threatened to increase the lead in the seventh, but the BG defense kept the margin at a single run. Duffy led off with a single, and on a bunt by Arika Roush, both runners were safe when a throw to second was wide of the bag. Pinch-hitter Hayes lined a single up the middle, but Holliday fielded the ball on the run, came up throwing and gunned down pinch-runner Emily Dobbin attempting to score.

"Holliday's done that all year," said Salsburg. "She gives us a chance to get an out any time she touches the ball and a kid rounds third or tries to tag. But, that was one heck of a throw, and it was also a great stick by Mo (Evangelista) at home, because it would have been easy to bobble that ball and not get the out. That was a big play, and that's what we've talked about in terms of raising your level and going for it. That's nice to see."

Even after the nifty play by Holliday and Evangelista, the Flashes still had runners at second and third with only one out. Dillow came into the game and threw a third strike past McCrary, then got Kesterson to hit a grounder back to the circle for the third out.

Schrock led off the seventh inning with a long foul ball that landed near the BG batting cages down the left-field line. Schrock then hit a blooper toward shallow left, but KSU shortstop Speers robbed her of a hit, making a nice diving catch as she raced toward third. Johnson then got a pair of strikeouts to end the game.

Ladines got the win for the Flashes, allowing five hits before leaving the game with two outs in the sixth. She walked one Falcon and struck out five. Johnson retired all four batters she faced in game two, striking out two, to earn the save.

For the Falcons, Combs gave up only one (unearned) run and seven hits in her six-and-a-third innings of work, with three strikeouts. Dillow retired both batters she faced, whiffing one. BGSU pitchers did not issue a single walk in Friday's doubleheader.

Dillow faced 11 hitters and got 10 outs on Friday. BG had a team earned-run average of 1.50 on the afternoon.

" I thought all three pitchers did their job today," said Salsburg. "They did a nice job of staying within what they do. Kent State, right now, is the top team in our conference, and they showed why. They can hit from top to bottom. Overall, I was very pleased with what our pitchers did, and for the most part, I was pleased with our defense. We played with the right intensity, I thought we attacked them, we just simply didn't come out ahead."

The Falcons return to Meserve Field for a pair of games vs. the University at Buffalo this weekend, hosting the Bulls on Saturday and Sunday (April 25-26). Both games will begin at 1:00 p.m.

"The thing I said to the team after the game was simply, 'that's a team I'm proud to coach.' That team showed up to play today, and wasn't worried about who was in the other dugout," said Salsburg. "They were simply there to give it their best shot. We didn't come out on top, but they really played their tails off.

"We have six games left. We need to take care of our business, and we will probably need to get a little bit of help. Our goal right now is to fight our way back to .500. It's not going to be easy, but as of right now, it's still within our grasp. Buffalo is playing better, and (next weekend's opponents) Central and Eastern are playing well, too. If we play like we played in game two, I think we have a shot. But, it's going to take that intensity, and that type of play, to give us a shot."