Sosby, Falcons Shut Down Colonials

Sunday, February 14

Cleveland, OH

11:30 AM

Bowling Green State University

0-3

Cleveland State

3-1

Bowling Green

Cleveland State

Kiley Sosby - Oct 18 2015 - BGSU Softball - MJC

Kiley Sosby threw a complete game vs. RMU, aiding her own cause with 2 hits at the plate

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

February 14, 2016 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BGSU tops Robert Morris, 7-1, for first win of Sarah Willis Era

By: CLEVELAND, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Freshman Kiley Sosby threw a complete game and aided her own cause with a pair of hits as the Bowling Green State University softball team downed Robert Morris University, 7-1, on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 14).

The win, in BGSU's final game in Cleveland State University's Dome Invitational, was the first victory of the Sarah Willis head-coaching era.

The Falcons dropped an 8-5 decision to host CSU earlier Sunday inside the Krenzler Dome.

BGSU-CSU STATS: HTML | PDF
BGSU-RMU STATS: HTML | PDF

For Sosby, the win was the first of her young collegiate career. It was also her first complete game, and her double during the Falcons' four-run sixth inning was the first hit of her career. She followed that up with a single in the seventh.

In the opener, the Brown and Orange outhit CSU, 9-7, and BG put five runs on the board in the third inning to take a 5-2 lead. But, the Vikings scored four times in the fourth and added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth.

Senior Marisa Shook picked up where she left off on Saturday, with a three-run homer in the CSU game and a double against RMU. Shook has four extra-base hits and five runs batted in through four games, after collecting six hits and one RBI during all of last season.

"Our program showed some great progress and fight this weekend," said Willis. "We had some stellar performances today. Marisa Shook was clutch at the plate, Haley Schrock played a strong third base, and Kiley Sosby led us on the mound. We got good contributions from multiple people all weekend long."

In the opener, redshirt sophomore Chelsea Raker laced a two-out double in the top of the first off of CSU starter Macy Kaisk, but was stranded there.

The Vikings, aided by an error, struck first in the bottom of the inning. Susan Knight led off by reaching base on an error, and advanced to third on a double by Katelind Phillips. Then, Erica McNew singled up the middle to plate both runners. Falcon starting pitcher Briana Combs struck out the next batter, then got a grounder back to the circle and began an inning-ending double play.

BGSU scored five runs in the third inning, with all of the damage coming after the first two batters were retired. Five-straight Falcons recorded hits, as senior Marina Cobbs doubled, and classmate Molly Holliday reached on an infield single. Raker singled up the middle to score Cobbs, with Holliday taking third, and sophomore Kayla Koch singled to left to plate Holliday and tie the score.

Then, Shook homered for the second time in as many days. Her three-run shot to left field scored Raker and Koch ahead of her, and gave the Brown and Orange a 5-2 lead.

Combs, who had retired the side in order in the second, allowed a leadoff single and a two-out walk in the bottom of the third, but worked out of it, getting Mackenzie Joecken to hit a soft fly ball that shortstop Raker grabbed for the third out.

In the fourth, though, the home team retook the lead with four runs. The first two CSU batters walked, and a pair of pinch-runners moved up on a wild pitch, putting two Vikings in scoring position with no outs. Combs hit the next batter, Riley Ries, to load the bases. Combs got the next batter, Mel Woodard, to hit a grounder to junior Haley Schrock at third, Schrock fired the ball to catcher Trista Mokienko, retiring pinch-runner Kait Gairing for the first out. But, Alisha Silva reached on an infield error, with pinch-runner Bailee Gray scoring to cut BG's lead to two runs.

Then, Knight's infield single made it a one-run game, as Ries advanced home. A fly ball to left by Phillips produced the second out, but Woodard tagged and scored to tie the game, and a wild pitch scored Silva to give the hosts a 6-5 lead. Combs whiffed Joecken for the third out.

Holliday singled to begin the fifth, and Koch drew a two-out walk, but a fielder's choice, a caught stealing and a strikeout kept the Falcons off the scoreboard.

Freshman Brooke Parker, who threw two scoreless innings in her collegiate debut on Saturday, replaced Combs in the circle in the bottom of the fifth. She got the first two batters to pop up to short and second, respectively, before Ries flied out to center to end the one-two-three inning.

The top of the sixth saw Mokienko single with two outs, but she was stranded there. The Vikings added to their lead in the bottom of the inning, as Woodard's leadoff double was followed by back-to-back infield singles to produce a run. One out later, McNew's groundout to second scored Silva to make it an 8-5 game.

In the top of the seventh, Raker reached on a two-out error, and wound up at third after a passed ball, but Kaisk got a grounder to second for the final out.

The top-five hitters in the BG batting order combined for seven of the team's nine hits. Both Holliday and Raker were 2-for-4 with a run scored. Knight and Silva each had two hits for the Vikings, with Silva scoring twice and Knight driving in a pair of runs.

Shook and McNew each had three RBI for their respective teams.

Kaisk picked up the complete-game win in the circle. She allowed five runs and nine hits, walking one batter and striking out five. Combs took the loss, surrendering six runs (just two earned) in four innings of work. Parker gave up two runs in two innings of relief.

In game two, the Falcons were retired in order in the top of the first inning against Robert Morris starter Lacee Collins, with Raker hitting a liner to second base for the third out. In the bottom of the first, Jordan Gurganus worked Sosby for a leadoff walk, but the freshman hurler got Kristen Pray to hit a pop up that hit the roof over the infield, an automatic out. Sosby struck out Ashley Gerhart for the second out, but Kristen Gabelt's infield single put a pair of runners aboard. On Gabelt's hit, Schrock made a nifty diving stop of the one-hopper, but had no play. But, Sosby fanned Lauren Hackett to retire the side.

BGSU again went one-two-three in the second, but Sosby struck out two more Colonials, allowing only a harmless two-out walk, in the bottom of the frame.

Schrock hit a 3-2 pitch into the left-field corner for a leadoff double in the third inning. Sosby struck out, but Schrock advanced to third as the ball got away from RMU catcher Hackett, and she had to throw to first for the out. Collins got a second-straight strikeout, however, and a grounder back to the circle retired the side.

Gurganus reached base for the second consecutive time, beating out a slow roller to the left side of the infield to start the home half of the third. Pray bunted her to second, but Sosby got Gerhart to hit a grounder back to the circle, throwing to first for the second out as Gurganus was forced to remain at second. Then, Gabelt's infield popup retired the side.

Raker was hit by a Collins pitch with one out in the fourth, and pinch-runner Alex Sorgi advanced to second on a wild pitch. Several pitches later, Koch walked to put two runners aboard, and Shook – with two homers and a double on the weekend – was walked on four pitches to load the bases. Sophomore Morgan Evangelista's bouncer over the pitcher's head was grabbed by the shortstop, who threw to first for the out. But, Sorgi crossed the plate with the game's first run, with the other two runners taking second and third.

Schrock lifted a fly ball to left that would have cleared the wall, but caromed off of the roof and eluded the grasp of the RMU leftfielder. When the smoke had cleared, both Koch and Shook had scored and Schrock was standing on second. She took third on a wild pitch, but Collins got an inning-ending grounder.

Hackett, however, led off the bottom of the inning with a solo homer, and Haleigh Stocks reached on an infield error. But, Sosby got Stacey Capp to hit a liner to third for the first out, and Olivia Lorusso popped up for the second out. Sosby proceeded to strike out pinch-hitter Taylor Bartlow to retire the side.

Sophomore Katee Hinkle walked to begin the fifth, and Cobbs beat out a roller to the right side. Holliday bunted the runners to second and third, but Collins got a strikeout for the second out. Then, Koch hit a ball off of the roof of the dome near second base, which was ruled the third out per the tournament's ground rules.

Gurganus led off the bottom of the inning with a sharp single to left, but Pray's sinking liner was grabbed by a diving Shook in left field. Gerhart, however, reached on an infield hit, as Gurganus beat the throw to second. And, Gabelt's single loaded the bases with one out. Hackett lined out to left, with Shook charging in to grab the ball for the second out. Then, Sosby got Stocks to hit an inning-ending grounder to end the threat. Schrock charged in, grabbed the ball and threw to first to beat Stocks by a step.

The Falcons, held to three hits through the first five innings, exploded for five hits – and four runs – in the sixth.

Shook began the sixth by lining a Collins pitch into the gap in left-center, for her fourth extra-base hit in as many games. Shortstop Capp made a nice play on an Evangelista grounder, backhanding the ball and looking Shook back to second before firing to first. Schrock, however, singled up the middle to put runners at the corners, and Sosby aided her own cause by lining a double to the wall in left-center, scoring Shook for a three-run lead. Schrock took third on the play, and she scored when Hinkle reached on a bunt single. Hinkle continued to second on an error, with Sosby advancing to third on the play.

Cobbs lined to short for the second out, but Holliday singled, and both Sosby and Hinkle scored on the play, making it a 7-1 game.

Sosby got back-to-back infield popups, then struck out Collins for a one-two-three sixth frame.

Shook walked to begin the seventh, but Evangelista's liner was caught by the leftfielder and Shook was retired at second on a fielder's-choice grounder by Schrock. Sosby singled up the middle for her second career hit, and her second in as many innings, with Schrock advancing to second. But, Collins induced the next hitter to ground out, sending the game to the bottom of the seventh.

Sosby got Gurganus to ground out to Raker at shortstop for the first out. Pray singled, and took second when the throw was wide of the mark and went out of play. But, Gerhart hit a fly ball to left for the second out. Gabelt extended the game with a single to put runners at the corners, but Hackett's liner was snared by Schrock, and the Falcons had the victory.

Schrock had three of the Falcons' nine hits, including a pair of doubles, while Sosby had the first two hits of her career. Shook was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and two runs scored, while both Schrock and Holliday drove in a pair of teammates.

Gabelt had three hits for the Colonials, while Gurganus had two hits and a walk.

Sosby scattered eight hits in her complete-game win, walking a pair of batters and striking out six. Collins took the loss, giving up seven runs (six earned). She issued five walks and struck out six hitters.

"We had an opportunity to win every game this weekend, and we will build on that," said Willis. "Our team has faith in the process and we will continue to work hard as we prepare for next weekend at Kennesaw State."

The Falcons head to Kennesaw, Ga., to play four games in next weekend's Rafter Memorial Tournament. BGSU will face Rutgers and Kennesaw State on Friday (Feb. 19), Morehead State on Saturday (Feb. 20) and Bradley on Sunday morning (Feb. 21).