Falcons Wrap Up Weekend in Florida with 5-2 Win over 'Yotes

Sunday, March 13

Clearwater, FL

9:00 AM

Bowling Green State University

11-10

South Dakota

4-23

Bowling Green

South Dakota

Aspen Searle - March 29 2015 v Toledo - Jason Knavel photo

Aspen Searle had three hits & scored a run in Sunday's win over USD

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

March 13, 2016 | Softball

Box Score

Searle is 3-for-4 as BGSU moves over the .500 mark

By: CLEARWATER, Fla. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University softball Falcons used a team effort to pick up a 5-2 victory over the University of South Dakota on Sunday morning (March 13). The game, BG's final contest at the USF Under Armour Showcase, was held at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.

"Overall, we played a very strong game today," said Falcon coach Sarah Willis, who saw her team improve to 11-10 on the season. "We got great defense in the field and on the mound, and we had good productivity up and down the lineup. We did a great job moving people into scoring positions and hitting the ball situationally."

Junior Aspen Searle led the hitting corps, with three of the Falcons' eight hits on the day. Redshirt sophomore Chelsea Raker was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, while four other players had a hit in the victory.

BGSU-USD STATS: HTML | PDF

Five different players scored one run apiece, while senior Molly Holliday drove in a pair of runs in the win.

In the circle, freshman Kiley Sosby threw a complete-game three-hitter, walking two batters and striking out a career-high nine. Sosby allowed a pair of fourth-inning runs on a single and a homer, but surrendered just one hit in the other six innings combined.

Searle singled to lead off the game, and took second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Katee Hinkle. Raker walked, and Searle advanced to third on a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of senior Marisa Shook, but South Dakota starter Madison Frain got a grounder back to the circle for the third out.

The Falcons got on the board in the third inning. With one out, Searle singled for the second time in as many trips. She was erased on a grounder by Hinkle, but Raker ripped a two-out double that plated Hinkle with the game's first run. Then, Shook singled to drive in Raker for a 2-0 lead.

In the Falcon fourth, the Brown and Orange took a three-run advantage when senior Braiden Dillow drew a leadoff walk and eventually came around to score on a single by Holliday.

Meanwhile, Sosby cruised through the first three innings. She faced just one over the minimum in that time, allowing only a walk to Morgan Vasa to lead off the first. Then, however, the Falcon freshman retired the next 11 in a row, getting strikeouts to end both the second and third innings.

In the fourth, though, the Coyotes got on the board. After the first two batters hit fly-ball outs, Jessica Rogers singled, and Shelby Keil followed with a homer. Suddenly, it was a 3-2 game, but Sosby recovered to get yet another inning-ending strikeout.

BG answered USD's two-run fourth with a run in the top of the fifth. Searle singled for the third-straight at-bat, and Hinkle's sac bunt moved up up 60 feet. Raker walked, and one out later, senior Haley Schrock singled to plate Searle and give the Falcons a 4-2 lead.

Sosby then proceeded to strike out the side in the home half of the fifth, getting Emily Winckler swinging, Christy Warnock looking and Jamie Holscher swinging.

The Falcons closed the scoring in the sixth. Sophomore Morgan Evangelista led off with a double, and freshman Hannah Giammarino's sac bunt sent classmate Alex Sorgi to third. Holliday's grounder allowed the pinch-runner to cross the plate with BG's fifth run of the day.

The 'Yotes looked to mount a threat in the bottom of the sixth. Vasa singled, but after a fielder's choice and a strikeout, South Dakota had a runner at first with two outs. But, Rogers walked, and a passed ball put two runners in scoring position with Keil -- who had homered two innings earlier -- coming to the plate. But, Sosby got the USD junior to pop up to Raker at third, and the Falcons were out of the inning.

Frain allowed a leadoff walk to Hinkle in the seventh, then retired the next three hitters. And, Sosby set down the Coyotes in order in the bottom of the inning, with a strikeout, a fly ball to center and a popup to first base.

For Sosby, the win was her fourth in a row, and improved her record to 7-3. She has won four consecutive decisions, and now has a team-leading 2.48 earned-run average along with 55 strikeouts on the season.

Frain took the loss for the Coyotes, allowing five runs and eight hits. She walked four Falcons and struck out five.

BGSU now returns north to prepare for a St. Patrick's Day game vs. Notre Dame. The Falcons will face the Irish on Thursday (March 17) in a 5:00 p.m. start, then will continue on to Bloomington, Ind., for four games in Indiana University's Hoosier Classic. BG is scheduled to face IPFW and Western Illinois on Friday (March 18) and Michigan State and UIC on Saturday (March 19).