Falcons Rally for 5-3 Win to Take Series at Akron

Sunday, April 24

Akron, OH

12:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

18-28, 6-11

Akron

26-20-1, 8-7-1

Bowling Green

Akron

Morgan Evangelista vs Miami - April 13 2016 - Amanda Cutcher photo

Morgan Evangelista had a 3-run double in BG's come-from-behind win

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

April 24, 2016 | Softball

Box Score

Evangelista's bases-loaded double caps 4-run sixth; Dillow comes up big in relief

By: AKRON, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Sophomore catcher Morgan Evangelista's bases-loaded double capped a four-run sixth inning for the Bowling Green State University softball team, as the Falcons earned a 5-3, come-from-behind win over the University of Akron Sunday afternoon (April 24) at Lee Jackson Field.

With the win, the Falcons (18-28, 6-11 MAC) captured the weekend series, as BG won the final two games of the three-game set with the Zips (26-20-1, 8-7-1 MAC).

Akron scored three times in the third inning, but the Falcons got a run back in the fourth, then scored four times in the sixth as the first six batters all reached base in that inning. Meanwhile, senior Braiden Dillow slammed the door on the Zips with four innings of one-hit shutout relief. Dillow earned both of BG's wins in the circle at UA.

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"Dillow was very consistent for us today and during this entire series," said BGSU coach Sarah Willis. "She did a great job making adjustments through the game, and she pitched to her defense."

Six different Falcons had one hit apiece on Sunday, and four of those six hits were doubles. Evangelista's double came with three teammates on base and the Brown and Orange trailing by a run. That four-run sixth inning completed BGSU's comeback from a 3-0 deficit.

"Morgan came up big for us this weekend and did a great job working the process," said Willis. "She trusted the process and executed well."

The Zips had put up three runs in the third inning, getting just one hit. Falcon starting pitcher Kiley Sosby worked a scoreless two innings to begin the game, allowing just one baserunner on a first-inning single, but the freshman struggled with her control in the third frame. Sosby issued three walks and hit a UA batter with a pitch, with her third walk forcing home the game's first run.

Then, with two outs in that inning, Carley Childress doubled to score two more runs and give the Zips a 3-0 lead. But, the Falcons got an unearned run in the fourth before erupting for four runs in the sixth.

"Overall the entire lineup did a nice job hitting to the situation, and they manufactured runs when we needed them," said Willis.

Akron pitcher Erin Seiler, starting her third game of the weekend, set down the Falcons in order in the first inning. Sosby gave up a one-out single to Alyssa Nicholas in the bottom of the inning, but then got a pair of fly-ball outs.

Senior Marisa Shook walked to begin the second inning, but a fielder's choice, a fly ball to right field and a strikeout retired the side. Sosby worked a one-two-three second frame, getting a flyout, a popup to short and a strikeout.

The Brown and Orange advanced a runner as far as third base in the top of the third, as sophomore Katee Hinkle lined a ball off of the bottom of the fence just left of centerfield, for a one-out double. Hinkle advanced to third on a groundout, but another ground ball ended the threat.

In the bottom of the third, a pair of walks were followed by a sacrifice bunt for the Zips, and Sosby hit Nicholas with a pitch to load the bases. When Lilli Piper walked, Gabrielle Fredericks trotted home with the game's first run.

Sosby struck out cleanup hitter Taylor Kirian, but Childress followed with a double to left-center, scoring Kayla Schlosser and Nicholas for a 3-0 UA lead.

The Zips actually drew another walk in the inning, but that ball-four pitch was high and sailed over Evangelista's head and hit the backstop on the fly. The ball caromed back to Evangelista, who caught it and quickly threw to Sosby at the plate. Sosby tagged Piper, who was attempting to advance home on the play, for out number three.

BG got a run back in the fourth. With one out, Shook drove a ball into the gap in right-center for a double. Seiler got the second out, but junior Haley Schrock lined a ball past the UA third baseman and down the left-field line. Shook advanced to third on the play, but was forced to hold there as Schrock advanced to second.

But, the next hitter, Evangelista, hit a ball toward Gambone at third, who could not make a play. Evangelista was safe at first on the two-out error, with Schrock advancing to third. Then, freshman Hannah Giammarino's hard-hit ball briefly looked like it mighit go into centerfield, but Seiler stabbed it and fired to first for the third out.

Dillow entered the circle in the bottom of the fourth. She got Cassie Gillespie to hit a fly ball to senior centerfielder Molly Holliday for the first out, and Fredericks then singled to left. Then, though, she retired the last 11 batters she faced, and did not allow a ball to leave the infield during that time.

Following the Fredericks hit, Schlosser sacrificed her to second, but Dillow then struck out Savannah Fruin for the third out. Seiler retired BG in order in the fifth, but Dillow struck out Nicholas on three pitches, got Piper to pop up to Hinkle at short -- technically, Hinkle was on the edge of the outfield grass, making Piper the lone batter of Akron's last 11 hitters to get a ball out of the infield -- and induced Kirian to hit a grounder to Hinkle, who fired to first in time to retire the side.

BG had three hits through the first five innings, but the Falcons added three more hits in the sixth inning to take the lead for good. The first six batters reached safely.

Redshirt sophomore Chelsea Raker began the inning with a single up the middle, and Shook worked Seiler for a walk, sending pinch-runner Alex Sorgi to second. Then, Dillow's blooper was just out of reach of the leaping UA second baseman for a base hit. Sorgi came around to score on the play, while Shook advanced to third.

The next hitter, Schrock, reached base on an infield error, with Dillow advancing to second. Shook was held at third base on the grounder to the left side of the infield, but the bases were loaded for Evangelista.

And, the sophomore ripped a Seiler pitch to the gap in right-center, with Shook, Dillow and Schrock all coming around to score.

Senior Chandler Scott pinch-hit for Giammarino, and worked Seiler for a walk. Giammarino returned to the game at first base, while junior Sami Parave pinch-ran for Evangelista at second. But, Hinkle's hard-hit ball was gloved by Gambone near third base, and she stepped on the bag, then fired to first for a double play. A fly ball to center ended the inning, but the Falcons had a 5-3 lead.

Dillow sandwiched two ground balls around a strikeout to retire the Zips in order in the bottom of the sixth. And, in the seventh, she got Fredericks to hit a grounder to second baseman Kayla Gregory for the first out and Schlosser to tap a ball toward third baseman Schrock for the second. On the next pitch, Fruin hit a nubber back to the circle, and Dillow fielded it herself and fired to Raker at first to seal the win.

The Falcons outhit the Zips by a 6-3 count, and as mentioned, four of BG's six hits were doubles. Dillow faced just one batter over the minimum in her four shutout innings of work. She allowed one hit and struck out three Zips without walking a batter, improving to 6-8 on the season. Dillow threw 33 of her 51 pitches for strikes on Sunday.

Sosby allowed three runs in three innings of work. She gave up just two hits and struck out two, but issued four walks and hit a batter.

Seiler took the loss, allowing five runs (three earned) and six hits. She walked three hitters and struck out five.

Evangelista is hitting .474 over the last eight games, having gone 9-for-19 in that time. She has four doubles and 10 RBI during that eight-game stretch.

Dillow is 8-for-16 (.500) at the plate over the last five contests, with three multiple-hit games and seven runs scored during that time. In the circle, she was 2-0 with an earned-run average of 1.27 in the Akron series.

Schrock led the Falcons with a .444 batting average (4-for-9) at UA on the weekend. She has a five-game hitting streak, having gone 7-for-14 (.500) in that span.

Shook's double was her 11th of the season. No Falcon has had as many as 11 two-base hits since the 2012 season (Paige Berger 17, Hannah Fulk 11).

The Falcons will head up I-75 on Wednesday (April 27), taking on the University of Toledo in a pair of games that will not count in the MAC standings.