Bowling Green State University Athletics
Saturday, February 11
Cleveland, OH
8:00 AM
Bowling Green State University
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Cleveland State
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Bowling Green
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Cleveland State
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Aspen Searle homered in each of BGSU's Saturday wins
Softball Starts Season with Saturday Sweep
February 11, 2017 | Softball
BGSU outscores opponents, 15-2, in wins over CSU, Niagara
The Bowling Green State University softball team got the 2017 season off to a successful start, to say the least. The Falcon offense pounded out a total of 19 hits, and BGSU pitchers fired matching two-hitters, as the Brown and Orange picked up wins over Cleveland State and Niagara on Saturday (Feb. 11). Both games were part of the CSU Dome Tournament, which is being played at the Krenzler Dome in downtown Cleveland.
LINKS
BGSU-CSU STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
BGSU-NIAGARA STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
The Falcons downed host CSU by a 7-1 score on Saturday morning, then returned to the diamond and posted an 8-1 victory over NU in the afternoon. Redshirt junior Aspen Searle, who missed most of the 2016 season due to injury, homered in each game. Searle had a total of four hits and five runs batted in on the day.
Both of BGSU's pitchers, sophomore Kiley Sosby and senior Briana Combs, fired a complete-game two-hitter. Sosby had nine strikeouts in the win over CSU, while Combs struck out a pair of Niagara batters and did not issue a walk.
Combs retired 16 consecutive batters after allowing a run-scoring single with two outs in the first inning. She surrendered two hits in that opening inning, then did not allow another Niagara baserunner until the seventh.
In her first collegiate games, freshman Kendyl Wheeler went 5-for-7 at the plate. Wheeler, like Searle, scored three runs in the two wins.
Falcon batters had a total of 19 hits in the two games, and BGSU did not make an error in the field.
BGSU leadoff hitters set the table all day long, and the batters that followed made sure to arrive in plenty of time for dinner. The Falcons put the leadoff batter on base in each of the first three innings vs. CSU, and in each of the first five frames vs. NU.
In Saturday's opening game, Sosby, as mentioned, spun a complete-game two-hitter, and the sophomore tied her career high with nine strikeouts. Meanwhile, the BGSU offense pounded out 10 hits in the win. And, there were hitting heroes aplenty against the Vikings.
Wheeler, in her first collegiate game, went 3-for-3 at the plate vs. CSU, while Searle and junior Laine Simmons each were 2-of-4 with a run scored. Simmons, a transfer from Morehead State University, was playing in her first game as a Falcon. Senior Haley Schrock walked, singled and scored a pair of runs in the victory.
The Niagara game saw Wheeler and Searle each pound out two more hits. Searle was 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI vs. the Purple Eagles, while Wheeler scored a run in the win. Sophomore Alex Sorgi scored a pair of runs, while classmate Hannah Giammarino clubbed a solo homer to cap the scoring.
The three first-year Falcons who made plate appearances – Wheeler, Simmons and freshman Logan Everett – each picked up a base hit in their first official BGSU at-bat. Simmons singled in the second inning of the CSU game, while Wheeler doubled an inning later. Everett led off the second inning of the NU game with a single.
In the opening game, the Vikings got on the scoreboard first, as Alicia Major led off the bottom of the second inning with a homer to left. Sosby, however, responded by retiring the next six hitters, including four strikeouts in a five-batter span.
Meanwhile, the Falcons battled back. Wheeler began the third inning with a double down the left-field line, and she continued to third on a CSU error. With two outs, redshirt junior Chelsea Raker's grounder to the right side brought Wheeler home with the Falcons' first run of the season.
The Brown and Orange took the lead for good in the fifth, with Wheeler again involved in the scoring. The freshman singled with one out and again took an extra base after a Viking error. The next hitter, Searle, homered to left-center to give the Falcons the lead for good.
BGSU added a pair of runs in the sixth. Kloee Cuckler replaced CSU starting pitcher Mackenzie Joecken in the circle, and Schrock greeted her by working a base on balls. Simmons singled up the middle to send Schrock to second, and junior Kayla Gregory's sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position.
The next hitter, junior Katee Hinkle, singled to right-center to score Schrock, and the runners kept running after an error by the CSU centerfielder. Simmons scored behind Schrock, and Hinkle made it all the way to third. Then, Giammarino singled to score Hinkle and make it a 6-1 game. Wheeler picked up her third hit of the game, but Cuckler was able to avoid further damage, at least for the time being.
Sosby set down the Vikings in the bottom of the sixth, and BGSU capped the scoring with a run in the top of the seventh. Schrock doubled with one out, and scored when Gregory reached on another CSU throwing error. When Sosby worked a one-two-three seventh, the Brown and Orange had the first win of the 2017 season.
Game two saw the Falcons jump on top early. Sorgi led off the game with a hit, her first as a Falcon. The sophomore, who was used primarily as a pinch-runner in 2016, had only eight at-bats in her freshman year.
Following Sorgi's single, Hinkle drew a walk, and Searle reached on an infield single, with Sorgi scoring on an error and the other runners taking second and third, respectively. A Raker grounder scored Hinkle, and Schrock's sacrifice fly plated Searle and gave BG a 3-0 lead.
The Purple Eagles got a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, and that hitter – Sarah March – took second on a sac bunt, third on an illegal pitch and scored on a single by Bridget Hogan. But, after being called for another illegal pitch that sent Hogan to second, Combs struck out Jerri Ann Orfano to end the inning. She would not allow another hit all day, and the only NU baserunner in the final six innings came via a hit-by-pitch in the seventh.
Meanwhile, Everett became the third Falcon to get a hit in her first BG plate appearance, with a single to lead off the second. With one out, Wheeler reached on an error, and Everett came around to score when Sorgi's fielder's-choice grounder resulted in another Niagara error.
In the fourth, Wheeler led off with yet another base hit, and Sorgi drew a walk, Hinkle's sacrifice moved the runners up a base, before Searle crushed a three-run homer to left to give BG a 7-1 lead. Raker followed with a double, chasing CSU starter Hogan, but relief pitcher Emily Johnston was able to retire the next two hitters to end the threat.
Giammarino capped the scoring with a one-out homer to left-center in the seventh. The round-tripper was her second as a Falcon.
BGSU hit .322 as a team in the two games, with a .525 slugging percentage. Meanwhile, Falcon foes batted an aggregate .091.
"I was proud to see our team attacking the ball early at the plate," said Falcon head coach Sarah Willis. "One through nine, we did a great job executing the short game and committing to our philosophy of situational hitting. Defensively, our pitchers were strong in the circle and kept hitters off balance. Both Briana Combs and Kiley Sosby had good outings today to start the season.
"We will look to maintain that consistency tomorrow in day two of the tournament."
The Falcons will return to the Krenzler Dome on Sunday (Feb. 12). BGSU will meet Canisius in a 1:00 p.m. start, before facing Robert Morris at 6:00 p.m.
CSU DOME TOURNAMENT
DAY-ONE RESULTS
Bowling Green 7, Cleveland State 1
Canisius 7, Cleveland State 1
Bowling Green 8, Niagara 1
Canisius 5, Robert Morris 2
Niagara 9, Robert Morris 0 (5 innings)
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LINKS
BGSU-CSU STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
BGSU-NIAGARA STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
The Falcons downed host CSU by a 7-1 score on Saturday morning, then returned to the diamond and posted an 8-1 victory over NU in the afternoon. Redshirt junior Aspen Searle, who missed most of the 2016 season due to injury, homered in each game. Searle had a total of four hits and five runs batted in on the day.
Both of BGSU's pitchers, sophomore Kiley Sosby and senior Briana Combs, fired a complete-game two-hitter. Sosby had nine strikeouts in the win over CSU, while Combs struck out a pair of Niagara batters and did not issue a walk.
Combs retired 16 consecutive batters after allowing a run-scoring single with two outs in the first inning. She surrendered two hits in that opening inning, then did not allow another Niagara baserunner until the seventh.
In her first collegiate games, freshman Kendyl Wheeler went 5-for-7 at the plate. Wheeler, like Searle, scored three runs in the two wins.
Falcon batters had a total of 19 hits in the two games, and BGSU did not make an error in the field.
BGSU leadoff hitters set the table all day long, and the batters that followed made sure to arrive in plenty of time for dinner. The Falcons put the leadoff batter on base in each of the first three innings vs. CSU, and in each of the first five frames vs. NU.
In Saturday's opening game, Sosby, as mentioned, spun a complete-game two-hitter, and the sophomore tied her career high with nine strikeouts. Meanwhile, the BGSU offense pounded out 10 hits in the win. And, there were hitting heroes aplenty against the Vikings.
Wheeler, in her first collegiate game, went 3-for-3 at the plate vs. CSU, while Searle and junior Laine Simmons each were 2-of-4 with a run scored. Simmons, a transfer from Morehead State University, was playing in her first game as a Falcon. Senior Haley Schrock walked, singled and scored a pair of runs in the victory.
The Niagara game saw Wheeler and Searle each pound out two more hits. Searle was 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI vs. the Purple Eagles, while Wheeler scored a run in the win. Sophomore Alex Sorgi scored a pair of runs, while classmate Hannah Giammarino clubbed a solo homer to cap the scoring.
The three first-year Falcons who made plate appearances – Wheeler, Simmons and freshman Logan Everett – each picked up a base hit in their first official BGSU at-bat. Simmons singled in the second inning of the CSU game, while Wheeler doubled an inning later. Everett led off the second inning of the NU game with a single.
In the opening game, the Vikings got on the scoreboard first, as Alicia Major led off the bottom of the second inning with a homer to left. Sosby, however, responded by retiring the next six hitters, including four strikeouts in a five-batter span.
Meanwhile, the Falcons battled back. Wheeler began the third inning with a double down the left-field line, and she continued to third on a CSU error. With two outs, redshirt junior Chelsea Raker's grounder to the right side brought Wheeler home with the Falcons' first run of the season.
The Brown and Orange took the lead for good in the fifth, with Wheeler again involved in the scoring. The freshman singled with one out and again took an extra base after a Viking error. The next hitter, Searle, homered to left-center to give the Falcons the lead for good.
BGSU added a pair of runs in the sixth. Kloee Cuckler replaced CSU starting pitcher Mackenzie Joecken in the circle, and Schrock greeted her by working a base on balls. Simmons singled up the middle to send Schrock to second, and junior Kayla Gregory's sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position.
The next hitter, junior Katee Hinkle, singled to right-center to score Schrock, and the runners kept running after an error by the CSU centerfielder. Simmons scored behind Schrock, and Hinkle made it all the way to third. Then, Giammarino singled to score Hinkle and make it a 6-1 game. Wheeler picked up her third hit of the game, but Cuckler was able to avoid further damage, at least for the time being.
Sosby set down the Vikings in the bottom of the sixth, and BGSU capped the scoring with a run in the top of the seventh. Schrock doubled with one out, and scored when Gregory reached on another CSU throwing error. When Sosby worked a one-two-three seventh, the Brown and Orange had the first win of the 2017 season.
Game two saw the Falcons jump on top early. Sorgi led off the game with a hit, her first as a Falcon. The sophomore, who was used primarily as a pinch-runner in 2016, had only eight at-bats in her freshman year.
Following Sorgi's single, Hinkle drew a walk, and Searle reached on an infield single, with Sorgi scoring on an error and the other runners taking second and third, respectively. A Raker grounder scored Hinkle, and Schrock's sacrifice fly plated Searle and gave BG a 3-0 lead.
The Purple Eagles got a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, and that hitter – Sarah March – took second on a sac bunt, third on an illegal pitch and scored on a single by Bridget Hogan. But, after being called for another illegal pitch that sent Hogan to second, Combs struck out Jerri Ann Orfano to end the inning. She would not allow another hit all day, and the only NU baserunner in the final six innings came via a hit-by-pitch in the seventh.
Meanwhile, Everett became the third Falcon to get a hit in her first BG plate appearance, with a single to lead off the second. With one out, Wheeler reached on an error, and Everett came around to score when Sorgi's fielder's-choice grounder resulted in another Niagara error.
In the fourth, Wheeler led off with yet another base hit, and Sorgi drew a walk, Hinkle's sacrifice moved the runners up a base, before Searle crushed a three-run homer to left to give BG a 7-1 lead. Raker followed with a double, chasing CSU starter Hogan, but relief pitcher Emily Johnston was able to retire the next two hitters to end the threat.
Giammarino capped the scoring with a one-out homer to left-center in the seventh. The round-tripper was her second as a Falcon.
BGSU hit .322 as a team in the two games, with a .525 slugging percentage. Meanwhile, Falcon foes batted an aggregate .091.
"I was proud to see our team attacking the ball early at the plate," said Falcon head coach Sarah Willis. "One through nine, we did a great job executing the short game and committing to our philosophy of situational hitting. Defensively, our pitchers were strong in the circle and kept hitters off balance. Both Briana Combs and Kiley Sosby had good outings today to start the season.
"We will look to maintain that consistency tomorrow in day two of the tournament."
The Falcons will return to the Krenzler Dome on Sunday (Feb. 12). BGSU will meet Canisius in a 1:00 p.m. start, before facing Robert Morris at 6:00 p.m.
CSU DOME TOURNAMENT
DAY-ONE RESULTS
Bowling Green 7, Cleveland State 1
Canisius 7, Cleveland State 1
Bowling Green 8, Niagara 1
Canisius 5, Robert Morris 2
Niagara 9, Robert Morris 0 (5 innings)
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sosby, Kiley (1-0)
L: JOECKEN (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Schrock, Haley 1 ; Wheeler, Kendyl 1
HR: Searle, Aspen 1
RBI: Searle, Aspen 2 ; Raker, Chelsea 1 ; Hinkle, Katee 1 ; Giammarino, Hannah 1
SH: Sorgi, Alex 1 ; Gregory, Kayla 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Searle, Aspen 1 ; Schrock, Haley 2 ; Simmons, Laine 1 ; Hinkle, Katee 1 ; Wheeler, Kendyl 2
SB: Sorgi, Alex 1
Batting:
HR: MAJOR 1
RBI: MAJOR 1
SH: GAIRING 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MAJOR 1
HBP: RIES 1 ; GRAY 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
C/IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
2B
/ Softball
1B
/ Softball3B
/ SoftballSS
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P/Util.
/ SoftballOF
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BGSU In The Nest : Nikki and Alex Sorgi (Softball)
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BG Softball Beats Akron in Game 1 on Senior Day 4.27
Saturday, April 27