Miller, Falcons Blank Jackson State, 4-0

Friday, March 10

Oxford, MS

12:30 PM CT

Bowling Green State University

11-12

Jackson State

6-12

Jackson State

Bowling Green

Aspen Searle v Tiffin - Oct 2016 - Paul Duncan photo

Aspen Searle doubled & homered in Friday's win over JSU (Paul Duncan photo)

March 10, 2017 | Softball

Box Score

Sophomore fires three-hit shutout; Searle's two extra-base hits include a homer

By: OXFORD, Miss. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Sophomore Meredith Miller fired a three-hit shutout and redshirt junior Aspen Searle's two extra-base hits included a homer as the Bowling Green State University softball team blanked Jackson State University, 4-0, Friday afternoon (March 10). The game, part of the Ole Miss Classic, was held at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.

Miller was dominant, needing just 68 pitches to pick up the complete-game win. She threw 51 of those 68 pitches for strikes, and went to a three-ball count on just one batter all day.

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Miller retired the side in order three times in the game, including the seventh inning. Despite allowing a hit in the sixth inning, she needed just seven pitches to get through that frame, and the sophomore threw only six pitches in the seventh. Every one of her 13 pitches in those two innings was a strike.

Two of the three hits Miller allowed came on bunts, and she allowed only one JSU runner to advance as far as second base in the game. Meanwhile, five of BGSU's nine hits went for extra bases, including two off of the bat of Searle.

Searle doubled and homered in the win, while freshman Taylor Blevins had a double for her first career extra-base hit. Senior Haley Schrock also doubled, while freshman Logan Everett hit the first triple of her young BGSU career.

Schrock was 2-for-2 on the day, while Searle went 2-for-3 at the plate. Sophomore Alex Sorgi reached base three times, with two walks and a single.

"Meredith was efficient in the circle for us today setting a great tone for the defense," said Falcon head coach Sarah Willis. "Offensively, we were productive through several innings with much of the lineup contributing to the run support. Overall, this was a good team win."

The Falcons, now 11-12 on the year, got the only runs Miller would need in the second inning off of Tiger starter Ashley Sain. Schrock led off the inning with a line-drive double, and senior Sami Parave's sacrifice bunt advanced her to third. Everett followed with a three-base hit to center, allowing Schrock to trot home with the game's first run. Then, sophomore Hannah Giammarino plated Everett with a single to left, and the Falcons had a 2-0 lead.

Searle clubbed a homer over the left-field fence with one down in the third, giving the Brown and Orange a 3-0 advantage. One out later, Schrock singled and continued on to second when the ball was misplayed in the outfield, but Sain avoided further damage by getting a popup to short.

Jackson State (6-12), after seeing the first six hitters of the game retired by Miller, got a third-inning baserunner via a leadoff walk to Queen Briggs. That was the only time all day that Miller threw more than two balls to a JSU batter. But, the BG soph got Gaylan Johnson looking, then induced back-to-back hitters to tap grounders to Blevins at second base, leading to a pair of force plays at second.

Victoria Nelson's bunt single with one down in the fourth was the Tigers' first hit of the day, but Miller struck out Sain, then got Cheyenne Aplon to lift a fly ball to Giammarino in center for the third out.

In the Falcon fourth, Blevins ripped a one-out double to left-center, and she stole third before Sorgi drew a two-out walk. But, with runners at the corners, Sain got a ground ball to short to retire the side.

In the fifth, Sierra Smith's bunt resulted in a single, and a Briggs sac bunt gave the Tigers a runner at second for the first – and as it turned out, the only – time in the game. But, Miller got Johnson to hit a fly ball to center, with Smith forced to hold, and the sophomore hurler caught an Ariana Cruz popup for the third out. Beginning with that final pitch of the fifth, Miller threw 14-straight strikes to end the game.

BG added to the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Seale led off with a double, advanced to third on redshirt junior Chelsea Raker's fly ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Schrock. Parave followed with a single, but was stranded at first.

Miller is now 6-1 on the season, leading the Falcons in wins, earned-run average (1.94), strikeouts (42) and shutouts (two). BGSU pitchers have three shutouts this year to date, after throwing one during all of last season.

The Falcons return to the Ole Miss Softball Complex for a pair of Saturday (March 11) games. BGSU will face Eastern Kentucky at 1:30 p.m. ET, with a game against Oklahoma State to follow. Then, the Brown and Orange will wrap up play in the Ole Miss Classic with a Sunday morning (March 12) rematch with Jackson State, starting at 10:00 a.m. ET.