Falcons Sweep a Pair of Saturday Thrillers in Ole Miss Classic

Saturday, March 11

Oxford, MS

12:30 PM CT

Bowling Green State University

12-12

Eastern Kentucky

7-13

Eastern Kentucky

Bowling Green

Huddle Raker Parker v IPFW - March 23 2016 - Ruben Kappler photo

Photo by: Ruben Kappler, BGSU Marketing & Communications

March 11, 2017 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Parker earns a win and a save in BGSU's one-run victories

By: OXFORD, Miss. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University softball team provided a flair for the dramatic on Saturday (March 11), winning a pair of one-run games in the Ole Miss Classic. The Falcons picked up an 8-7 win over Eastern Kentucky University before downing Oklahoma State University by a 3-2 final. Both games were held at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.

The Falcons are now 13-12 on the year, and BGSU has won three consecutive games. EKU, after opening the day with a run-rule win over Jackson State, dropped to 7-13 after the loss to BG. OSU, following Saturday's loss to the Brown and Orange, returned to the diamond to post a 5-1 win over #22 Ole Miss later Saturday night. The Cowgirls ended the day with a record of 17-10.

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Sophomore Brooke Parker pitched the final inning of the EKU game to pick up the save, then threw a complete game to earn the victory against OSU. Redshirt junior Chelsea Raker had two extra-base hits and four RBI in the opener, and in the nightcap, junior Laine Simmons doubled to drive in the tying run, then came around to score what proved to be the winning run.

BGSU pounded out 13 hits against EKU, with five players recording multiple-hit games. Seven of the nine Falcons in the lineup had at least one hit, while the other two starters scored a run. The Falcons scored in each of the first four innings, then saw the Colonels rally from five down to get within a single run before Parker shut the door.

In the Oklahoma State game, BGSU got an unearned run in the opening inning, and after the Cowgirls took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, the Falcons responded by scoring twice in the top of the sixth. And, once again, Parker closed out a one-run win.

Junior Meredith Miller picked up the win over EKU, pitching into the seventh. She allowed just one run over the first five innings before the Colonels appeared to start subscribing to the latter part of former Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver's philosophy that "the key to winning baseball (Editor's Note: softball, in this case) games is pitching, fundamentals and three-run homers." EKU hit a three-run homer in each of the last two innings, but the Colonels' comeback bid was offset by Raker's two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth and Parker's pitching.

Miller struck out the side in the first inning, and after EKU starter Alex Sallberg got the first out in the bottom of the inning, the next five batters reached base. Freshman Kendyl Wheeler and redshirt junior Aspen Searle each singled, and Raker doubled to score both runners. Senior Haley Schrock singled to send Raker to third, and senior Sami Parave walked to load the bases, but Sallberg got a popup and a strikeout to end the inning.

In the second inning, sophomore Alex Sorgi walked with one out, and took second on a Wheeler grounder. Then, with two outs, Searle singled up the middle for the second time in as many innings, with Sorgi crossing the plate to give the Brown and Orange a 3-0 lead.

The Colonels got on the board with an unearned run in the third, as Paige Murphy singled and continued to second on a BG error. She would score on a Krislyn Campos double. But, BG answered in the bottom of the inning.

Parave singled with one out, and freshman Logan Everett followed with a base hit. Everett was erased on a grounder off the bat of sophomore Hannah Giammarino, but Parave advanced to third to give BG runners at the corners. Junior Katee Hinkle stepped to the plate, and doubled to center to score both runners and signal the end of Sallberg's day.

Miller retired the Colonels in order, striking out the first and third hitters of the inning, in the fourth, and BG continued to add to the lead. Wheeler led off the bottom of the inning with a triple to left-center, but Peyton Hutchens got each of the next two Falcons to hit an infield popup. Again, however, the Falcons got a key two-out hit, as Schrock singled to plate Wheeler and make it a 6-1 game. The next hitter, Parave, singled to send Schrock to third, but Everett's line drive was caught for the third out.

Miller again set down the Colonels one-two-three in the fifth, but Ashton Martin, EKU's third pitcher of the day, returned the favor in the bottom of the inning. Then, in the sixth, EKU began to cut into the BGSU lead.

After the first two hitters were retired, Rachel Minogue singled to center to end a string of 10-straight batters retired by Miller. Johnkyria Alston followed with a single of her own, and then Hannah Clark homered to left-center. Suddenly, the Colonels' deficit was just two runs. Miller recovered to strike out Mollie Paulick for the third time in the game, and the Falcons answered the Clark homer in the bottom of the inning.

With one out, Searle doubled, and Raker followed with a two-run round-tripper to center, giving the Brown and Orange an 8-4 advantage. As it turned out, BGSU would need every one of those eight runs.

Amber Murray doubled to lead off the seventh, and after Martin walked, Murphy homered to right field. Suddenly, BGSU's lead was down to a single run, and there were still no outs.

But, Parker entered the circle and struck out Campos. Mia Sanchez, however, reached base on an infield hit, putting the tying run on base and bringing the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Minogue. Minogue, the Colonels' leading hitter, had stepped to the plate with a batting average of .483, and the sophomore had struck out just three times in 55 at-bats this season heading into the BGSU game. But, she struck out for the second time against the Falcons when she swung and missed at Parker's 2-2 offering.

And, on the play, Sanchez attempted to steal second, but was cut down as catcher Everett fired a strike to second baseman Hinkle, who applied the tag for a game-ending, strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play.

Searle was 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring two runs and driving in one, in the win. No fewer than four of her teammates had two-hit games, as Parave and Schrock each went 2-for-3 with a walk, while Raker and Wheeler were both 2-of-4. Raker, as mentioned, had four RBI, while Wheeler scored a pair of runs in the win.

BGSU hit .462 (6-for-13) with runners in scoring position in the win, and the Falcons hit .400 (4-of-10) when batting with two outs and .450 (9-of-20) when hitting with runners on base.

Miller picked up the win, improving to 7-1 on the season. She struck out eight batters and threw 69 of her 104 total pitches for strikes. Parker earned her first save of the season by getting the final three outs. Parker allowed one hit and whiffed a pair of batters, throwing eight strikes among her 13 pitches.

Sallberg took the loss for EKU. Murphy led the Colonels at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI.

In the nightcap, BGSU had just five total hits, but the Falcons offense also had two walks, four hit-by-pitches and four stolen bases. And, BG got a gutty performance by Parker in the circle. The sophomore improved to 2-5 on the year, and threw her fifth complete game in seven starts.

BG got on the board with an unearned run in the top of the first. Sorgi led off the game by working OSU starter Shea Coats for a walk, and she took second on a wild pitch. Coats allowed just five hits in the game, and the walk to Sorgi was the only one she issued, but she had two wild pitches and hit four batters in the game.

With Sorgi at second base, Wheeler singled to shallow left, but Sorgi was forced to hold. Then, Coats came up with back-to-back strikeouts, but a double-steal attempt worked to perfection, as both Sorgi and Wheeler were safe and the OSU catcher's throw to third got away, allowing Sorgi to score the game's first run.

Parker retired the Cowgirls in order in the first inning, but OSU threatened in the second. Kristin Reasnor led off the inning by reaching on an infield error, and Jessi Haffner singled to send pinch-runner Jamie Lowrie to second. Parker got Madi Sue Montgomery to hit a foul pop to the left side, with Schrock making the catch, but an illegal pitch put the runners at second and third. But, Alex Edinger's liner was caught by shortstop Searle, who then fired the ball to Schrock to catch Lowrie trying to scamper back to third. The double play retired the side.

BG threatened in the top of the third, putting two runners in scoring position. Sorgi reached on an infield single, and stole second base with one out. Searle singled to advance Sorgi to third, and as Coats struck out the next batter, Searle stole second to put Falcons on second and third. But, Coats got her third strikeout of the half-inning to end that threat.

Rylee Bayless singled with two outs in the bottom of the third, before Parker induced Taylor Lynch to hit an inning-ending ground ball to second. In the BG half of the fourth, both Simmons and Giammarino were hit by pitches, but Coats stranded the runners with a strikeout and a foul pop.

Parker answered by getting both Vanessa Shippy and Reasnor, the Cowgirls' number three and four hitters, respectively, to pop up to Searle at short. And, when Haffner grounded out to third, BG still held a 1-0 lead through four innings. But, OSU would strike in the fifth.

With one out, Edinger reached on an infield single. Randee O'Donnell followed with a single to right, but BG rightfielder Wheeler came up throwing, and the Falcons cut down Edinger attempting to advance to third. But, with two outs, a Maddi Holcomb walk put a pair of runners on base, and Bayless followed with a double that scored both of those runners and gave OSU a 2-1 lead.

But, it didn't take the Brown and Orange long to respond. Coats retired the leadoff hitter in the sixth, but Parave was hit by a pitch, and Simmons roped a double to left-center, with Parave coming all the way around to score the tying run. Giammarino bunted Simmons to third, and Hinkle was hit by a Coats pitch to put runners at the corners.

The next hitter, Sorgi, beat out a two-out infield grounder for a single, and Simmons touched the plate with what would prove to be the winning run. The next batter, Wheeler, hit the ball hard, but her liner was caught by the OSU shortstop.

With a one-run lead once again, Parker kept the Cowgirls off of the scoreboard in the final two innings. She allowed a two-out single to Haffner in the sixth, but then got Montgomery to hit an inning-ending popup to short.

Then, in the seventh, Parker retired the first two hitters, Edinger and O'Donnell, on grounders to the left side. Holcomb reached on an infield single, and Bayless walked to put the tying run at second, but Parker got Lynch to lift a fly ball to center, and when Giammarino made the catch, the Falcons had the victory.

Sorgi was the lone Falcon with more than one hit in the game, going 2-for-3 with a walk, a run and the game-winning RBI.

Parker allowed two runs and seven hits in her complete-game win, throwing a total of 117 pitches, including 76 strikes. Coats suffered the loss for OSU, allowing two earned runs and five hits in six innings of work. She struck out nine batters, but as mentioned, threw two wild pitches and hit four batters.

Bayless and Haffner each had a pair of hits for the Cowgirls, with Bayless driving in both OSU runs.

"We had a pair of great team wins today!" said BGSU head coach Sarah Willis. "Both performances in the circle from Meredith and Brooke kept us competitive in the games. Our defense was strong behind the pair, and it was great to see heads-up ball on the field.

"Offensively, the team did a great job making adjustments at the plate and hitting to the situation. The wins today were big for our program, and they will help to prepare us for the Mid-American Conference schedule."

The Falcons will conclude play in the Ole Miss Classic on Sunday morning (March 12), taking on Jackson State in a game scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. locally (10:00 a.m. ET).