Sweep! Falcons Best Buffalo to Move into a Tie for First in the East

Saturday, April 15

Bowling Green, OH

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

22-23, 8-6

Buffalo

8-34, 3-11

Buffalo

Bowling Green

Aspen Searle tags out UB's Leandra Jew on a stolen-base attempt in game two (Larry Clapper photo)

Photo by: Larry Clapper

Sweep! Falcons Best Buffalo to Move into a Tie for First in the East

April 15, 2017 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BGSU reaches the .500 mark after winning seven of the last eight games

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University softball team completed a weekend sweep of the University at Buffalo, downing the Bulls by scores of 2-0 and 3-2 Saturday afternoon (April 15). The Mid-American Conference doubleheader was held at Meserve Field.

With the wins, the Falcons improve to 23-23 on the season, and BGSU has won seven of the last eight games. The Falcons have moved into a tie for first place in the MAC East Division with a 9-6 league ledger.

LINKS
GAME ONE STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
GAME TWO STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
PHOTO GALLERY: Photos by Larry Clapper

Sophomore Alex Sorgi and redshirt junior Aspen Searle each had a pair of multiple-hit games on Saturday. Sorgi went a combined 5-for-7 in the doubleheader, scoring three of BGSU's five runs on the day. Searle was 4-for-7, including a key two-out, two-run single in game two.

"We talked about the fact that things aren't always going to come easy," said Falcon head coach Sarah Willis. "We certainly had a lot of hits today, but we tightened up a little bit in situational hitting with the bases loaded.

"But, it was great to see that we were aggressive on the bases today, which definitely paid off. Alex's aggressive play forced that errant throw and got us an early run in the second game, and then Aspen was very disciplined at the plate and came through in the clutch."

Sophomore Brooke Parker fired a four-hit shutout in the opener, facing just four batters over the minimum. Parker threw 65 strikes among her 91 pitches, striking out four hitters without issuing a walk.

Parker has won three consecutive decisions, and has thrown two complete-game shutouts in her last three starts. In her last four appearances, including those three starts, Parker has an ERA of just 0.30, having allowed only one earned run in 23 2/3 innings.

Sophomore Meredith Miller picked up the win in game two with a complete-game effort of her own. Miller faced just six hitters over the minimum, striking out six and -- like Parker -- issuing zero walks. Miller had 62 strikes among her 88 total pitches in her Saturday win.

Freshman Logan Everett had the first three-hit game of her collegiate career, going a perfect 3-for-3 in Saturday's opener. BGSU pounded out 12 hits in that game, and outhit Buffalo, 27-16, on the weekend.

Searle and the Falcons made several sparkling plays in the field in the twinbill.

BGSU broke on top early in both games, with Sorgi scoring a first-inning run in each end of the doubleheader. In the opener, Parker set down the Bulls in order, and Sorgi led off the bottom of the inning with a single up the middle for the first of her five hits on the day.

Senior Haley Schrock, who had a sacrifice bunt in each of Saturday's two games, moved Sorgi to second, and a sharp single by Searle put runners at the corners. Redshirt junior Chelsea Raker then hit a bouncer toward UB shortstop Jenelle Martinez as Sorgi broke for home. Martinez threw home, but not in time to get the speedy Sorgi, who scored on a nifty hook slide before catcher Jessica Goldyn could attempt a tag. That would prove to be the game's winning run.

"We try to take each game one inning at a time, and we treat each inning as its own separate game," said Sorgi. "I think that mindset has really helped us lately. If we feel like we've lost a run, we do what we can to get it back right away. It was great that we were able to get an early run in each game today. When we get on top, it really gets us pumped up and keeps us going."

With one out in the second inning with a long fly ball that landed just inside the line in deep right field for a triple. But, Parker got Gabby Keller to hit a bouncer to Raker at first. Raker charged toward Keller, forcing Martinez to hold at third before turning and flipping the ball to second baseman Katee Hinkle covering first base. Then, Parker proceeded to strike out Karlie Fernandez to end the inning.

Everett and Sorgi each singled in the second, but the Falcons could not add to the one-run lead. Parker retired the Bulls in order in the third, then got a pair of outs after Catrell Robertson's one-out single in the fourth.

In the home half of the fourth, the Falcons got four-straight baserunners to double the lead after the leadoff hitter was retired. Hinkle was hit by a Charlotte Miller pitch, and Everett followed with her second hit of the day, singling through the left side of the UB infield. Fellow freshman Kendyl Wheeler followed with a single of her own, loading the bases, before Sorgi came to the plate and singled yet again, with her soft liner to left plating Hinkle.

Miller recovered to get a force play at the plate for the second out, then retired Searle after the redshirt junior's liner to left landed just foul.

Beginning with that fourth frame, the Falcons left the bases loaded in each of three-straight innings. The Falcons had a season-high 13 runners left on base in the game.

Parker set down the Bulls in order in the fifth, and BG got a Laine Simmons single, a Sami Parave sac bunt, a walk to Hinkle and Everett's third hit in the bottom of the inning. On Everett's single, Simmons was forced to hold until the ball passed in front of her as she led off second, and the junior advanced to third on the play. But, Miller got an inning-ending grounder that resulted in a force at second.

In the UB sixth, Ufuoma Ogagan led off with a bunt single, then promptly stole second and continued on to third after a BG throwing error. But, Goldyn hit a grounder to Hinkle at second, and the junior threw home to cut down Ogagan attempting to score. Everett applied the tag for the first out. Leandra Jew singled, sending Goldyn to third base, and Jew advanced to second on the throw.

But, with two runners in scoring position, Parker got Robertson to hit a popup to Hinkle, and Bobbi Langlois then lofted a ball to right that was caught by Wheeler in foul territory.

The first two Falcons were retired in the BG sixth, but Searle and Raker each singled just over the glove of leaping shortstop Martinez. A line-drive single by Simmons loaded the bases, but Miller escaped the jam with a grounder back to the circle.

In the seventh, though, Parker struck out Martinez, and Searle made a highlight-reel stop of Keller's grounder, diving to glove the hard-hit ball near second base, then scrambling to her feet and throwing to first to get the second out. Parker took care of the final batter herself, grabbing a Fernandez grounder and firing to Raker to clinch the win.

Four Falcons had multiple-hit games in the opener. Everett, as mentioned, went 3-for-3, while Sorgi was 3-for-4 with a run scored and a run batted in. Searle and Simmons each went 2-for-4 in the win.

In the nightcap, Jew hit a one-out liner that Schrock grabbed with a nifty backhand near third base, but an illegal pitch was called, prolonging the at-bat. Jew hit a slow roller toward short on the next pitch, beating it out for a base hit.

But, the Falcons got a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play to end the inning, as Meredith Miller whiffed Robertson and Jew was caught attempting to steal second.

Just as she had done in the first game, Sorgi singled to lead off the bottom of the first inning in game two. Schrock again bunted her to second, and this time, Sorgi scored all on her own. After an Ally Power pitch, Goldyn threw wildly to second in a pickoff attempt, and Sorgi came all the way around to score. As the sunny day was interrupted by a brief drizzle, Searle and Raker followed with singles to put runners at the corners, but Power retired the next two Falcons to keep her team's deficit at a single run.

Both pitchers worked a one-two-three second inning, before Fernandez began the third with a single up the middle. BG got two outs, as Alyssa Cuevas popped up a bunt attempt, and Ogagan's grounder resulted in Fernandez being force at second base.

But, Ogagan stole second base, and Goldyn beat out a grounder to short. On the play, Ogagan rounded third and headed for home, but first baseman Raker fired a strike to the plate. Simmons caught the ball as Ogagan reached the plate, and the BG junior held on to the ball despite the collision, ending the inning.

In the UB fourth, though, the Bulls tied the game. With one down, Robertson hit a long drive to left that glanced off the top of the fence and went out. Meredith Miller responded by getting a pair of grounders to Schrock at third, but the game was knotted at 1-1.

BG got a Hinkle single in the bottom of the fourth, while Keller singled for the Bulls in the fifth. But, both runners were stranded.

In the home half of the fifth, however, the Falcons came up with a two-out rally. Sorgi's blooper landed just inside the left-field line for a single, and the centerfielder rounded second and took third on Schrock's single to center. Schrock alertly advanced to second base on the throw to third.

Then, Searle singled to center, plating both Sorgi and Schrock for a 3-1 BGSU lead. All three of BG's hits in the inning came after Power had gotten two strikes on the batter, as Sorgi and Searle's singles came with a 2-2 count, while Schrock hit an 0-2 pitch.

The Bulls quickly got a run back, however, in the top of the sixth. Goldyn singled up the middle, and Jew beat out a bunt for a base hit. Searle made a diving stop of a Robertson grounder that was headed for left field, flipping the ball to Schrock to force Goldyn for the inning's first out. Then, Meredith Miller got Langlois to hit a popup for the second out.

But, Martinez followed with a single to right, scoring Jew and moving Robertson to third. With those runners at the corners, however, Hinkle ranged far to her left to glove a grounder by Keller on the edge of the dirt near first base. The junior second baseman flipped the ball to Raker for the third out.

Hinkle was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the sixth, and went to second on a grounder by freshman Taylor Blevins. Sophomore Kiley Sosby fouled off six-straight pitches during her two-out at-bat, but Power finally induced Sosby to hit a grounder to second for the third out.

But, in the seventh, Meredith Miller struck out both Fernandez and Cuevas, then got Ogagan to hit a one-hopper back up the middle. The BG pitcher grabbed the ball and threw to first to end the game and complete the sweep.

UB outhit BG, 8-7, in the game, with Goldyn and Jew each going 2-for-3. For the Falcons, Sorgi and Searle each had two hits in three at-bats, with Sorgi scoring two runs and Searle driving in a pair.

The Falcons scored just six runs in the three-game series, but BG held the Bulls to only two runs in the three games. BGSU pitchers have thrown four shutouts in the last seven games at Meserve Field.

"We have talked a lot about continuing to claw and fight when things aren't always going our way," said Searle. "We need to find the holes, take the bloopers that fall in and make things happen.

"We also talked about making adjustments at the plate, and we had been talking about getting hits to the right side all day. When we do those little things, the results will come. (The two-run single) wasn't the most solid hit I've ever had, but it got the job done and we'll take it."

BGSU is now 7-1 at home on the year, after going 3-11 in home games during the 2016 season. Miller and Parker have combined for an ERA of just 0.74 in the eight home games.

The Falcons now prepare for a three-game series vs. Ohio University next weekend. BGSU and the Bobcats are scheduled to meet in a Friday (April 21) single game and a Saturday (April 22) doubleheader.