Falcons Split a Pair of Nail-Biters on Day One of Elon Tourney

Friday, February 16

Elon, NC

9:30 AM ET

Bowling Green State University

6-0

North Texas

1-3

Bowling Green

North Texas

Freshman Sammy Dees was 3-for-4 with 2 doubles in the win over North Texas

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

February 16, 2018 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BGSU matches school-record start by downing North Texas in extras, but Elon walks off with win

By: ELON, N.C. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University softball team saw a pair of Friday (Feb. 16) games go right down to a wire, as the Falcons began play in the Elon Softball Classic. BGSU worked extra innings to hold off a scrappy North Texas team, but the Brown and Orange then fell victim to the host school's walk-off win.

BGSU topped North Texas by a 3-2 count in nine innings, before host Elon scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to pull out a 4-3 victory and knock the Falcons (now 6-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten. Both games were held at Hunt Softball Park.

LINKS
BGSU-NORTH TEXAS STATISTICS: PDF
BGSU-ELON STATISTICS: PDF
BGSU Weekly Notes: PDF
Elon Tournament Central
2018 Schedule | 2018 Record Book

Junior Meredith Miller improved to 4-0 on the season with eight-plus innings of five-hit ball. She was just one out away from a complete-game shutout before allowing her first earned run of the season. Classmate Brooke Parker picked up the save, entering the game with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth and getting a strikeout and an infield grounder to lock down the win.

At the plate, freshman Sammy Dees (pictured) was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles to lead BG's seven-hit attack vs. the Mean Green.

The nightcap saw BG record both seven hits and three doubles for the second-straight game. Junior Alex Sorgi twice gave the Falcons the lead with RBI singles, with the second such instance coming in the top of the seventh. But, like some sort of mythical bird rising from the ashes, the Phoenix responded with some two-out magic in the bottom of the inning, stringing together three consecutive two-out hits for the walk-off win.

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

The Falcons' 6-0 start tied the school record. The only other BGSU team to win as many as six games to begin the season was the 2006 club. The '06 Falcons went on to finish 37-23, tying the BG single-season record for wins.
Junior Meredith Miller went 26 2/3 innings to start the season before finally giving up an earned run. Miller has made four starts this season, and is now 4-0 with an earned-run average of just 0.25 and an opponent batting average of .120.
The North Texas game capped a stellar three-game stretch for freshman Sammy Dees. In those three games, which included wins over Canisius and Robert Morris last weekend, Dees reached base in 10 out of 13 plate appearances. She hit .727 (8-for-11) with five doubles, two homers and a slugging percentage of 1.727 in that time. On the year, Dees is batting .462 with a team-leading .923 slugging pct.

QUOTING COACH WILLIS
"Today proved to be a fight, as we had two close games, one in which we prevailed and the other in which we did not. Our pitching staff did a great job overall, and our defense was there to support all day. We had some timely hitting at the plate, but will look to make some adjustments going into tomorrow's games. It was a good win and a tough loss on the day, but both will prove to be beneficial to this new team."

BGSU-NORTH TEXAS – HOW IT HAPPENED

Both starting pitchers, BGSU junior Meredith Miller and North Texas starter Hope Trautwein, threw matching goose eggs for five innings. Trautwein struck out the first four Falcons she faced, and did not allow a baserunner until freshman Sarah Gonzalez led off the third inning with a single.
Miller surrendered a two-out single in the second, then retired the next five hitters before issuing a pair of walks in the fourth. But, she got a grounder back to the circle to end the threat.
Gonzalez advanced as far as third base in the Falcon third, on a sacrifice bunt by senior Laine Simmons and a groundout. But, another grounder retired the side.
Freshman Sammy Dees began the fourth with a double to right-center, but Trautwein did not allow her to advance any further.
The fifth inning saw a two-out baserunner for each team, as Simmons singled in the top of the frame, while an error put a North Texas hitter aboard in the bottom half. But, neither baserunner advanced past first.
BG broke through in the sixth. Dees hit her second double of the game, and senior Aspen Searle reached on an infield error, putting runners at the corners with one out. Junior Kali Holcomb followed with a double that plated Dees and moved Searle to third. Maria Priest entered the game in relief for North Texas, and got out of the jam with a strikeout and a grounder to short, but the Falcons had a 1-0 lead.
Miller retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth, but the Mean Green would mount a seventh-inning rally to send the game to extras. Miller set down the first two hitters, but a single up the middle and another base hit to left-center put two runners aboard. Then, pinch-hitter Rhyle Makawe singled to center to plate pinch-runner Hannah Gerecke. Miller responded by getting an infield popup, but the game was tied.
The tiebreaker rule was utilized beginning with the eighth inning, as each subsequent half-inning started with a runner placed on second base. In the top of the eighth, an Alex Sorgi grounder sent sophomore Kendyl Wheeler to third, and Dees singled to bring Wheeler home before two grounders produced outs two and three, respectively.
The Mean Green tied the score with a sac bunt and a two-out single by Sally Gastelo in the bottom of the frame.
The top of the ninth saw junior Kellie Natham, playing in her first game as a Falcon, bunt Holcomb to third, and junior Kaylee Parker singled to score Holcomb with what proved to be the winning run.
In the bottom of the ninth, a walk and a sac bunt put two runners in scoring position, and another walk loaded the bases. Brooke Parker entered the game and struck out Miranda Holguin. Then, she got Kourtney Williams to hit a grounder to shortstop Searle, who fired the ball to Dees at second for the game-ending force play.

BGSU-NORTH TEXAS LEADERS

Miller, as mentioned, finally allowed her first earned run of the season after 26 2/3 innings. She threw 8 1/3 innings against the Mean Green, allowing two runs (one earned) and five hits. Miller walked three and struck out six in improving to 4-0 on the year.
Brooke Parker picked up her first save of the season, entering the game with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth and getting the remaining two outs.
Dees was 3-for-4 at the plate, with two doubles, a run scored and a run batted in.
Holcomb also had a run and an RBI, and had one of BG's three doubles, while Kaylee Parker had a run-scoring single.
Five different players had one hit apiece for the Mean Green.
In the circle, Trautwein allowed one run on five hits before leading with one out in the sixth. She struck out seven batters without issuing a walk.
Priest allowed two runs (none earned) in 3 2/3 innings of relief. She surrendered two hits, struck out three and, like Trautwein, did not issue a walk.

BGSU-ELON – HOW IT HAPPENED

The Falcons put a pair of first-inning runners aboard against Elon starter Kiandra Mitchum. With two outs, Searle singled, and the senior went to third on Holcomb's double down the left-field line. But, Mitchum induced an inning-ending popup.
The Phoenix scored a run in the bottom of the first, and for the first time all season, the Falcons trailed. Kara Shutt led off with a single, took second on a sac bunt and scored on Erica Serafini's double.
BG answered in the top of the second, as freshman Sarah Gonzalez and sophomore Logan Everett had back-to-back one-out doubles. Then, sophomore Kendyl Wheeler's grounder moved Everett to third, and she scored on junior Alex Sorgi's single up the middle, giving BG a 2-1 lead.
Elon threatened in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with no outs on a single and a pair of walks. But, Brooke Parker got Tia Mitchell to hit an infield popup, and Shutt hit into an inning-ending double play.
For the next four innings, Mitchum allowed only one BG baserunner, with Gonzalez drawing a one-out walk in the fourth. Mitchum, who had struck out the last two hitters in the third inning and the leadoff hitter in the fourth, bounced back from the Gonzalez walk by fanning the next two Falcons. The top of the sixth saw Holcomb robbed of a hit when the Elon left fielder made a diving catch.
Meanwhile, though, Brooke Parker retired the side in order in three-straight innings before Hannah Olson began the sixth with a single. Parker struck out the next batter, but back-to-back walks loaded the bases with one down. Elise Walton's pinch-hit single plated the tying run, but Alex Sorgi threw out a runner on the play, and a fly ball to left sent the game to the seventh inning with the score tied at 2-2.
In that seventh inning, Everett drew a one-out walk, and Wheeler's single through the left side sent pinch-runner Taylor Blevins to second. Then, Alex Sorgi followed with her second run-scoring single of the game, plating Blevins for a 3-2 BG lead. Mitchum got out of the inning with a grounder back to the circle and a strikeout.
In the bottom of the inning, the Phoenix used a two-out rally for a walk-off win. Shutt singled up the middle, and she came all the way around to score on Olson's double to right. Serafini followed with a double to right-center to bring Olson home with the winning run.

BGSU-ELON LEADERS

Alex Sorgi was the lone Falcon with a multiple-hit game vs. Elon. The junior CF was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Five of her teammates had one hit apiece.
Everett was 1-for-2 with a walk, a run and an RBI, while Gonzalez also was 1-for-2 with a walk and a run.
Holcomb, Gonzalez and Everett each had a double vs. the Phoenix.
Brooke Parker allowed four runs and eight hits in her complete-game effort. She walked four batters and struck out two.
The top-three batters in the Elon order – Shutt, Olson and Serafini – each had two hits. That trio combined for six of the team's eight hits and all four runs scored.
Shutt and Olson each scored two runs, while Serafini had two doubles and two RBI.
Mitchum allowed three runs and seven hits in her complete-game win. She walked two Falcons and struck out 10.

ELON SOFTBALL CLASSIC
Friday, Feb. 16
Bowling Green 3, North Texas 2 (9 innings)
North Texas 7, Rhode Island 5
Elon 4, Bowling Green 3
Elon 6, Rhode Island 2

Saturday, Feb. 17
Mount St. Mary's vs. North Texas, 9:30 a.m.
Bowling Green vs. Elon, 11:45 a.m.
Mount St. Mary's vs. Rhode Island, 2:00 p.m.
Bowling Green vs. Rhode Island, 4:15 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 18
Bowling Green vs. Mount St. Mary's, 9:45 a.m.
North Texas vs. Elon, 12:15 p.m.
Mount St. Mary's vs. Elon, 2:30 p.m.

UP NEXT

The Falcons continue action in the Elon Softball Classic with a pair of Saturday (Feb. 17). BGSU is scheduled to face Elon again on Saturday, with first pitch set for 11:45 a.m. Then, the Falcons meet Rhode Island in a game slated for a 4:15 p.m. start.
BGSU closes out weekend action on Sunday morning (Feb. 18), meeting Mount St. Mary's at 9:45 a.m.

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