Falcons Score Early and Often in Saturday Sweep

Saturday, February 17

Elon, NC

11:45 AM ET

Bowling Green State University

7-1

Elon

5-3

Bowling Green

Elon

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

February 17, 2018 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Six first-inning runs set the tone as BG downs Elon, Rhode Island

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

The Bowling Green State University softball team jumped on top early on Saturday (Feb. 17), scoring a total of six first-inning runs on the way to a pair of wins. The Falcons downed host Elon University, 6-3, before drubbing the University of Rhode Island, 9-1 in five innings.

The wins, which came at the Elon Softball Classic, give head coach Sarah Willis and the Falcons a record of 8-1 on the young season.

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

BGSU, after losing to Elon on a walk-off double on Friday, scored four times in the top of the first inning on Saturday. The Falcons opened up a 6-1 lead before the Phoenix scored twice in the bottom of the seventh.

Rhode Island scored an early run, but the Falcons answered with two runs in the bottom of the first frame, the first of three crooked numbers over the first four innings.

Junior Meredith Miller earned the win vs. the Phoenix, improving to 5-0 on the young season. Classmate Kiley Sosby picked up her first career save vs. Elon before earning the complete-game win in the circle vs. the Rams.

At the plate, BGSU pounded out 20 hits in just 11 innings. Junior Kali Holcomb had two hits in each of the wins, scoring a total of three runs and driving in four. Holcomb was one of five Falcons to post a two-hit game vs. the Phoenix, and she was one of three players to do so against the Rams.

FOUR THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

BGSU's 8-1 start to the season is the best in school history.
Junior Meredith Miller is now 5-0 on the year, and has walked nine batters and struck out 45. She has allowed opponents to hit just .138 against her. Fellow junior Kiley Sosby has allowed foes to bat just .136 against her this year to date.
BGSU has outscored opponents by a 55-14 count this spring, and the Falcons have 92 hits to the foes' 36. BG has nearly as many extra-base hits (28) as the opponents have total hits.
Four Falcon starters – senior Aspen Searle, junior Kali Holcomb and freshmen Sammy Dees and Sarah Gonzalez – are hitting .438 or higher this year. Each member of that quartet has at least five extra-base hits through nine games.

QUOTING COACH WILLIS
"We had great performances today in the circle from (Meredith) Miller and (Kiley) Sosby. Miller did a great job keeping a strong Elon offense off balance and stayed aggressive in her approach. Sosby handled Rhode Island, and did a nice job settling down and throwing her game after the first inning."

"Our defense was lights out, and the offense did a great job of jumping on the board early and continuing to put the pressure on the opposing team's pitchers."

BGSU-ELON – HOW IT HAPPENED

The Falcons jumped on top early, scoring four times in the top of the first inning. Junior Alex Sorgi began the game with an infield single off of Elon starter Kenna Quinn, and freshman Sammy Dees reached on catcher's interference. A fly ball produced the first out, but junior Kali Holcomb singled to load the bases, and classmate Kaylee Parker's sacrifice fly plated Sorgi with the game's first run.
The next batter, junior Kellie Natham, was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, and freshman Sarah Gonzalez promptly unloaded them, drilling a Quinn offering to left field for a double. Dees, Holcomb and Natham all scored on the play, and the Falcons had a four-run lead. Quinn finally got out of the inning when a line drive by senior Laine Simmons was hit directly at the Phoenix hurler.
The Falcons would threaten, but would not add to the lead over the next two innings. BG left five runners on base in those two frames. Sophomore Kendyl Wheeler, Dees and senior Aspen Searle all singled in the second, and a Gonzalez walk was followed by a Simmons single in the third.
In the fourth, though, BG plated a run. Sorgi led off with a single, took second on a grounder by Dees, then tagged and went to third on a fly ball off the bat of Searle. Holcomb's single plated the speedy junior and gave the Orange and Brown a 5-0 lead.
BG was retired in order in the fifth, but Wheeler led off with a single in the sixth, and went to second on a one-out hit by Dees. The Phoenix made a pitching change, but Searle greeted reliever Elise Walton with a single to load the bases, and Wheeler scored on a sac fly by Holcomb.
Meanwhile, junior pitcher Meredith Miller had kept the Phoenix bats quiet through the first four innings, allowing only a first-inning walk and a two-out single in the third. But, in the fifth, Ashtyn Foddrell homered with one out to break up BG's shutout bid.
Miller took a three-hitter into the bottom of the seventh, but Elon mounted a rally. Kristin Hoover led off with a walk, and Foddrell drew a one-out base on balls. When Walker Barbee singled, the bases were loaded with one out. Morgan Reich followed with a single, and everyone moved up 60 feet, with Hoover scoring.
Junior Kiley Sosby replaced Miller in the circle, and induced Kara Shutt to hit a fly ball to left. Pinch-runner Callie Horn tagged and scored on the play, and Sosby hit the next batter with a pitch, putting the potential tying run on base. But, the BG junior got Erica Serafini to hit a fly ball to center, and Sorgi gloved it for the final out.

BGSU-ELON LEADERS

The Falcons had 12 hits vs. the Phoenix, with the top-four hitters in the BG batting order each collecting a pair of hits. Holcomb was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI, while Alex Sorgi, Dees and Searle all went 2-for-4.
Sorgi scored two runs, while Dees had a run in the win.
Sophomore Kendyl Wheeler also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for 3 and scoring a run in the win.
Freshman Sarah Gonzalez was 1-for-3 with the bases-loaded, bases-clearing double in the first. The three-RBI game was the first of her young career.
In the circle, Miller allowed three runs and five hits before leaving with one out in the sixth. She walked three batters and struck out seven in improving to 5-0 on the year.
Sosby earned her first career save, getting the final two outs. She faced three batters, sandwiching two fly balls around a hit batter.
For Elon, Quinn took the loss in the circle. She allowed six runs and 11 hits in five-and-a-third innings of action. She walked one Falcon and did not strike out a batter. Walton got the final five outs, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Four different Elon batters had one single apiece.

BGSU-RHODE ISLAND – HOW IT HAPPENED

BG spotted Rhode Island an early run, as Abigail Bates walked and Melanie Martire singled with one out in the top of the first. Then, Erika Yeager doubled with two down, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead.
But, the Falcons doubled that first-inning output. Alex Sorgi led off by working URI starter Becca Rogers for a walk, and she promptly stole second. One out later, Searle's double to left-center plated a run, and Holcomb's single put runners at the corners.
Then, Searle and Holcomb executed a double steal, with Holcomb taking second and Searle scoring what would prove to be the winning run.
Gonzalez was hit by a pitch and sophomore Logan Everett singled in the second inning, but Quinn and the Rams kept BG off the scoreboard for the only time all game.
In the third, URI made a pitching change, and Searle led off with a walk against Alex Pleasic. Searle was out at second on a Holcomb grounder, and a fly ball produced the second out. But, Natham singled, and a Gonzalez single loaded the bases. A wild pitch scored Holcomb, and Everett's second hit in as many at-bats scored both pinch-runner Taylor Blevins and Gonzalez. Riley Kernan became Rhody's third pitcher of the game, and threw a wild pitch before getting the third out.
Sosby, after allowing the first-inning run, gave up just one hit and one walk over the next three innings, striking out two batters in the second, third and fourth frames.
In the bottom of the fourth, BG broke the game wide open with four more runs. Alex Sorgi walked, marking the fourth time in as many innings that the leadoff hitter reached base for BG, and Dees was hit by a pitch. A Searle fielder's choice put runners at the corners with one out, and Holcomb's single scored Sorgi and Searle. Kaylee Parker's grounder moved Holcomb to third, and Natham ripped a double to right-center to allow Holcomb to score easily.
Rogers returned to the circle for the Rams, but she proceeded to walk three-straight hitters. Gonzalez and Everett walked to load the bases, and a free pass to Wheeler scored pinch-runner Payton Hamm to give the Falcons an eight-run lead. A fielder's-choice grounder finally ended the inning.
In the top of the fifth, Sosby allowed two walks, but also struck out two batters, then a fly ball to right to end the game.

BGSU-RHODE ISLAND LEADERS

BG had eight hits, six walks and two batters hit by a pitch, meaning that URI pitchers faced 28 batters to get 12 total outs.
Holcomb had her second two-hit game of the day, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI.
Everett was a perfect 2-for-2 with a walk and two RBI in the win.
Natham was 2-for-3 with a run-scoring double, while Searle was 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, a run and two RBI.
Gonzalez had a hit in her only official at-bat, adding a walk and a run.
Alex Sorgi walked twice and scored twice, while Wheeler had a walk and an RBI. Pinch-runners Blevins and Hamm each crossed the plate in the win.
In the circle, Sosby allowed just one run and three hits in the win. She walked four batters but struck out nine.
For Rhode Island, Rogers allowed two runs and three hits in two-and-a-third innings. Pleasic gave up three runs and three hits in just two-thirds of an inning, while Kernan was tagged for four runs in one inning of relief.
At the plate, three URI players had one hit apiece, with Yeager recording the Rams' only extra-base hit of the game.

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
North Texas 6, Mount St. Mary's 2
Bowling Green 6, Elon 3
Rhode Island 3, Mount St. Mary's 2
Bowling Green 9, Rhode Island 1 (5 innings)

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 conclude action in the Elon Softball Classic on Sunday morning (Feb. 18). BGSU is scheduled to face Mount St. Mary's in the first game of the day, scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m.
Then, BGSU will be idle from competition for a weekend, before heading to Lubbock, Texas, for the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic, hosted by Texas Tech (March 2-4). The Falcons will play two games vs. both TTU and UTSA, along with one game against New Mexico, in that tournament.

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