Miller's Gem Propels Falcons to Opening-Day Sweep in Cleveland

Friday, February 9

Cleveland, OH

4:30 PM ET

Bowling Green State University

1-0

Niagara

1-1

Bowling Green

Niagara

Meredith Miller threw a one-hit shutout in Friday's opener in Cleveland

Photo by: Larry Clapper

February 09, 2018 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Junior fires a one-hit shutout vs. Niagara before BG bats erupt against CSU

By: CLEVELAND, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Junior Meredith Miller threw a complete-game gem to lift the Bowling Green State University softball team to a win, and the Falcon bats exploded for 10 runs in the nightcap as BG finished off a sweep. The Brown and Orange defeated Niagara University, 4-0, in Friday's (Feb. 9) regular-season opener, then downed Cleveland State University by a 10-3 score.

Both games were part of day-one action at the CSU Dome Tournament, held at the Krenzler Dome in downtown Cleveland.

LINKS
BGSU-NIAGARA STATISTICS: PDF
BGSU-CSU STATISTICS: PDF
2018 Schedule (with links to live stats at CSU | 2018 Record Book

THREE THINGS

Miller fired a one-hitter against the Purple Eagles, facing just two batters over the minimum. The one-hitter was the first of her career, and the shutout was her fifth as a Falcon. She allowed only one runner to reach second base in the entire game.
In the second game, fellow junior Brooke Parker picked up the win in the circle, and got help from a pair of first-year Falcons. After CSU scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning to cut BG's lead to 4-3, freshman Sarah Gonzalez led off the bottom of the inning with her first collegiate home run. Later that inning, junior transfer Kali Holcomb's grand slam capped a six-run frame that gave the Falcons a comfortable seven-run lead.
Head coach Sarah Willis and her staff have 11 returnees and 11 newcomers on the 2018 roster, and the starters in each of Friday's two games included five first-year Falcons along with five veterans. In all, six newcomers made their respective BGSU debuts, and that group combined for 12 of the Falcons' 22 total hits and 11 of BG's runs batted in on the day.

QUOTING COACH WILLIS
"Meredith (Miller) did a great job today attacking hitters with her strengths. She was smart with the hitters she needed to be and had a standout defense behind her.

"Kendyl Wheeler had an incredible catch over the wall in left-center field – it was by far the best catch I have ever seen!"

"In the second game, the team did a great job picking up Brooke (Parker) after CSU cut the lead to 4-3. They stayed focused at the plate and stuck with their plans. Two of our newcomers, (Sarah) Gonzalez and (Kali) Holcomb, came up big to return the momentum to our favor. (Kiley) Sosby did a great job coming in and closing out the game with some big strikeouts to shut down the Cleveland State offense."

"Our blend of newcomers with our returners make for a great dynamic this year. From top to bottom we are deep with talent and potential. Everyone is playing their part and any player within our program is capable of making an impact."

A WELL-BALANCED LINEUP

As mentioned, BGSU's lineup in each game featured five newcomers and five returnees. First-year Falcons combined to score five runs, collect 12 hits and drive in 11 runs in Friday's two wins. The returning Falcons had nine runs scored, 10 hits and two RBI.
Junior transfers Kali Holcomb and Kaylee Parker each started both games, as did freshmen Sammy Dees, Sarah Gonzalez and Nikki Sorgi.
Four returnees – seniors Aspen Searle and Laine Simmons, junior Alex Sorgi and sophomore Kendyl Wheeler – each started both games as well. Miller started the first game in the circle, while junior Brooke Parker drew the second-game start.

THOSE ARE BIG NUMBERS

The Falcons outscored the opponents by a 14-3 count on Saturday, and BG had 22 hits to the foes' seven. BG had more extra-base hits (eight) than the opponents had total hits.
Searle went 5-for-8 on the day while Dees was 4-for-8 in her first official games as a Falcon. Searle scored a team-high four runs and had a pair of doubles, while Dees had two runs and two RBI.
Holcomb was 3-for-7 on the day, and she had two multiple-RBI games and wound up with a team-high six RBI.
As a team, the Falcons had a .361 batting average, a .403 on-base percentage and a .557 slugging percentage.

BGSU-NIAGARA – HOW IT HAPPENED

The Falcons threatened, but did not score, against NU starting pitcher Jennifer Szilagyi in the first inning. Junior Alex Sorgi led off the game with a walk, took second on a two-out wild pitch and promptly stole third. But, she was stranded there.
Miller issued a one-out walk in the bottom of the first, but senior catcher Laine Simmons threw that runner out, and Miller's second strikeout of the inning ended the frame. Miller would issue a two-out walk in the second, and Sarah Trifoso had a one-out single in the third. But, after that hit – the Purple Eagle's lone hit of the game – Trifoso was called out for leaving first base too early, and Miller fanned the next hitter.
Meanwhile, however, the Falcons were unable to score, either. With one down in the second inning, freshman Nikki Sorgi doubled in her first collegiate at-bat, but BG could not advance her. Another freshman, Sammy Dees, had a one-out single in the third inning for her first hit as a Falcon. Senior Aspen Searle reached on an error to put two runners aboard, but again, Szilagyi and NU got out of the inning unscathed.
The Falcons finally broke through in the top of the fifth. Searle doubled with two outs, and junior transfer Kali Holcomb, playing her first game as a Falcon, followed with an RBI single to left, sending Searle home with the game's first run.
The top of the sixth saw NU get a runner to second base for the first (and only) time, on a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt. But, Miller got back-to-back hitters to swing and miss for strike three.
BG broke the game open in the top of the seventh. Sophomore Kendyl Wheeler and Alex Sorgi began the inning with back-to-back infield singles, and a base hit by Dees plated Wheeler. Dees was forced on Searle's grounder, but Holcomb followed with a double that scored Sorgi. Junior Kaylee Parker was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Gonzalez drove home the Falcons' fourth run of the game with a sac fly that scored Searle. Miller set down the Purple Eagles in order in the bottom of the inning to close out the win.

BGSU-NIAGARA LEADERS

Meredith Miller's one-hitter marked the fewest hits she has allowed in a complete-game effort in her career. The junior had three complete-game three-hitters last spring, in her first year as a Falcon. The shutout was the fifth of her career.
Miller walked three batters and struck out eight in the win.
Three Falcons – Alex Sorgi, Dees and Holcomb – had two hits apiece. Sorgi and Holcomb each went 2-for-3, with Sorgi drawing a walk and scoring a run, and Holcomb adding a walk, a double and two RBI.
Dees was 2-of-4 with a run batted in.
Searle had a double in four trips, scoring two of BG's four runs.
Wheeler, who missed the last 10 games of her freshman season due to injury, had a hit and scored a run.
Three players – Dees, Holcomb and Nikki Sorgi – each collected their first hit as a Falcon, and Dees and Holcomb each had multiple-hit games.

BGSU-CLEVELAND STATE – HOW IT HAPPENED

Junior Brooke Parker set down the Vikings in order in the top of the first, and the Falcons struck quickly in the bottom of the inning. Alex Sorgi led off with a walk, and a Dees double put two runners in scoring position. Sorgi scored on a wild pitch by CSU starter Macy Kaisk, and Searle's single scored Dees for a 2-0 BG lead.
Parker allowed just one hit through three innings, but the Vikings got a leadoff single in the fourth frame, and one out later, a Kaisk double scored Kelly Hysong and cut BG's lead in half.
The Falcons responded quickly, as Gonzalez doubled with one out in the bottom of the inning, and senior Laine Simmons followed with a single. Wheeler's grounder plated Gonzalez with the Falcons' third run of the game.
In the top of the fifth, the Vikings got a one-out walk, followed by a base hit. But, on the latter play, BG rightfielder Holcomb cut down the lead runner attempting to take third, and Brooke Parker got the next hitter to ground out to Kaylee Parker at first base.
The Falcons scored in the bottom of the inning, as Searle singled, took second on a wild pitch and wound up scoring on a Nikki Sorgi single.
But, the Vikings got within a single run in the sixth. After a leadoff walk and a fielder's choice, Kaisk's two-run homer made it a 4-3 game. CSU got the potential tying run to third on a single and error followed by a groundout, but Parker got the next hitter to ground out to Searle at short. Then, BG blew the game wide open.
BG came up with six runs in the bottom of the sixth. Gonzalez led off with her first collegiate homer, and pinch-hitter Hannah Giammarino followed with a single up the middle. Wheeler's liner was caught for the first out, but on an Alex Sorgi fielder's choice, both BG runners were safe after a throwing error by the Vikes. Then, a Dees single scored Giammarino. Searle singled to load the bases, and Holcomb promptly unloaded them with a grand slam that capped the scoring.
Junior Kiley Sosby replaced Brooke Parker in the circle to begin the seventh. After issuing a walk to the leadoff hitter, Sosby proceeded to strike out the side.

BGSU-CLEVELAND STATE LEADERS

Brooke Parker allowed three runs and six hits en route to her first win of the season. The junior walked three batters and struck out three.
Searle had the second four-hit game of her career, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and one RBI.
Gonzalez was 2-for-3 with a pair of extra-base hits, recording her first double and first homer as a Falcon. Dees went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double of her own. Both freshmen scored two runs and drove in one.
Holcomb was one of five Falcons with one hit in the win, but that one hit, obviously, was the grand slam.
Kaisk was the lone Viking with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3, and she drove in all three CSU runs. She also took the loss in the circle. Kaisk, the first of three CSU pitchers, allowed two runs and three hits in an inning and two-thirds.

DOME SWEET DOME

BGSU is participating in the CSU Dome Tournament for the fifth consecutive year, and the Falcons have an overall record of 10-8 in that time.
BG has won seven-straight games in the tourney. The Falcons won the last game in the CSU Dome Invitational in 2016 before going a perfect 4-0 in Cleveland on last season's opening weekend.

UP NEXT

The CSU Dome Tournament continues with five total games on Saturday (Feb. 10). BGSU will face Niagara in the third game of the day, scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m., and the Falcons are scheduled to meet Canisius at 5:30 p.m.
Then, the Falcons will wrap up weekend action on Sunday (Feb. 11), facing Robert Morris in a 1:30 p.m. start.

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