Falcons Drop a Pair of Friday Matchups in Lubbock

Friday, March 2

Lubbock, TX

11:30 AM ET

Bowling Green State University

9-2

UTSA

8-6

Bowling Green

UTSA

Meredith Miller at Texas Tech - March 2 2018

March 02, 2018 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BG falls to UTSA, TTU; Falcons now 9-3 on the year

By: LUBBOCK, Texas (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University softball team dropped a pair of games on Friday (March 2) at the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic in Lubbock, Texas. The Falcons fell, 7-3, to UTSA, and BG then came out on the short end of a narrow 3-2 decision against host Texas Tech University.

LINKS
BGSU-UTSA STATISTICS: PDF
BGSU-TEXAS TECH STATISTICS: PDF

With the two losses, the Falcons fall to 9-3 on the season. In the opener, the Brown and Orange fell behind early, and a seventh-inning comeback fell short. In the nightcap, the hosts broke a 2-2 tie by pushing a run across in the bottom of the fourth frame, and that run held up as the winner.

BGSU-UTSA – HOW IT HAPPENED

The Roadrunners got on the board early, with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Celeste Loughman led off with a single, and came around to score on Bailee Baldwin's double. Then Baldwin scored on a Ashlynn Walls single, before junior Brooke Parker retired the next three hitters.
The Falcons had gotten a pair of runners on base in the top of the inning, as senior Aspen Searle doubled off of UTSA starter Lizzy Fox with two out, and junior Kali Holcomb followed with a walk. But, Fox got a popup to short to end the threat, then retired the Falcons in order on three fly-ball outs in the second.
UTSA loaded the bases in the second, on a one-out walk and a two-out single that was followed by another walk. But, Parker got Walls to hit a fielder's-choice grounder that ended the threat.
Sophomore Kendyl Wheeler began the third inning with a bunt single, and junior Alex Sorgi sacrificed her to second, but Fox retired the next two batters. Similarly, in the fifth, BG got a runner to second with one out, after a hit by freshman Sarah Gonzalez and a sac bunt from senior Laine Simmons, but Fox worked out of it once again.
The Roadrunners doubled the lead in the fifth. With two outs, a single was followed by four-straight walks, forcing in a pair of runs. Freshman Madison French, the third BG pitcher of the inning, got a strikeout to retire the side.
In the BG sixth, freshman Sammy Dees singled, and after Searle's fielder's choice, Holcomb walked for the second time in the game to put a pair of runners aboard. But, once again, Fox retired the next two Falcons.
UTSA put three more runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Baldwin led off with a homer, and French struck out two of the next three batters, but a walk was followed by a pair of run-scoring hits off the bats of Kylea Nix and Hailey Garza, giving the Roadrunners a seven-run advantage.
BGSU cut into the lead in the seventh inning. Pinch-hitter Hannah Giammarino drew a leadoff walk, and pinch-hitter Nikki Sorgi, followed with a single to center. Fox was able to retire the next pinch-hitter, Payton Hamm, gloving the freshman's scorcher back to the circle, for the first out.
But, Giammarino stole third, then scored on a wild pitch which moved Nikki Sorgi to second. Alex Sorgi singled, and Dees reached on an error, advancing to second as Nikki Sorgi scored and her sister took third. Alex then scored on a Searle single, cutting the deficit to four runs, but a pair of fly balls to left accounted for the second and third outs.

BGSU-UTSA LEADERS

The Roadrunners outhit the Falcons, 12-7, with five hitters, including the top-three batters in the UTSA order, each collecting two hits. Bailee Baldwin was 2-for-3 with a double, a homer, a walk, two runs scored and two RBI.
Celeste Loughman, Ashlynn Walls, Victoria Villarreal and Hailey Garza each had two hits as well. Garza was 2-for-2 with two walks and two RBI.
For the Falcons, senior Aspen Searle had a pair of hits, including a double, and an RBI in four trips. Five Falcons had one hit apiece, and junior Kali Holcomb drew a pair of walks.
Lizzy Fox earned the win for the Roadrunners, allowing three runs (just one earned) and seven hits in the complete-game win. She walked three batters and struck out two.
Junior Brooke Parker pitched 4 2/3 innings for BG and suffered the loss, allowing nine hits and three runs.
Junior Kiley Sosby and freshman Madison French also saw time in the circle. French worked an inning and a third, with three strikeouts.

BGSU-TEXAS TECH – HOW IT HAPPENED

The Red Raiders took an early lead, scoring twice in the first inning. Heaven Burton and Michaela Cochran had back-to-back doubles to begin the half inning, and a two-out wild pitch plated the second run.
BGSU, however, came right back with two runs in the top of the second. Junior Kali Holcomb led off with a triple to right-center, and classmate Kaylee Parker followed by driving a ball to left. The ball rang off the fair pole for a two-run homer that tied the game.
BG had a total of four hits in that inning, as nearly every Falcon to come to the plate hit the ball hard. After Parker's dinger, junior Kellie Natham singled to center. With two down, sophomore Kendyl Wheeler lined a ball off of the glove of TTU pitcher Erin Edmoundson, and the ball caromed between the first and second baseman and into right field as pinch-runner Taylor Blevins advanced to third base. But, Alex Sorgi's liner was caught by the third baseman for out number three.
The hosts threatened, but did not score, in the bottom of the frame. TTU loaded the bases with two outs, but BG starter Meredith Miller got Jessica Hartwell to hit a grounder to Aspen Searle at shortstop, and she flipped the ball to Sarah Gonzalez at third to retire the side.
The Falcons got a pair of third-inning baserunners on singles by Searle and Holcomb, but Natham's sinking liner was caught by a diving Cochran in center for the third out.
The Red Raiders retook the lead in the home half of the fourth. Edmoundson led off with a double, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on another bunt, this one off the bat of Allison Knopp for an infield hit.
The Falcons got a baserunner in the seventh, as pinch-hitter Hannah Giammarino singled with one out. Nikki Sorgi also pinch-hit, and Giammarino was erased on Sorgi's grounder for the second out. But, Sorgi was safe and advanced to second on a throwing error. The Red Raiders, however, got the final out on a fly ball to center.

BGSU-TEXAS TECH LEADERS

Both teams had eight hits in the game. For the Falcons, Kali Holcomb went 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. Kaylee Parker was one of six BG players with one hit apiece, and Parker's hit was the two-run homer that scored Holcomb ahead of her.
Erin Edmoundson led the way for the hosts, going 2-for-3, scoring what proved to be the game-winning run and getting the complete-game win in the circle.
Edmoundson and Michaela Cochran each were 2-for-3 at the plate. Cochran scored a run and drove in a run.
Edmoundson allowed two runs and eight hits in improving to 6-1 on the year. She struck out seven and did not walk a batter.
Meredith Miller suffered her first loss of the season, dropping to 5-1. She surrendered eight hits and three runs, walking one and striking out four.

JEANNINE McHANEY MEMORIAL CLASSIC
Friday, March 2
UTSA 7, Bowling Green 3
UTSA 3, New Mexico 2
New Mexico 14, Texas Tech 13 (10 innings)
Texas Tech 3, Bowling Green 2

UP NEXT

The Falcons continue action in the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic on Saturday (March 3). BGSU meets New Mexico at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and the Brown and Orange will take on TTU in the second game of the day, scheduled to begin at approximately 2:00 p.m. ET.

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