BGSU Gets the Bats Going on Day One of U of M Tournament

Friday, March 9

Memphis, TN

10:00 AM ET

Bowling Green State University

11-7

Indiana State

10-6

Indiana State

Bowling Green

Searle is congratulated after a HR in practice/scrimmage

Aspen Searle had 4 hits vs. Indiana State

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

March 09, 2018 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Falcons score six runs in each game, pound out 26 total hits in Friday split

By: MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University softball team scored six runs and had a double-digit hit total in each of Friday's (March 9) games at the UofM Softball Tournament. In the first game of the day, errors cost the Falcons in a 7-6 loss to Indiana State. But, the Falcons bounced back with a 6-1 win over Mississippi Valley State.

Both games were held at the Tigers Softball Complex on the campus of the University of Memphis.

LINKS
BGSU-ISU STATISTICS: PDF
BGSU-MVSU STATISTICS: PDF
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

The Falcons (12-7) outhit ISU by a 14-8 count, and BG had a 12-2 advantage in that department vs. MVSU.

BGSU nearly rallied all the way back from a six-run deficit against ISU. Senior Aspen Searle was 4-for-4 with two doubles – reaching a pair of milestones in the process – and no fewer than four other Falcons had two hits apiece. But, four BG errors proved to be too much to overcome, as three of ISU's runs were unearned.

In the MVSU contest, junior Brooke Parker fired six innings of no-hit ball, and junior Kali Holcomb homered as BG built a 6-0 lead en route to the win.

HIT PARADE

Aspen Searle was 5-for-9 in the two games, with a pair of doubles and a pair of runs scored. Junior Alex Sorgi reached base seven times in nine plate appearances on Friday, going 5-for-7 with two walks and two runs.
Sorgi was 3-for-4 with a walk and no fewer than four stolen bases in the MVSU game alone.
Freshman Payton Hamm, who entered the day with two official at-bats in her young BGSU career, came off the bench to go 2-for-2 in the ISU game. She earned her first collegiate start in the MVSU contest, and proceeded to pick up two more hits, including a double, in four at-bats. Hamm had two RBI in the win.
Juniors Kali Holcomb and Kaylee Parker each went 3-for-6 in the two games. Parker added a walk and a sac bunt, while Holcomb homered and drove in five runs to give her 23 RBI on the season.
The Falcons outhit the opponents, 26-10, on Friday, and BGSU has 43 hits to the opponents' 20 over the last four games.

MORE MILESTONES FOR ASPEN

Senior Aspen Searle continues to reach new milestones at BG. She went 4-for-4 in the opening game on Friday, tying her career best for hits in a game. It marked her third four-hit game of the season and the fourth of her career.
Searle's second hit of the Indiana State game was hit number 200 of her career. She is just the fourth player in BGSU softball history to reach 200 career hits.
And, in her next at-bat, Searle banged out her 40th double as a Falcon, making her only the fifth Falcon to reach that milestone.
Searle also moved into third place on the BG list for career total bases.

BGSU-INDIANA STATE – HOW IT HAPPENED

BGSU starter Meredith Miller allowed a pair of baserunners in the first inning, on an error and a walk, and Shaye Barton singled and stole second in the second inning. But, Miller escaped each inning unscathed, striking out three Sycamores during that time.
Meanwhile, however, ISU starter Kylie Stober allowed a leadoff single to senior Aspen Searle in the first frame, then retired six-straight batters, and her teammates staked her to the lead in the third.
That third inning saw Leslie Sims lead off with a bunt single, then steal second base. Bailey Martin reached on an error and advanced to second on another BG miscue on the same play, with Sims scoring the game's first run.
Brooke Mann followed with a single that plated Martin, and after a pair of grounders produced outs at second base, Amanda Guercio came through with a two-out RBI double for a three-run ISU lead.
The Falcons, who left eight runners on base in the game, threatened but did not score in the bottom of the third. Senior Laine Simmons led off with a single, but after a foul pop produced the first out, a BG pinch-runner was called out for leaving first base too early on an attempted steal of second. With two outs and none on, Searle doubled to left-center, and junior Alex Sorgi's infield single put runners at the corners, but Stober retired the next BG batter for out number three.
BG put two runners aboard in the fourth, as junior Kali Holcomb led off with a walk and took second on classmate Kaylee Parker's sacrifice bunt. One out later, freshman Sarah Gonzalez was hit by a pitch, but a grounder to third retired the side.
And, ISU quickly doubled the lead in the fifth. Mann was hit by a pitch, Rebecca Gibbs reached on an error and Bella Peterson followed with a three-run homer for a six-run lead. Junior Kiley Sosby entered the game and retired the next three hitters, but the damage had been done.
Freshman Payton Hamm began the Falcon fifth by lacing a ball through the right side of the ISU infield for a leadoff single, and she advanced to third on Searle's second double of the game. Alex Sorgi reached on a bunt single to load the bases, and a sacrifice fly by freshman Sammy Dees allowed Hamm to tag and score the Falcons' first run.
Holcomb's single reloaded the bases, and Kaylee Parker greeted reliever Arielle Blankenship with another single that scored Searle. But, a pair of force plays retired the side, as a grounder resulted in an out at home, and another bouncer resulted in an out at third base for the third out.
The Sycamores tacked on a run in the top of the sixth, and that run would prove to be key. With two outs, Martin singled, stole second and came home on a base hit by Mann.
BG came nearly all the way back in the bottom of the sixth. Simmons led off with a single, and Hamm's second hit in as many at-bats sent pinch-runner Logan Everett to second. Searle singled up the middle – her fourth hit of the day – scored Everett and sent Hamm to third, and a wild pitch scored another run for the Brown and Orange.
Alex Sorgi walked to chase Blankenship, and new pitcher Della Gher got Dees to hit a grounder back to the circle, but the runners advanced to second and third. Then, Holcomb came through with a two-out, two-run single that plated both Searle and Sorgi.
Sosby made quick work of the Sycamores in the seventh, sandwiching two infield popups around a strikeout, and the Falcons came back to the plate.
Junior Kellie Natham began the bottom of the seventh with a single, and Gonzalez bunted in an attempt to advance pinch-runner Nikki Sorgi to second. But, on the sacrifice bunt, Sorgi was tagged out after overrunning second base and attempting to get back to the bag, and a popup ended the inning and the game.

BGSU-INDIANA STATE STATS & LEADERS

The Falcons, as mentioned, outhit the Sycamores by a 14-8 count in the game. No fewer than five BGSU players had multiple-hit games.
BGSU hit .483 (14-for-29) as a team in the game, while ISU hit .250 (8-of-32).
Searle went 4-for-4 to tie her career high for hits in a game. It marked her third four-hit game of the season and the fourth of her career. Searle had two doubles among those four hits, scoring two runs and driving in one.
Holcomb and Alex Sorgi each were 2-for-3 with a walk. Sorgi scored a run, while Holcomb had an RBI.
Simmons also was 2-for-3 in the game, while Hamm was a perfect 2-for-2. Hamm came off the bench to record a pinch-hit single, and she stayed in the game and singled in her next trip to the plate as well.
Miller took the loss in the circle, allowing six runs (just three earned) and six hits in four-plus innings. She walked one batter and struck out five.
Sosby gave up one run and two hits in three innings of relief. Sosby struck out three Sycamores and did not walk a batter.
Mann led the Sycamores with a pair of hits in as many at-bats, adding a walk, a run and two RBI. Peterson had the big blow for ISU, with a three-run homer in her lone hit of the game.
Stober, the first of three ISU pitchers, got the win. She allowed two runs and eight hits before leaving with one out in the fifth.
Blankenship allowed four runs and four hits in just two-thirds of an inning, and Gher came on after the first four Falcons had reached base in the sixth. Gher allowed both of the runners she inherited to score, but got the final six outs to earn the save. Gher surrendered two hits and was not charged with any runs allowed.
ISU pitchers combined to walk two Falcons and strike out three.
BGSU left eight runners on base to the Sycamores' six.

BGSU-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE – HOW IT HAPPENED

In what would become a recurring theme in Friday's second game, Alex Sorgi singled in the first inning, then stole second. But, she was stranded there as MVSU starter Andrea Elmore got two foul pops and a fly ball to center.
The Falcons got what would prove to be the only run starter Brooke Parker would need in the top of the second. Kaylee Parker led off with a walk, and pinch-runner Taylor Blevins promptly stole second. Elmore retired the next two hitters, but Everett's single put Falcons at the corners, and Hamm's bunt scored Blevins.
The third inning saw Alex Sorgi single (again) and steal second (again). Dees bunted Sorgi to third, and both runners were safe as a result of Elmore's throwing error. Dees stole second, and Holcomb then blasted a three-run homer to left for a 4-0 BG lead.
Hamm reached on an error to begin the fourth inning, and Sorgi reached on a(nother) single and stole a(nother) base, but the Falcons could not add to the lead.
But, in the fifth, the Brown and Orange scored twice more. Holcomb led off with a walk, and took second on Kaylee Parker's single to center. The Devilettes made a pitching change, bringing Jezabelle Quintana into the circle, and Natham greeted her with a single through the left side of the infield, loading the bases. A Gonzalez sacrifice fly scored Holcomb, and after a fielder's choice retired Parker at third, Hamm's double down the left-field line plated Natham with the Falcons' sixth run.
Alex Sorgi walked in the sixth, and swiped her fourth base of the game with one out. One out later, Kaylee Parker's single sent Sorgi to third, but Quintana retired the next hitter on a grounder back to the circle.
Freshman Kinzi Sanders made her first plate appearance as a Falcon in the seventh inning, and drew a one-out walk. She moved to second on a single by Hamm, and Searle followed with a single, but an out on the basepaths and a grounder to third quelled that promising rally.
Meanwhile Brooke Parker threw six innings of no-hit ball. She faced just one batter over the minimum, allowing a two-out walk to Ikeyia Alexander in the fifth inning after retiring 14 hitters in a row. She then got a popup to Searle at shortstop to end the inning.
In the seventh, the Devilettes got a run against reliever Madison French, but it was too little, too late. Sharia Cormier doubled with one out, and after Jodeci Afoa-Tuia was hit by a pitch, Dejanae Gage singled to load the bases. Then, Alexander walked to plate Cormier. French, however, got a ground ball that resulted in a force play at the plate, then induced the next batter to hit a foul pop that was gloved by first baseman Natham to end the game.

BGSU-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE STATS & LEADERS

The Falcons pounded out 12 hits in the win, with Alex Sorgi going 3-for-4 with a walk, a run and the four stolen bases.
Hamm, in her first collegiate start, was 2-for-4 with her first career double and her first two RBI. Kaylee Parker also had a pair of hits, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
Holcomb's lone hit was a three-run homer. She also drew a walk and scored two runs.
In the circle, Brooke Parker needed just 68 pitches to get through six no-hit innings. She faced only one batter over the minimum, with that two-out walk in the fifth.
Parker allowed her outfielders to make only one play during her six innings of work. She struck out one batter, got five infield popups (including three that were caught by Natham in foul ground), saw 10 Devilettes retired on infield grounders, and allowed one liner that was caught by Searle at short and one fly ball to left-center that was grabbed by Alex Sorgi.
Elmore allowed seven hits and six runs (five earned) in four-plus innings. Quintana allowed five hits, but no runs, in her three-inning relief stint.

UP NEXT

BGSU is scheduled to play a pair of Saturday (March 10) games in the UofM Softball Tournament. BG is slated to face Tennessee State at 10:00 a.m. ET, before meeting Memphis in a 2:30 p.m. ET start. Then, the Falcons are scheduled to close out the weekend with a 9:30 a.m. ET matchup with Butler on Sunday (March 11).

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