Falcons Split With Miami Wednesday

Wednesday, April 11

Bowling Green, OH

1:00 PM ET

Bowling Green State University

18-19, 1-9

Miami

15-17, 4-6

Bowling Green

Miami

Photo by: Larry Clapper

April 11, 2018 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Miller's Mastery, Sorgi's Speed Fuel BGSU's Game-Two Win

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Junior Meredith Miller fired a four-hitter, and classmate Alex Sorgi kick-started the offense as the Bowling Green State University softball team downed Miami University, 4-1, on Wednesday afternoon (April 11). The win gave the Falcons a split of the day's doubleheader with the RedHawks, who won the first game by a 7-2 score in Mid-American Conference action at Meserve Field.

LINKS
BGSU-MIAMI STATISTICS: Game 1 | Game 2
BGSU-MIAMI HIGHLIGHTS

Miller allowed just one hit through five innings in Wednesday's nightcap, as her teammates built a 4-1 lead. Sorgi almost single-handedly manufactured BG's first run of the game, beating out an infield grounder for a single, then stealing second and third before trotting home on senior Aspen Searle's base hit.

No fewer than five BG batters had multi-hit games in the win, as the Falcons pounded out 12 hits – all singles – in game two.

A two-run homer by freshman Sarah Gonzalez provided BGSU's only scoring in Wednesday's opener. Gonzalez had two of the team's three hits in that contest.

QUOTING COACH WILLIS
"We've had some tough losses lately, and we just try to tell the kids that one game doesn't dictate another, and it doesn't dictate our ability to execute what Falcon softball should look like. Although a different pitcher started the second game, we also got to see the game-one pitcher again and had a little bit of success against her, and it was nice to see."

"Hitting is contagious. It just takes one or two people to stand up, and everyone else starts to follow behind. It's just part of that belief system, and knowing that you just have to have the right mindset sometimes."

"Meredith did a great job of retiring the leadoff batter in each inning, which is obviously huge. It was great to see the defense rise to the occasion as well, and Meredith threw her game. She was confident, she was aggressive and she went right after their hitters and challenged them with her good stuff. There's nothing more I can ask of any pitcher."

"Alex's run was huge. She got herself on base, and she got herself to third base quickly. That's a big momentum changer, because you've caught them off guard, and now you're just 60 feet from a run, and getting that run and the early lead, with the way Meredith was pitching, was a big momentum swing."

QUOTING ALEX SORGI
"Our team always tries to stay energetic and positive, no matter the situation. I think seeing the confidence from Meredith on the mound was very uplifting. We always do better when our pitcher is confident, doing well and hitting her spots."

"Hitting-wise, we did a nice job of making adjustments. We did a good job defensively and got a lot of timely hits."

(On scoring the first run of game two)
"Those are my favorite kinds of innings, and stealing bases is my favorite part of the game. When I got on base with no one in front of me, I knew what I wanted to do, and I just hoped it would all work out. Aspen came up with the timely hit to give us the lead."

BGSU-MU GAME ONE – HOW IT HAPPENED

The RedHawks, the designated home team for Wednesday's first game, took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the first inning. After the first two batters were retired, Ashton Slone singled, Johniann Wahl walked and Kat Lee singled to load the bases. Kaitlyn Gliha's base on balls force home a run, and Lizzie Bollinger singled to plate another run. BG second baseman Sammy Dees threw out a runner at the plate to end the inning.
The Falcons threatened in the third, as freshman Sarah Gonzalez singled and junior Kaylee Parker drew a walk. Junior Hannah Giammarino's sacrifice bunt put Gonzalez and pinch-runner Taylor Blevins into scoring position, but the runners were forced to hold on a sharp grounder to third, which produced the second out. Dees fouled off four pitches before drawing a walk that loaded the bases, but MU starter Courtney Vierstra induced an inning-ending fly ball to center.
The RedHawks scored three times in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-0 lead. Wahl singled, Lee walked and Gliha doubled to score a run. Bollinger's sacrifice fly made it a four-run game, and Mackenzie Moore's double down the right-field line plated another RedHawk.
MU scored two more times in the fifth. After three-straight singles loaded the bases, an error allowed one run to score, and a wild pitch brought another RedHawk home
Meanwhile, Vierstra and MU reliever Jaime Scher combined to allow only one BG hit over the first six innings. In the seventh, senior Laine Simmons singled, and Gonzalez hit a drive to right for a two-run homer, with pinch-runner Payton Hamm scoring in front of her. But, Scher bounced back to retire the next two hitters and end the game.

BGSU-MU GAME ONE – STATS & LEADERS

Miami outhit BGSU, 10-3, in the opener. Gliha, Lee and Moore all went 2-for-3, with Gliha and Lee each drawing a walk and scoring two runs.
Gliha and Bollinger each drove in two runs, and Wahl was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run.
Vierstra earned the win with five innings of one-hit shutout ball. She walked two Falcons and struck out three. Vierstra threw 51 of her 78 pitches for strikes.
Scher allowed two runs and two hits in two innings of relief.
Gonzalez had two of BG's three hits, driving in both runs with her seventh-inning homer.
Junior Brooke Parker took the loss, allowing five runs and six hits.
Freshman Madison French threw 3 1/3 innings of relief, allowing two runs (both unearned) and four hits. French walked one batter and struck out three.

BGSU-MU GAME TWO – HOW IT HAPPENED

The game was scoreless through two innings, before BG broke through in the third.
The Falcons had at least one hit in each of the first five innings, including two or more hits in four consecutive frames.
Junior Alex Sorgi had a leadoff single in the first, and she got as far as third base before MU starter Taylor Rathe got the third out.
In the second inning, a Simmons flare to right-center dropped in between several converging Miami fielders for a base hit, and after pinch-runner Blevins stole second, Kaylee Parker's blooper hit the grass behind first base, just inside the baseline. But, with runners at the corners, Rathe induced a pair of infield popups to end the threat.
In the third inning, though, Alex Sorgi manufactured a run almost by herself. The junior beat out a roller to the circle, then proceeded to steal both second and third. From there, she scored easily on senior Aspen Searle's well-placed single to shallow right-center.
Giammarino and Alex Sorgi each singled in the fourth, but were stranded. But, BG widened the lead in the fifth.
That fifth frame saw BG turn five hits – all singles – into three runs. Searle led off with a base hit up the middle, and advanced to second on a sac bunt by junior Kali Holcomb. Simmons fouled off five-straight pitches before lining a single up the middle to conclude a nine-pitch at-bat. Searle, who had to hold up until the ball went past her, advanced to third on the play.
Vierstra replaced Rathe in the circle, and Gonzalez greeted her with a grounder up the middle. MU shortstop Moore made the stop, but her only play was at second base. Simmons was forced at second, but Searle scored easily.
Kaylee Parker singled, and fellow junior Kellie Natham followed with an RBI hit through the right side of the Miami infield. Giammarino's liner ticked off of the glove of the lunging first baseman, rolling just out of reach of the MU second baseman as another run scored.
Meanwhile, junior Meredith Miller allowed only one hit through five innings. Slone had singled with two outs in the first, but after Gliha reached on a one-out error in the second, the Falcons turned a smooth 4-6-3 double play, and Miller then retired the side in order in each of the next three innings.
Megan Wurts started a Miami rally in the sixth, with a two-out double off the wall. Haeley Tran singled to put runners at the corners, and an RBI single by Slone brought the tying run to the plate in the person of cleanup hitter Wahl. But, Miller got her to hit a fly ball to right, where Holcomb made the catch for the third out.
BG was retired in order in the bottom of the sixth, but Miller set down the RedHawks with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, closing out the victory.

BGSU-MU GAME TWO – STATS & LEADERS

As mentioned, five Falcons had a multiple-hit game. Alex Sorgi led the way, going 3-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases and scoring the game's first run.
Giammarino, Simmons and Kaylee Parker all went 2-for-3, with Parker scoring a run and Giammarino picking up an RBI.
Searle was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, while Gonzalez scored a run and drove in a run.
Natham had a hit and an RBI for the Falcons.
Miller fired a complete-game four hitter, striking out four without issuing a walk. She retired the leadoff hitter in each of the seven innings, and threw a whopping 80 of her 105 pitches for strikes.
Slone had two of Miami's four hits, going 2-for-3 and driving in her team's lone run.
Rathe took the loss, allowing three runs and nine hits before leaving with two outs in the fifth.
Vierstra got the final five outs, allowing a run and three hits.

UP NEXT

Wednesday's doubleheader marked BGSU's only home games during the first 26 days of April.
The Falcons now return to the road for a three-game series vs. the University at Buffalo, including a Friday (April 13) single game and a Saturday (April 14) double-dip.

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