It's a Saturday Sweep for the Falcons

Saturday, February 23

Boiling Springs, NC

12:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

3-3

Gardner-Webb

7-5

BGSU

Gardner-Webb

Sarah Gonzalez had a 3-run double in Saturday's first win

February 23, 2019 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 BGSU-GWU Box Score BGSU-ETSU Box Score

BG downs GWU, ETSU to improve to 4-0 on the weekend

By: BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

For the Bowling Green State University softball team, Saturday's journey was quite different from the day before, but the result was the same. The Falcons won a pair of games at the GWU Softball Tournament for the second-straight day, downing host Gardner-Webb and East Tennessee State on Saturday (Feb. 23).

BGSU topped GWU by a 7-4 score, and downed the Bucs, 3-0, in the nightcap.

On Friday, BG fell behind by four runs in the day's first game before rallying to win, then saw the second game head into extra innings without a run being scored.

On Saturday, however, the Brown and Orange jumped on top early. BG scored four times in the first inning vs. GWU, building a 7-0 lead before holding off a last-inning comeback bid.

Then, BG plated a pair of runs in the top of the first vs. ETSU, and those two runs proved to be more than a dominant Falcon pitcher would need.

THE BGSU-GWU GAME IN A (TWITTER-SIZED) NUTSHELL
• In the opener, sophomore Sarah Gonzalez had a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double to cap a four-run first inning. The Falcons took a 7-0 lead before holding off a late charge by the Runnin' Bulldogs.

LIKEWISE, IF YOU WERE GOING TO SUMMARIZE THE BGSU-ETSU GAME IN ONE TWEET, YOU COULD PROBABLY SAY THIS
• In the second game, senior Meredith Miller faced an ETSU offense that had scored 42 runs in three games this weekend, and fired a one-hit shutout.

WHAT IF I WANTED TO TWEET SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT THE FIRST GAME?
• Senior Brooke Parker did not allow a run in 5 1/3 innings of work, en route to the win over GWU. Parker struck out a career-high 10 batters and did not issue a walk.

IT'S BEEN A PRETTY GOOD WEEKEND FOR THESE TWO ALREADY...
• Meredith Miller's one-hit shutout of ETSU came on the heels of Friday night's 17-strikeout performance vs. Gardner-Webb. In the GWU game, she also allowed only one hit through seven innings.
• Sarah Gonzalez had a total of seven RBI in back-to-back at-bats vs. GWU. She capped a five-run eighth inning with a grand slam on Friday night, then cleared the bases with a three-run double on Saturday.

BGSU-GWU – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons jumped on GWU starter Reah Barger early. Sophomore Sammy Dees led off the game with a walk, and promptly stole second. Senior Alex Sorgi followed with a double to left, with Dees stopping at third, and Dees then scored on a wild pitch for the first run of the game.
• Senior Kali Holcomb walked, and after a fielder's-choice grounder produced the first out of the game, sophomore Nikki Sorgi walked on four pitches to load the bases.
• Fellow soph Sarah Gonzalez immediately unloaded the bases with a three-run double to right-center, giving the Falcons a 4-0 lead and chasing Barger from the game.
• Laken Myers entered the circle and sandwiched two strikeouts around a walk to junior Logan Everett, and BG led by four runs after half an inning.
• Senior Brooke Parker proceeded to strike out the side in the bottom of the first, and after BG went in order in the second, Parker quelled a GWU scoring attempt in the bottom of that inning.
• In the second, Brooke Perry led off with a single, and after a strikeout and a fielder's choice produced two outs, Autumn Owen stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. But, Parker induced Callie Thornton to hit an inning-ending grounder to short.
• BG added to the lead with two runs in the third. Nikki Sorgi walked with one out, and freshman Marissa Mullen's two-out single moved her to second. Then, Everett's base hit to center plated Sorgi.
• Then, junior Kendyl Wheeler singled up the middle to bring Mullen home with the Falcons' sixth run.
• The Runnin' Bulldogs threatened in the home half of the third, putting two runners in scoring position. Lily Pressley reached on an infield single with one out, and Andria Booth followed with a bunt single, with Pressley taking third on a BG error. Booth stole second, but Parker got Annamarie Warley to hit a liner to Nikki Sorgi at second base, then got Kaylee Wacaster to hit an inning-ending grounder to third.
• BG added to the lead in the fourth, largely due to the speed of Alex Sorgi. The senior led off with a bunt single, took second on a wild pitch, stole third and trotted home on Holcomb's sac fly to center.
• In the bottom of the frame, Parker struck out Perry, before Jenna Wacaster and Owen followed with singles. But, the BG senior proceeded to get both Thornton and Abbey Goodrum swinging to end the inning.
• The fifth inning saw Everett single with two down, but she was stranded at first.
• Parker struck out the first two hitters in the home half, before hitting Warley with a pitch and allowing a Kaylee Wacaster single, but a Perry grounder to the right side ended the threat.
• Dees doubled to begin the sixth, and Alex Sorgi walked, but Myers worked out of the jam, sandwiching a pair of popups around a strikeout.
• Sophomore Madison French entered the game, and after hitting the leadoff batter, proceeded to retire the next three.
• Mullen singled with one down in the seventh, but a fielder's choice and a strikeout sent the game to the bottom of the seventh.
• And, the Runnin' Bulldogs looked to mount a comeback. Pressley singled and took second on a wild pitch, and Booth singled to score Pressley. French got the first out on a fly ball, with Booth taking third, but a Kaylee Wacaster grounder scored Booth with GWU's second run.
• Then, Perry walked, and Jenna Wacaster homered to make it a three-run game. Parker returned to the circle, and after allowing a single to Owen, got Thornton to pop up to Nikki Sorgi to end the game.

BGSU-GWU STATS & LEADERS
• The Runnin' Bulldogs actually outhit the Falcons, 10-9. But, GWU pitchers walked six batters, while BG hurlers issued only one free pass.
• The Sorgi sisters combined to score four of BG's seven runs. Alex was 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a stolen base and a pair of runs scored.
• Nikki Sorgi also crossed the plate twice, and walked two times in the win.
• Everett (2-for-3) and Mullen (2-for-4) each had multiple-hit games, with Mullen scoring a run and Everett driving in a run.
• Gonzalez was 1-for-3, and the hit was a three-run double.
• Dees had a double, a walk and a run, and she also stole a base, while Wheeler picked up a hit and an RBI in the win.
• Four GWU players – Booth, Jenna Wacaster, Owen and Pressley – had two hits apiece.
• Parker picked up the win in the circle, with five-and-a-third innings of shutout softball. She allowed seven hits, striking out a career-high 10 batters without issuing a walk.
• The senior threw 63 strikes among her 98 total pitches.
• Barger took the loss for GWU, allowing four runs in just one-third of an inning. She walked three and gave up two hits.
• Myers allowed three runs and seven hits in six and two-thirds innings of relief work, walking three and striking out eight.

BGSU-ETSU – HOW IT HAPPENED
• As mentioned, ETSU had scored 42 runs at the GWU Softball Tournament entering the game against the Falcons, with at least 10 runs in each game.
• But, it was BG jumping on top early against Bucs starter Kelly Schmidt. Junior Taylor Blevins drew a four-pitch walk, then stole second, with one out in the first. She came around to score when Dees reached on an error.
• Dees, who got all the way to third on the play, scored BG's second run on senior Kellie Natham's single. Both Gonzalez and Mullen would draw walks before the inning was done, but the score remained 2-0.
• Gonzalez doubled with two down in the third – all five of her hits so far this season have gone for extra bases – but she was stranded there.
• Alex Sorgi led off with an infield single in the fifth, and stole second with one down, but Schmidt got back-to-back fly balls to end the inning.
• BG added to the lead in the sixth, with a two-out rally. Mullen walked for the second time in the game, and the freshman came all the way around when Nikki Sorgi followed with a double to left-center.
• Meanwhile, Miller was dominant. She retired the side in order, before allowing a leadoff single to Nikki Grupp in the second. Malloree Schurr then walked, and the runners moved up on xxx Toler's sac bunt.
• But, Miller proceeded to strike out Tiffany Laughren before getting Jordan Durbin to hit an infield popup for the third out.
• Beginning in that second inning, Miller retired 14-straight batters before allowing a two-out walk in the sixth. She responded to that base on balls by striking out Taylor Wright to end the inning, then set down the side in order in the seventh to close out the masterful complete-game performance.

BGSU-ETSU STATS & LEADERS
• Miller was the story of Saturday's second game. She needed just 77 pitches to get 21 outs. Miller walked two batters and struck out three. She now has a record of 3-2 on the year and has won three-straight decisions.
• For her part, Schmidt had a solid outing for the Bucs. She allowed just one earned run and five hits in her complete-game effort. The loss dropped her to 4-1 on the year.
• Alex Sorgi was the lone player with a two hit game, and she also had a pair of stolen bases in the win.
• Natham and Nikki Sorgi each had RBI hits, while Gonzalez had a hit and a walk.
• Mullen walked twice and scored a run.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons conclude action in the GWU Softball Tournament on Sunday (Feb. 24), facing Saint Francis (Pa.) in a 10:00 a.m. first pitch.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
For more information on all things BGSU softball, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUSoftball) and Instagram (@bgsu_softball) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.