Saturday Slugfests Go Ohio's Way

Saturday, March 23

Athens, OH

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Ohio

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

March 23, 2019 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 BGSU-Ohio Game One Box Score BGSU-Ohio Game Two Box Score

Bobcats top BGSU in a high-scoring twinbill in Athens

By: ATHENS, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

A pair of slugfests went Ohio University's way Saturday (March 23), as the Bobcats downed the Bowling Green State University softball team in a twinbill at the Ohio Softball Field. The 'Cats won by scores of 8-7 and 15-10, with the first game going to extra innings.

The Falcons scored 17 runs and pounded out 25 hits, including seven extra-base knocks, in the Mid-American Conference doubleheader.

In the opener, the Brown and Orange outhit the Bobcats by a 13-8 count, but five BG errors resulted in an equal amount of unearned runs for the Bobcats, and Ohio benefited from a controversial call to tie the game in the sixth inning, before winning it in the eighth.

The nightcap saw a two-out Ohio rally lead to a four-run second inning. But, the Falcons homered three times in the fifth en route to an eight-run frame. This time, it was BG who took advantage of an error, as an Ohio infield miscue with the Bobcats up by a run opened the door for five more BG runs in the inning.

In that Falcon fifth, seven-straight batters reached – and all eight runs scored – after there were two outs.

But, two homers off of Ohio bats gave the 'Cats the lead in the bottom of the inning, as the hosts scored five times. In the sixth, a Morgan Geno grand slam highlighted a six-run inning as the home team took control.

Junior Madi McCoy homered in each game. She hit .500, going 5-for-10, and drove in a total of seven runs on Saturday.

Nine different Falcons had two or more hits in the twinbill.

BGSU-OHIO GAME ONE – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Bobcats broke on top with a pair of runs, one unearned, in the bottom of the first inning. Katie Yun singled with one out, and an infield error was followed by a walk to Morgan Geno that loaded the bases. Charlee Pond then singled up the middle to score a pair of teammates. Ohio reloaded the bases when Deanna Cole was hit by a pitch, but BG starter Brooke Parker struck out Caroline Spacek to retire the side.
• BG bounced right back in the top of the second. Ohio starter Madi McCrady had held the Falcons to just two runs and five hits on Friday, but BG had three hits, including a pair of extra-base knocks by the Sorgi sisters, in the second inning.
• That frame saw McCrady walk sophomores Payton Hamm and Sarah Gonzalez on eight-straight pitches with one out. Then, fellow soph Nikki Sorgi drove a ball to the wall in left-center for a double that scored Hamm and sent Gonzalez to third.
• One out later, senior Alex Sorgi put a ball over the Ohio leftfielder's head for a triple that scored two runs to give the Falcons the lead. Junior Taylor Blevins followed with a single that plated Alex Sorgi and prompted a pitching change for the Bobcats.
• Kendall Meeks came on, and after Blevins stole second, the Ohio reliever got the third out.
• Parker set down the 'Cats in order in both the second and third innings. BG left a pair of runners aboard in the third, but the Falcons tacked on a run in the fourth. That inning began when senior Kali Holcomb lined a ball back through the pitching circle and into center field on the first pitch. A fielder's choice resulted in the first out of the inning, but Alex Sorgi then stole second, took third on a Blevins grounder and scored on junior Madi McCoy's base hit up the middle.
• But, the Bobcats tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Cole doubled with one out, snapping a streak of eight consecutive batters retired by Parker, and an infield error allowed Cole to come around and score. After a walk to Allie Englant, Yun singled with two outs to score Spacek, and Englant came around to score as well after the ball got past a BG outfielder. Parker set down the next hitter, Natalie Alvarez, but the game was tied.
• Then, the hosts took the lead in the sixth. The top of the inning saw Hamm drive a ball to the deepest part of the park, but centerfielder Cole made the catch as she crashed into the fence. Then, in the bottom of the inning, Ohio loaded the bases with no outs, and Cole singled to plate pinch-runner Taytum Hargrave. BG centerfielder Alex Sorgi, however, threw out Pond at the plate on the play, and Parker then struck out Spacek and got Holland to ground out.
• And, BG took the lead in the sixth. Alex Sorgi singled up the middle and, after McCrady returned to the circle, the BG senior took second on a Blevins sac bunt. McCoy came to the plate. The junior swung and missed at the first two offerings from McCrady, before fouling off the next two pitches. McCoy then hit the next pitch off of the bottom of the scoreboard beyond the fence in dead center, giving the Falcons a 7-6 lead.
• The Bobcats tied the game on a controversial play in the bottom of the sixth. Englant began the inning with an infield hit, and continued to second on an error. Yun bunted Englant to third, but Parker got Alvarez to hit a grounder to third, with Gonzalez looking Englant back before firing to first.
• The next hitter, Geno, drew a walk, but on the final pitch of the at-bat, the ball got away from catcher Evelyn Loyola and caromed off of the backstop. Loyola tracked the ball down and fired it to Parker covering home plate.
• The BG pitcher, with a diving effort, caught the ball and tagged Englant all in one motion, and Englant was called out to end the inning. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PLAY
• However, after the Ohio coaches protested the call, the umpires met for several minutes and reversed the decision. Instead of BG holding a one-run lead heading to the seventh, the Falcons were tied, and Ohio was still at the plate.
• Parker, however, got Pond to fly out to Holcomb in right on the very next pitch.
• The seventh inning saw both teams retired in order, although Nikki Sorgi drove a ball to the warning track for BG's final out.
• In the eighth, Blevins and McCoy singled with two outs, but McCrady escaped the inning, leaving runners at the corners.
• Alexa Holland singled down the line to begin the Ohio eighth, continuing on to second when the ball got past the BG fielder. Englant bunted Holland to third, and the Falcons worked carefully to both Yun and Alvarez, issuing semi-unintentional intentional walks to load the bases. The next hitter, Geno, singled to center, scoring Holland with the winning run.

BGSU-OHIO GAME ONE STATS & LEADERS
• The Falcons outhit the Bobcats, 13-8, and BG had three extra-base hits to Ohio's one.
• McCoy led the way, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Both Alex and Nikki Sorgi went 2-for-4. Alex Sorgi had a walk and a triple, stealing a base, scoring three runs and driving in two. Nikki Sorgi had a double, a run and an RBI.
• Blevins also was 2-for-4 with a sac bunt, a stolen base and an RBI.
• Gonzalez, Holcomb, Loyola and senior Kellie Natham each had a hit for the Brown and Orange.
• For the Bobcats, both Cole and Yun went 2-for-3.
• McCrady got the win for the 'Cats despite allowing five runs in 4 2/3 innings. She surrendered six hits, walking three and striking out 10.
• Meeks gave up two runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings of work.
• Parker went all the way for the Falcons, allowing just three earned runs in 7 1/3 innings. She threw a total of 148 pitches in the game.

BGSU-OHIO GAME TWO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• Both teams were retired in order in the first, but Natham led off the second with a single off of Ohio starter Mackensie Kohl, when her blooper dropped between a trio of infielders. Nikki Sorgi singled with one out, and pinch-runner Kathleen Shier and Sorgi each tagged up and advanced when a Gonzalez drive was caught on the warning track. Then, Hamm turned on a Kohl pitch, scorching a ball to the right side, but it was stabbed by first baseman Spacek for the third out.
• In the bottom of the inning, senior Meredith Miller retired the first two hitters, but after Alex Day was hit by a pitch, Cole tripled to right-center to score a run, and she came home on Spacek's single. Holland and Englant followed with hits to give the 'Cats a 4-0 lead.
• In the fourth, BG put runners at the corners. Natham drew a four-pitch walk with one out, and moved to third when Ohio had a passed ball on back-to-back pitches with Nikki Sorgi at the plate and two down. Sorgi drew a walk, but a strikeout ended the inning.
• The Falcons exploded for an eight-run fifth. Holcomb doubled with one out, but Kohl retired the next hitter for the second out. Then, however, the next seven batters reached base, on two singles, a walk, an Ohio error and no fewer than three home runs.
• Blevins started the onslaught, with a single up the middle to put runners at the corners. McCoy followed with a majestic three-run homer to left, and the Falcons were within a run.
• Natham reached on an infield error, and Loyola followed with a line-drive homer to left, giving the Falcons a 5-4 lead and chasing Kohl from the game. Desirae Villanueva entered the circle, but Nikki Sorgi drew a walk, Gonzalez singled, and Hamm drilled a three-run homer to right, giving the Falcons an 8-4 lead. McCrady entered the game and got the third out.
• Ohio answered immediately. Yun homered on the very first pitch in the bottom of the inning, and Alvarez doubled. Geno walked, and sophomore Madison French entered the game and got Pond to hit a grounder that resulted in a force play at third.
• Day walked, however, with a run scoring as the ball-four pitch was wild. Then, Cole homered to score two hitters ahead of her and give the Bobcats a 9-8 lead.
• In the sixth, Alex Sorgi walked and Blevins lined a single to left, and after a popup produced the first out, a four-pitch walk to Natham loaded the bases. But, McCrady responded with a strikeout, then induced the next hitter to ground out to short.
• Ohio broke the game open in the bottom of the inning. After the 'Cats loaded the bases with no outs, Geno hit a grand slam to give her team a 13-8 lead. Several batters later, with two runners aboard, Cole reached on a fielder's choice when Pond scored ahead of a throw to the plate. Cole rounded first and got caught in a rundown, and in the process, another run scored.
• Parker entered the game and retired three of the next four hitters to send the game to the seventh.
• That final frame saw Gonzalez walk and Hamm single. One out later, Alex Sorgi singled up the middle to load the bases. A Blevins grounder resulted in an out at the plate, but McCoy's infield single scored Hamm, and Natham's hot shot to third was grabbed with a diving stop, but the throw to second was not in time to retire McCoy, as Alex Sorgi crossed the plate. But, a strikeout ended the game at 7:21 p.m.

BGSU-OHIO GAME TWO STATS & LEADERS
• For the second-straight game, the Falcons outhit the Bobcats. BG had a 12-10 advantage in that department.
• Each team had three home runs and a double, and Ohio also had a triple.
• Blevins, Hamm and McCoy all had two hits for the Falcons. McCoy homered for the second consecutive game and drove in four runs, while Hamm also homered, scoring two runs and driving in three.
• Loyola had a two-run homer, and Natham was 1-for-3 with two walks. Nikki Sorgi also walked twice and had a base hit. Alex Sorgi and Gonzalez each had a hit and a walk.
• Cole had two hits, a triple and a homer, and drove in five runs for the Bobcats. Geno had four RBI on the grand slam, while Yun had a pair of hits and a pair of runs.
• McCrady, the last of three Ohio pitchers, picked up the win. French, the second of four Falcon hurlers, took the loss.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons will step outside of MAC play for a Wednesday (March 27) doubleheader at Purdue Fort Wayne, before hosting Toledo in a three-game set next Friday and Saturday (March 29-30).

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.