Big Innings Prove to be BG's Undoing Saturday

Saturday, March 18

Bloomington, IN

11:00 AM

Bowling Green State University

14-13

UIC

11-12

Bowling Green

UIC

Chelsea Raker homers at Indiana - March 18 2017

Chelsea Raker rounds third after hitting a homer in the IU game Saturday afternoon

March 18, 2017 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Falcons drop a pair of games at the Hoosier Classic

By: BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University softball team fell victim to big innings by the opponent in each of Saturday's (March 18) two games at the Hoosier Classic. The Falcons dropped a 9-1 decision to UIC before falling to host Indiana University by an 11-3 final. Both contests were held at Andy Mohr Field.

BGSU took early one-run leads in each game, only to see the opposition put crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the late frames of Saturday's contests.

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BGSU-UIC STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
BGSU-IU STATISTICS: HTML | PDF

Redshirt junior Chelsea Raker went 4-for-6 at the plate in the two games, including a 3-for-3 effort vs. IU. Raker homered vs. the Hoosiers.

A pair of Falcon freshman had multiple-hit games, as Kendyl Wheeler was 2-for-2 with a walk vs. UIC, while Taylor Blevins went 2-for-3 with a run batted in against IU. Sophomore Alex Sorgi had a hit and scored a run in each game.

BGSU led the UIC game into the fifth inning, but the Flames scored a run in the bottom of that inning to tie the contest, then put together an eight-run sixth inning for the win. In the IU contest, BG twice took the lead in the early going, but the Hoosiers took the lead for good with a five-run fourth.

The top of the BGSU order was on fire as the UIC game got underway. The Falcons began the game with four-straight singles to take an early one-run lead. Sorgi began the game with a base hit, and when Wheeler followed with a single to right field, Sorgi continued to third on a UIC error. Redshirt junior Aspen Searle and Raker each lined base hits as well, with Sorgi scoring on the Searle single and the Raker hit loading the bases, but Flames starter Karissa Frazier averted further damage by getting a pair of strikeouts, sandwiched around a fielder's choice grounder that resulted in a force play at the plate.

In the second inning, BG looked to mount a two-out rally, as Sorgi walked, Wheeler singled and Searle drew a base on balls. But, Raker's liner was caught by the third baseman, and the Falcons left three runners on base for the second-straight inning.

Meanwhile, BGSU starting pitcher Brooke Parker allowed only two baserunners through the first two innings. Lexi Watts led off the first with a walk, then stole second base, but the BG sophomore retired the next three UIC hitters, getting an inning-ending strikeout of Savannah Soppet. In the second, a one-out error was erased by a double-play ball.

The Flames got the first two runners aboard in the third, as Aliec Fitzpatrick drew a leadoff walk, and Taylor Cairns singled for the Flames' first hit of the day. But, Parker responded by getting a popup back to the circle, a strikeout and a grounder to Katee Hinkle at second.

UIC threatened in the fourth. After a one-out Jasmine Willis walk, a fielder's choice by Jennah Speth erased Willis. But, Emily Wetzel doubled down the left-field line to send Speth to third. Speth, though, was cut down at the plate to end the inning.

The Falcons saw senior Haley Schrock single to begin the third, Wheeler draw a walk in the fourth and Schrock get hit by a pitch in the fifth, but each time, the runner was stranded. BG left nine runners on base in the first five innings while hanging on to that one-run lead. But, Fitzpatrick homered to lead off the bottom of the fifth, tying the game

In the sixth, UIC reliever Elaine Heflin retired the Falcons in order – the first time that had happened in the game – and the Flames loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning. Infield singles by Tiana Mack-Miller and Soppet preceded a Willis walk, and Speth's single through the right side of the infield plated a pair of teammates and gave UIC a 3-1 lead.

Sophomore Kiley Sosby entered the circle for the Falcons, but the UIC lead increased to three runs after a BG throwing error on a double-steal attempt. Then, after a pair of walks, Cairns unloaded on a pitch, hitting a grand slam to right. Suddenly, the UIC lead was 8-1.

Watts walked, before Sosby struck out Kayla Wedl. Mack-Miller was hit by a pitch, but Sosby got another strikeout, this time getting Soppet to swing and miss at a two-strike offering. But, a walk to Willis loaded the bases, and Speth's single gave the Flames an eight-run lead and the victory.

Speth was 3-of-4 with three RBI for the Flames, while Cairns was 2-for-2 with the grand slam. Fitzpatrick went 1-for-1 with a pair of walks, scoring twice.

Heflin earned the win in relief, improving to 6-4 on the year. She pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless, hitless ball, walking one batter and striking out four. Frazier allowed one run and six hits in her 3 1/3 innings, walking two and fanning four.

Parker took the loss for the Brown and Orange, giving up three earned runs and seven hits in her five-plus innings in the circle.

In the second game of the day, IU starter Tara Trainer retired the Falcons in order in the first, and BGSU sophomore Meredith Miller kept the Hoosiers off of the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning. Gabbi Jenkins, who had four hits in the game, led off with a single and took second on a Rebecca Blitz base hit. Miller got a popup to short and a fly ball to center, but the runners were able to tag and advance on the latter play. With a pair of Hoosiers in scoring position, though, Miller threw a third strike past Bella Norton for out number three.

In the second inning, Raker led off with a single, and Schrock's sacrifice bunt sent pinch-runner Makayla Wood to second. Senior Sami Parave walked, and freshman Logan Everett reached on an infield error to load the bases with one out. Then, Blevins poked a ball into shallow right for an RBI single that scored wood with the game's first run. The next hitter, sophomore Hannah Giammarino, saw her liner caught just above the ground by diving second baseman Erin Lehman, with Blevins scrambling back to first base just in time to beat Lehman's throw. Trainer, however, struck out the next batter to end the threat.

And, IU tied the score in the bottom of the inning, as Taylor Uden's solo homer to left-center made it a 1-1 game. The Hoosiers put runners at the corners with two outs, but shortstop Searle made a nice running catch of a Blitz popup behind third base.

Raker answered the Uden homer with one of her own, as BG retook the lead. Raker's line drive did not land until it had cleared the center-field fence with two outs in the third, and the Falcons were up, 2-1.

The round-tripper was the 17th of Raker's career, tying her with Searle for the career lead among active Falcons. Following Saturday's games, both Raker and Searle have 80 career RBI.

Miller allowed a leadoff single to Lehman as the bottom of the third inning got underway, but the sophomore got CaraMia Tsirigos to hit a double-play grounder to Blevins at second base. A Norton walk did no damage as centerfielder Giammarino tracked down Aimilia McDonough's fly ball in left-center.

But, after the Falcons went down in order in the fourth, the Hoosiers increased the lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the inning. A Uden double, a Rachel O'Malley triple and a Jenkins chopper over third baseman Schrock scored two runs, and after Blitz reached on an error, Lehman homered to left to give the hosts a four-run lead.

BG got a run back in the fifth, as Sorgi roped a one-out drive to the wall in left-center for a triple, and trotted home on Searle's two-out single up the middle. Raker followed with a base hit, but Schrock's drive to left was caught just shy of the warning track.

But, the Hoosiers increased the lead with three runs – two unearned – against senior Briana Combs in the bottom of the inning. Uden was hit by a pitch, O'Malley walked and Katie Lacefield's grounder resulted in a BG error that loaded the bases. Searle ran a long way to track down a Jenkins foul fly in left, with a run scoring on the sac fly. Then, after a Blitz liner was caught for the second out, Lehman singled up the middle to score a pair of runs.

BG got two baserunners in the sixth, as Blevins and Giammarino each singled with two outs, but Trainer got the third out to keep BG from cutting into the lead. Then, the Hoosiers sealed the win in the bottom of the inning. With two down, Sarah Galovich singled, and Lacefield doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Both runners would score on a Jenkins single.

Jenkins led the way, going 4-for-4 with four RBI, while Lehman was 3-of-4 with five RBI in the victory. Trainer earned the win to improve to 5-7 on the year, allowing three runs and eight hits in her six innings of work.

Miller suffered the loss for just the second tim in her nine decisions as a Falcon. She threw 76 of her 106 pitches for strikes in her four-inning stint. Combs worked 1 2/3 innings, with 31 strikes among her 51 pitches.

The Falcons will conclude play in the Hoosier Classic with a pair of Sunday (March 19) games. BG will face UIC at 11:00 a.m., before meeting Indiana in a contest scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m.