Falcons Fall in Nine-Inning Nail-Biter

Sunday, April 23

Athens, OH

12:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

23-26, 9-9

Ohio

30-14, 11-7

Bowling Green

Ohio

Meredith Miller v Miami April 4 2017 Amanda Cutcher photo

Meredith Miller allowed just 5 hits in 8 2/3 innings on Sunday

April 23, 2017 | Softball

Box Score

Ohio ekes out a 1-0 win in Athens on Sunday

By: ATHENS, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Host Ohio University cobbled together a ninth-inning run Sunday afternoon (April 23), as the Bobcats eked out a 1-0 win over the Bowling Green State University softball team. The Mid-American Conference nail-biter was held at the Ohio Softball Field.

With the win, the Bobcats improve to 30-14 on the year, and Ohio sits in second place in the MAC's East Division with an 11-7 league record. The Falcons drop to 23-26 and 9-9, respectively. BGSU is part of a three-way tie for third place in the MAC East, and the Falcons are in a four-way deadlock for sixth overall in the conference. Eight teams will qualify for the MAC Tournament.

Sophomore starter Meredith Miller suffered the loss despite allowing just five hits in her complete-game effort. Miller struck out eight Bobcats and did not walk a batter. But, Ohio's Savannah Jo Dorsey surrendered just one hit in her complete-game shutout victory.

"Miller had a great day in the circle," said BGSU head coach Sarah Willis. "She made great adjustments from game one to game three of this series, and kept us in the game today.

"Our offense, however, was undisciplined at the plate with the strike zone. We did not execute our offensive approach with attacking the zone early and that is something we will continue to work on. We have to attack our pitches and not allow a pitcher to throw us off our game."

BG's lone hit came with two outs in the top of the ninth, as redshirt junior Aspen Searle lined a ball between the Ohio third baseman and the left-field line. But, Dorsey retired the next batter, and her team got a run in the bottom of the inning.

That run came after Morgan Geno led off with a double to right-center. She went to third on Alex Day's grounder to the right side, but Miller struck out Brittany Keen for the second out. Jamie Wren, however, came through with a walk-off single that plated pinch-runner Dallas Messenger.

Miller had worked out of a first-inning jam, as Ohio put runners at the corners with no outs after Makayla Cooper's double and an infield error. Catcher Laine Simmons helped Miller's cause, firing to second baseman Katee Hinkle to catch Alexa Holland attempting to steal second.

Cooper held at third on the unsuccessful stolen-base attempt, but she broke for home when Geno hit a ball to the left side of the infield. Searle gloved the ball and fired home, where Simmons put the tag on Cooper for the second out. Then, Day's fly ball was caught by sophomore Alex Sorgi in center for the third out.

Miller then proceeded to retire the side in each of the next three innings. Her first strikeout of the day came against Day, ending the fourth inning.

Natalie Alvarez doubled to begin the fifth frame, but Miller got Wren to hit a foul pop that was gloved by leftfielder Sami Parave, and the soph then fanned both MacKenzie Brunswick and Madison Claytor to leave pinch-runner Alexis Milesky standing at second.

Parave made a nifty sliding catch to rob Taylor Saxton of a hit in the sixth, and Miller sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a hit-by-pitch, getting Geno swinging to end the inning.

Meanwhile, however, Dorsey was matching Miller zero for zero. The Ohio pitcher, who struck out 15 in the game, hit Haley Schrock with a one-out pitch in the first inning, then walked Searle with one down in the fourth. After Searle's base on balls, she was forced at second on redshirt junior Chelsea Raker's grounder, but the throw to first was high and sailed out of play, allowing Raker to trot to second with two outs. But, a strikeout ended that threat.

Raker walked with one out in the seventh, but pinch-runner Taylor Blevins could advance no further after a foul pop produced the second out, and Hinkle's looping liner was caught in shallow center.

Alvarez reached base on a one-out error in the bottom of the seventh, and pinch-runner Keen stole second base with two outs, but Miller struck out Brunswick for the second time in the game, sending the contest to extra innings.

Dorsey set the Falcons down in order in the eighth, and Cooper doubled with two outs in the bottom of the inning, then continued to third on an error. But, Miller responded by getting another inning-ending strikeout, this time whiffing pinch-hitter Danielle Stiene.

In the ninth, Searle produced the Falcons' lone hit of the day, lining a ball past Day at third. But, Dorsey retired the next hitter, and the Bobcats finally broke through in the bottom of the ninth.

The game was the Falcons' longest of the year, in terms of innings. BGSU won an eight-inning decision over Buffalo last weekend, also by a 1-0 score.

As mentioned, BGSU is in a three-way tie for third place in the MAC East Division. The Falcons are tied with Akron and Kent State, and BG will face the Zips & Golden Flashes in the final two weekends of the regular season. The Brown and Orange will step out of league play for one final time with a Tuesday (April 25) game at Fort Wayne, and BG then welcomes UA to town for a three-game series.

The Falcons and Zips are slated to meet in a Friday (April 28) single game and a Saturday (April 29) doubleheader, with Senior Day festivities taking place before the Saturday twinbill. BGSU closes the regular season with three games at KSU on May 5-6.