Fort Wayne Foils Falcons' Final Non-League Foray

Tuesday, April 25

Fort Wayne, IN

3:30 PM

Bowling Green State University

23-27

Fort Wayne

10-32

Bowling Green

Fort Wayne

Haley Schrock v Tiffin - Oct 2016 - Paul Duncan photo

Haley Schrock reached base three times in Tuesday's game in her home state

April 25, 2017 | Softball

Box Score

BGSU returns to Meserve Field for a three-game weekend series with Akron

By: FORT WAYNE, Ind. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Host Fort Wayne broke open a close game with four runs – three unearned – in the sixth inning, and the Mastodons went on to a 7-1 win over the Bowling Green State University softball team Tuesday afternoon (April 25). The non-conference contest was held at the Fort Wayne Softball Field.

The Falcons (23-27) put at least one runner on base in six of the seven innings, and BG had multiple batters reach base in five innings, including in each of the first four frames. But, the Brown and Orange left 12 runners on base in the contest.

BGSU senior 3B Haley Schrock, a native of Goshen, Ind., played in the 200th game of her BGSU career on Tuesday in her home state. Schrock, who has started all 200 of those games, went 1-for-2 at the plate with a single, a walk and a hit-by-pitch, and she scored BG's lone run. Schrock crossed the plate on a third-inning single by junior Laine Simmons.

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Fort Wayne pitchers Bailey Benefiel and Darby Shaw combined to walk six BG batters and hit four more. However, Benefiel allowed just one hit in her three innings of work, while Shaw surrendered only a pair of singles and struck out four.

"We were not very sharp in any phase of the game today," said BGSU coach Sarah Willis. "We definitely have a number of things we need to work on and clean up before Friday's game."

The Mastodons broke on top in the second inning, when Sierra Miranda reached on a one-out single and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch. With runners at the corners, BG starter Kiley Sosby got Lauren Watson to lift a fly ball to center for the third out.

BG responded in the third inning, as Schrock was hit by a pitch, moved to third on back-to-back ground-ball outs, and scored on Simmons' infield hit.

In the home half of the third, however, the 'Dons got a pair of walks and an infield hit, and Fort Wayne took advantage of several wild pitches in the inning to take a 3-1 lead. Sophomore Brooke Parker entered the circle for the Falcons and got back-to-back grounders that led to force plays at second base, before inducing Caitlyn DeLong to hit a fly ball down the left-field line that senior Sami Parave grabbed in foul territory.

The game remained 3-1 until the sixth. Parker struck out the leadoff batter, but a single and a BG error put a pair of runners aboard. Jenna Balthazor, the runner at second, was caught off second on a BG pickoff attempt, but took off and beat the throw to third as Watson, the runner at first, advanced as well.

Then, Sydney Windlan's hustle double plated Balthazor and sent Watson to third. Brooke Imel followed with a sacrifice fly to center, and Maria Palmegiani's drive to left just cleared the fence and the glove of a leaping Parave, giving the home team a four-run inning and a six-run lead.

As was the case in four of the first six innings, BGSU put multiple runners on base in the seventh, as redshirt junior Chelsea Raker walked and junior Alivia Forshey was hit by a pitch, sending pinch-runner Briana Combs to second with two outs. But, a one-hopper back to Shaw in the circle resulted in the final out.

BGSU returns to Mid-American Conference play this weekend, hosting Akron in a three-game series. The Falcons and Zips are scheduled to play a Friday single game beginning at 3:00 p.m., and a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. at Meserve Field. Saturday will be Senior Day, with the Falcons' senior class recognized in ceremonies prior to the first pitch of the first game that afternoon.