Bowling Green State University Athletics
Saturday, April 29
Bowling Green, OH
2:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
24-29, 10-11
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2
Akron
25-26, 11-10
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7
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H
E
Akron
0
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7
2
Bowling Green
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X
8
10
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Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications
Falcons Close the Home Schedule in Style with 8-2 Win over Akron
April 29, 2017 | Softball
BG executes in all phases of the game in Senior Day win
The Bowling Green State University softball team executed in all phases of the game Saturday afternoon (April 29), breaking on top early en route to an 8-2 win over the University of Akron at Meserve Field.
The victory was a much-needed one for the Falcons (24-29, 10-11 Mid-American Conference), who are fighting for a MAC Tournament berth as the regular season winds down. With just one week remaining in the regular season, BGSU is tied with Toledo for eighth place in the overall standings. The Falcons and Rockets are a game ahead of Western Michigan and a game behind the Zips (25-26, 11-10 MAC). Eight teams will qualify for the league tournament. (NOTE: Updated MAC standings can be found at the bottom of this page.)
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LINKS
FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
VIDEO: BGSU-Akron on WatchESPN
The top-three batters in the Falcons' order on Saturday -- sophomore Alex Sorgi, senior Haley Schrock and redshirt junior Aspen Searle -- combined to score six of the team's eight runs. Sorgi had a career-high four hits, going a perfect 4-for-4 and scoring three times. The three runs scored tied a career best.
Searle had two hits, two runs scored and three runs batted in on Saturday. She had an RBI single in the first inning as the Falcons took a 2-0 lead, then doubled to score Sorgi in the fourth. Schrock walked twice and scored a run.
Chelsea Raker had a multiple-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, while Katee Hinkle had a hit and drove in a pair of runs.
Five players -- Hinkle, Raker, Schrock, Briana Combs and Sami Parave -- were recognized in Senior Day festivities prior to the game, and all five either scored a run or drove in a run in the win.
"We were disappointed with the results yesterday," said Sorgi. "We talked about coming back out here today and having fun. We knew we needed to leave it all on the field because this is the last time we would play here this season.
"We really wanted to play well for the seniors and their families. We had a lot of energy today, everyone did what they needed to do, and it was a great way for the seniors to end on this field."
On a rainy Saturday in Northwest Ohio, the start of the game was delayed nearly two hours. The game, scheduled for 1:00 p.m., finally got underway just before three o'clock, and a light rain fell off and on as the Falcons and Zips went at it.
Once play got underway, though, BGSU got on the board quickly. Akron pitcher Lexie Handley picked up a pair of wins on Friday at Meserve Field, but the Brown and Orange got a pair of first-inning runs on Saturday and never gave up the lead.
"We had a whole different vibe today, and I think that's BG softball," said assistant coach Katie Reiff. "We did a lot of things the right way. Hitting's very contagious; we've talked a lot about that, and we did a very good job today."
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Sorgi began the inning by reaching on an infield hit, and advanced to third base on back-to-back wild pitches by Handley. Schrock drew the first of her two walks on the day to put runners at the corners, and Searle singled to left-center to score Sorgi and sent Schrock to third. A walk to Raker loaded the bases with no outs.
Handley got a called third strike for the first out, but a grounder to the right side by Hinkle plated another run, as Akron second baseman Anna Tarpley's only play was at first base. The Zips recorded the second out, but Schrock crossed the plate to give BG a 2-0 lead.
"I think we finally realized we've got to put it all out there if we're going to make the MAC Tournament, and we played BG softball today," said Hinkle. "It's been a couple weekends since we've really played our game, and I think we found it today. That started with the top of our lineup. One through nine today, we really executed well."
The Falcons doubled the lead in the third inning. Searle reached on an error, and Raker drilled a ball through the right side of the Akron infield. A sacrifice bunt by Laine Simmons sent Searle to third and pinch-runner Combs to second, and Hinkle's roller was just out of Handley's reach, with Searle scoring on the single. Parave's grounder to the right side scored fellow senior Combs, and BGSU had a four-run advantage.
The Zips got on the board against BG sophomore Brooke Parker in the fourth. Laura Lakins singled and Kelly Hysong was hit by a pitch, and after a double steal, Taylor Kirian's single scored pinch-runners Madison Carter and Kayla Schlosser.
Tarpley reached base to give UA runners at first and second with just one out, but Parker got back-to-back grounders that led to putouts at third and second, respectively. And, BG answered in the bottom of the frame.
With one out in the home half of the fourth, Sorgi beat out a roller toward short. Handley induced Schrock to hit a fly ball to right for the second out, but Searle stepped to the plate and blasted a ball to center. Searle's drive hit the outfield fence on the fly, striking the "1988 MAC CHAMPIONS" banner just left of straightaway center for her team-leading 14th double of the season. Sorgi came all the way around from first to score the Falcons' fifth run.
And, the Falcons put the game away in the sixth. Sophomore Hannah Giammarino was hit by a pitch, and Sorgi singled for the fourth time. Schrock's ground ball put both runners in scoring position, and Searle's grounder scored a run, as the Zips threw home, but not in time to get Giammarino, who slid in with the Falcons' sixth run.
Raker followed with a liner to left, scoring Sorgi, sending Searle to third and signaling the end of Handley's afternoon. Kooper Vertz entered the circle and got a popup for the second out, but then hit Hinkle with a pitch to load the bases. Parave's slow roller was mishandled for an error, allowing Searle to cross the plate. The three-run inning gave the home side a six-run lead.
And, Parker and the BG defense closed out the win. Middle infielders Hinkle and Searle each had made a great play in the top of the sixth. Hinkle grabbed a ball that had caromed off of Parker's leg and gotten Hysong on a bang-bang play for the first out. Then, Searle went to her right to grab a ball deep in the hole at short, and her long throw to first nipped Caitlin Gambone for out number three.
In the seventh, UA's Jenna Jones led off with a single to right, despite a valiant diving effort by Hinkle. A ground ball sent Jones to second, but Parker got Alyssa Nicholas to pop up to Searle at short. And, Savannah Fruin's grounder was gobbled up by Hinkle, playing in her final game at Meserve Field. Hinkle flipped the ball to Raker, also playing in the last home game of her BG career, for the final out.
The Falcons' total of eight runs was BG's highest at Meserve Field this season, and it was the team's highest total overall since an 11-5 win at Northern Illinois nearly a month ago (April 1).
In addition to her four hits, Sorgi had her team-leading 16th stolen base of the year. No Falcon has had more stolen bases since Karmen Coffey swiped 18 in 2010.
Parker allowed two runs and scattered seven hits in her complete-game win. She walked one batter and struck out one, throwing 59 of her 92 pitches for strikes.
"The last four or five games we've been leaving runners in scoring position and struggling to string hits together," said Reiff. "I thought we did a great job today of executing on the offensive side, not just getting runners on base but getting them home.
"Defensively, I thought we played really well behind Brooke. Brooke's a good ground-ball pitcher for us. She's going to get a lot of ground balls, and I thought the kids behind her did a great job today."
BGSU batters forced Handley and Vertz to throw a combined 132 pitches in six innings on Saturday. Handley suffered the loss, allowing five earned runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. She walked three batters and fanned three. Vertz retired the only two batters she faced, but allowed one of the two runners she inherited to score.
"The atmosphere was great today, and our mentality today was a lot different than yesterday." said Hinkle. "We were a lot more focused, and we were a lot more enthusiastic. Senior Day, obviously, increases the intensity and motivation, but we really focused on playing our game."
Reiff echoed Hinkle's thoughts. "The energy was great today. We had a lot of intensity, everyone did their job, and they did things the right way. It was a different atmosphere, and I got a great vibe from our kids today."
The Falcons, after going 3-11 at Meserve Field last season, finish the home schedule with a record of 8-3 in 2017. BGSU heads to Kent State for a three-game series next weekend, ending the regular season with a Friday (May 5) single game and a Saturday (May 6) doubleheader. As mentioned, eight teams will qualify for the MAC Tournament, which runs from May 10-13 at Firestone Stadium in Akron.
MAC STANDINGS
EAST DIVISION
Ohio      14-7
Kent State   12-9
Miami      12-9
Akron      11-10
Bowling Green  10-11
Buffalo     3-18
WEST DIVISION
Central Mich. Â 16-5
Ball State   13-8
Northern Ill. Â 13-8
Toledo     10-11
Western Mich. Â 9-12
Eastern Mich. Â 3-18
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The victory was a much-needed one for the Falcons (24-29, 10-11 Mid-American Conference), who are fighting for a MAC Tournament berth as the regular season winds down. With just one week remaining in the regular season, BGSU is tied with Toledo for eighth place in the overall standings. The Falcons and Rockets are a game ahead of Western Michigan and a game behind the Zips (25-26, 11-10 MAC). Eight teams will qualify for the league tournament. (NOTE: Updated MAC standings can be found at the bottom of this page.)
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LINKS
FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
VIDEO: BGSU-Akron on WatchESPN
The top-three batters in the Falcons' order on Saturday -- sophomore Alex Sorgi, senior Haley Schrock and redshirt junior Aspen Searle -- combined to score six of the team's eight runs. Sorgi had a career-high four hits, going a perfect 4-for-4 and scoring three times. The three runs scored tied a career best.
Searle had two hits, two runs scored and three runs batted in on Saturday. She had an RBI single in the first inning as the Falcons took a 2-0 lead, then doubled to score Sorgi in the fourth. Schrock walked twice and scored a run.
Chelsea Raker had a multiple-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, while Katee Hinkle had a hit and drove in a pair of runs.
Five players -- Hinkle, Raker, Schrock, Briana Combs and Sami Parave -- were recognized in Senior Day festivities prior to the game, and all five either scored a run or drove in a run in the win.
"We were disappointed with the results yesterday," said Sorgi. "We talked about coming back out here today and having fun. We knew we needed to leave it all on the field because this is the last time we would play here this season.
"We really wanted to play well for the seniors and their families. We had a lot of energy today, everyone did what they needed to do, and it was a great way for the seniors to end on this field."
On a rainy Saturday in Northwest Ohio, the start of the game was delayed nearly two hours. The game, scheduled for 1:00 p.m., finally got underway just before three o'clock, and a light rain fell off and on as the Falcons and Zips went at it.
Once play got underway, though, BGSU got on the board quickly. Akron pitcher Lexie Handley picked up a pair of wins on Friday at Meserve Field, but the Brown and Orange got a pair of first-inning runs on Saturday and never gave up the lead.
"We had a whole different vibe today, and I think that's BG softball," said assistant coach Katie Reiff. "We did a lot of things the right way. Hitting's very contagious; we've talked a lot about that, and we did a very good job today."
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Sorgi began the inning by reaching on an infield hit, and advanced to third base on back-to-back wild pitches by Handley. Schrock drew the first of her two walks on the day to put runners at the corners, and Searle singled to left-center to score Sorgi and sent Schrock to third. A walk to Raker loaded the bases with no outs.
Handley got a called third strike for the first out, but a grounder to the right side by Hinkle plated another run, as Akron second baseman Anna Tarpley's only play was at first base. The Zips recorded the second out, but Schrock crossed the plate to give BG a 2-0 lead.
"I think we finally realized we've got to put it all out there if we're going to make the MAC Tournament, and we played BG softball today," said Hinkle. "It's been a couple weekends since we've really played our game, and I think we found it today. That started with the top of our lineup. One through nine today, we really executed well."
The Falcons doubled the lead in the third inning. Searle reached on an error, and Raker drilled a ball through the right side of the Akron infield. A sacrifice bunt by Laine Simmons sent Searle to third and pinch-runner Combs to second, and Hinkle's roller was just out of Handley's reach, with Searle scoring on the single. Parave's grounder to the right side scored fellow senior Combs, and BGSU had a four-run advantage.
The Zips got on the board against BG sophomore Brooke Parker in the fourth. Laura Lakins singled and Kelly Hysong was hit by a pitch, and after a double steal, Taylor Kirian's single scored pinch-runners Madison Carter and Kayla Schlosser.
Tarpley reached base to give UA runners at first and second with just one out, but Parker got back-to-back grounders that led to putouts at third and second, respectively. And, BG answered in the bottom of the frame.
With one out in the home half of the fourth, Sorgi beat out a roller toward short. Handley induced Schrock to hit a fly ball to right for the second out, but Searle stepped to the plate and blasted a ball to center. Searle's drive hit the outfield fence on the fly, striking the "1988 MAC CHAMPIONS" banner just left of straightaway center for her team-leading 14th double of the season. Sorgi came all the way around from first to score the Falcons' fifth run.
And, the Falcons put the game away in the sixth. Sophomore Hannah Giammarino was hit by a pitch, and Sorgi singled for the fourth time. Schrock's ground ball put both runners in scoring position, and Searle's grounder scored a run, as the Zips threw home, but not in time to get Giammarino, who slid in with the Falcons' sixth run.
Raker followed with a liner to left, scoring Sorgi, sending Searle to third and signaling the end of Handley's afternoon. Kooper Vertz entered the circle and got a popup for the second out, but then hit Hinkle with a pitch to load the bases. Parave's slow roller was mishandled for an error, allowing Searle to cross the plate. The three-run inning gave the home side a six-run lead.
And, Parker and the BG defense closed out the win. Middle infielders Hinkle and Searle each had made a great play in the top of the sixth. Hinkle grabbed a ball that had caromed off of Parker's leg and gotten Hysong on a bang-bang play for the first out. Then, Searle went to her right to grab a ball deep in the hole at short, and her long throw to first nipped Caitlin Gambone for out number three.
In the seventh, UA's Jenna Jones led off with a single to right, despite a valiant diving effort by Hinkle. A ground ball sent Jones to second, but Parker got Alyssa Nicholas to pop up to Searle at short. And, Savannah Fruin's grounder was gobbled up by Hinkle, playing in her final game at Meserve Field. Hinkle flipped the ball to Raker, also playing in the last home game of her BG career, for the final out.
The Falcons' total of eight runs was BG's highest at Meserve Field this season, and it was the team's highest total overall since an 11-5 win at Northern Illinois nearly a month ago (April 1).
In addition to her four hits, Sorgi had her team-leading 16th stolen base of the year. No Falcon has had more stolen bases since Karmen Coffey swiped 18 in 2010.
Parker allowed two runs and scattered seven hits in her complete-game win. She walked one batter and struck out one, throwing 59 of her 92 pitches for strikes.
"The last four or five games we've been leaving runners in scoring position and struggling to string hits together," said Reiff. "I thought we did a great job today of executing on the offensive side, not just getting runners on base but getting them home.
"Defensively, I thought we played really well behind Brooke. Brooke's a good ground-ball pitcher for us. She's going to get a lot of ground balls, and I thought the kids behind her did a great job today."
BGSU batters forced Handley and Vertz to throw a combined 132 pitches in six innings on Saturday. Handley suffered the loss, allowing five earned runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. She walked three batters and fanned three. Vertz retired the only two batters she faced, but allowed one of the two runners she inherited to score.
"The atmosphere was great today, and our mentality today was a lot different than yesterday." said Hinkle. "We were a lot more focused, and we were a lot more enthusiastic. Senior Day, obviously, increases the intensity and motivation, but we really focused on playing our game."
Reiff echoed Hinkle's thoughts. "The energy was great today. We had a lot of intensity, everyone did their job, and they did things the right way. It was a different atmosphere, and I got a great vibe from our kids today."
The Falcons, after going 3-11 at Meserve Field last season, finish the home schedule with a record of 8-3 in 2017. BGSU heads to Kent State for a three-game series next weekend, ending the regular season with a Friday (May 5) single game and a Saturday (May 6) doubleheader. As mentioned, eight teams will qualify for the MAC Tournament, which runs from May 10-13 at Firestone Stadium in Akron.
MAC STANDINGS
EAST DIVISION
Ohio      14-7
Kent State   12-9
Miami      12-9
Akron      11-10
Bowling Green  10-11
Buffalo     3-18
WEST DIVISION
Central Mich. Â 16-5
Ball State   13-8
Northern Ill. Â 13-8
Toledo     10-11
Western Mich. Â 9-12
Eastern Mich. Â 3-18
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Parker, Brooke (7-13)
L: HANDLEY, Lexie (19-15)
Batting:
RBI: KIRIAN, Taylor 2
SH: JONES, Jenna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: CARTER, Madison 1 ; SCHLOSSER, Kayla 1
SB: SIMS, Ashley 1 ; CARTER, Madison 1 ; HYSONG, Kelly 1
CS: SIMS, Ashley 1
HBP: HYSONG, Kelly 1 ; TARPLEY, Anna 1
Batting:
2B: Searle, Aspen 1
RBI: Searle, Aspen 3 ; Raker, Chelsea 1 ; Hinkle, Katee 2 ; Parave, Sami 1
SH: Simmons, Laine 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sorgi, Alex 3 ; Schrock, Haley 1 ; Searle, Aspen 2 ; Combs, Briana 1 ; Giammarino, Hannah 1
SB: Sorgi, Alex 1 ; Schrock, Haley 1
HBP: Hinkle, Katee 1 ; Giammarino, Hannah 1
PO: Sorgi, Alex 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
3
H
4
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
2B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball1B
/ Softball
3B
/ SoftballSS
/ SoftballC
/ SoftballOF
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BGSU In The Nest : Nikki and Alex Sorgi (Softball)
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BG Softball Beats Akron in Game 1 on Senior Day 4.27
Saturday, April 27