It was another rough weekend for the BG softball team as it went 0-3 at home over the weekend against Kent State University. The Falcons’ overall record is currently 18-33 and 6-14 in Mid-American Conference play.
It was a poor start in game one Monday for BG as Kent State came out swinging and was able to gather eight runs in the first inning. Kent State notched seven hits, three of those hits being home runs.
The Falcons offensive could only manage to get five hits, collectively, in what turned out to be a lopsided game from the start. Kent State managed to score one more run before winning the first game 9-0 in five innings.
It was a very similar scene on Saturday as Kent State managed to get five hits in one inning, getting the offense going early. The Golden Flashes’ commanding lead expanded to 5-0.
The scoring didn’t stop for Kent State, followed by an RBI single in the third which added to what was already a big lead for Kent State. It led 6-0 after the top of the third inning. Things took a turn for the worse for the Falcons following BG’s quick inning as Kent State was able to get two unearned runs in the top of the fourth. That gave Kent State a big 8-0 lead going into what would be the final inning. Once again, Kent State got the victory in five innings as it won 8-0 over BG.
BG Head Coach Sarah Willis commented on the talented Kent State team and the team’s too large margin in both games for her team to overcome.
“They have some very good hitters on their team, and they came out swinging and swinging hard,” Willis said. “It’s tough to come back after an inning like that.”
On Sunday, these two teams would face off for the third and final time of the season in a more interesting game than the previous two. This time, both teams showed grit and determination on the softball field.
The first score came from the third inning as Kent State’s Emily Dobbin hit a huge RBI double all the way toward the fences of left center field. This gave Kent State a 1-0 lead after the top of the third.
BG responded by getting its first run in the series as senior Molly Holliday and junior Haley Schrock both hit singles to get into scoring position. Following Schrock’s single, Holliday was sitting at third with no outs until Kent State pitcher Ronnie Ladines threw a wild pitch that gave the opportunity for Holliday to steal from third and tie the game at one a piece.
The game was not decided until the top of the ninth inning as Kent State’s Akira Roush hit a double towards right center following a walk from Hunter Brancifort. This left Roush on second and Brancifort on third with one out.
The game would be eventually decided after Emily Dobbin grounded out to second, but earned herself the RBI as Brancifort was able to cross home plate. Kent State would win in what was a barnburner throughout.
Pitcher Braiden Dillow pitched an excellent game as she was able to strike out eight batters and looked poised from the start of the game. Coach Willis was proud of Dillow on Sunday as she was one of the reasons why the game was so close compared to the previous games.
“Braiden gave up a leadoff walk that ended up scoring, and statistically, leadoff walks often will come back to bite you,” Willis said. “But, she really battled hard and pitched a great game for us.”
BG will host its final games of the season against Ohio University on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday at Meserve Field. Friday’s game will begin at 3 p.m.
