The Bowling Green softball team ended its season on Sunday, going out with a 3-2 win over Central Michigan.

The team ended with an overall record of 20-28 and a Mid-American Conference record of 8-14. They were two wins out from the MAC tournament, which only takes the top eight teams in the conference for participation. The Falcons ended in the ninth spot.

The team had an opportunity to take that eighth spot this past weekend with two games each against Central and Eastern Michigan. The team split both series, giving that last spot to Ohio University.

“I am proud of our finish,” Head Coach Shannon Salsburg said. “We had a chance to win three games this weekend. It didn’t happen but the team played hard. It was fun to see different people contribute to our success.”

Some game highs for the team came early in the season in the third game of the year against Canisius College. The team scored 16 runs in the game and 10 in the first inning alone. The Falcons only scored in double digits once more after that game when they sent in 12 runs against Indiana University-Purdue Fort Wayne.

The season also ended the collegiate careers for seniors Jamie Kertes, Emily McClelland, Chloe Giordano and Shelby Fink.

Kertes was a team captain and leading pitcher for the Falcons this season, ending her final year with a record of 10-14. Kertes had a season high 10 strikeouts against Valparaiso and a shutout in her innings pitched against Penn State. Kertes was the first Falcon since 2009 to be named All-MAC First Team in consecutive years during her

sophomore season.

Giordano was also a captain and started every game this season, ending seventh on the team in batting average at .236. She had 140 at-bats with 12 runs and 17 RBIs off 33 hits.

McClelland started 23 games for the Falcons and played in 36. Out of 42 at-bats, she had eight runs and six RBIs off 10 hits. She also had a fielding

percentage of .952.

Fink only played in three games this season with two starts. She had a career high .259 batting average during her

freshman stint.

“I want to thank the seniors for their hard work and dedication,” Salsburg said. “All four contributed throughout their careers, both on and off the field. They will graduate and go out and make a difference in this world.”

Nine Falcons started in at least 31 games this season, and seven of those players will return next season

with eligibility.

As a team the Falcons had 143 RBIs, 27 home runs, 310 hits and 163 runs in 48 games. All of those categories were lower that the opponent total besides homeruns.

With three pitchers on staff this season, they had an earned run average of 3.33. Sophomore Briana Combs had a team low in the category, pitching a 2.95. In total they gave up 208 runs, 381 hits and 23 homers.

“Our season was a typical season, filled with challenges. At times we handled the adversity well, at times we did not handle it as well as I would have hoped, but we now have an opportunity to learn from all of those moments and grow as a program,” Salsburg said.