The BG softball team opened up Mid-American Conference play on a high note, going 3-1 in its doubleheaders against Ohio and Akron.

Junior Andrea Arney led the way for the Falcons in their first game against Ohio on Friday, going 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI.

The Falcons started the game on top scoring two runs on the first two hits of the game, with Hannah Fulk hitting a leadoff double. Impressive base running and stealing, thanks to a fielding error, allowed the Falcons to jump to an early 2-0 lead.

The Bobcats responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first, but the Falcons broke the deadlock in the fifth thanks to Arney’s home run, her sixth of the season. BG held out to win 4-2.

Game two of the Ohio doubleheader saw the Falcons fall 3-1. The Bobcats jumped early in the first, scoring two runs before adding another in the sixth. The Falcons attempted to rally in the seventh but only managed to score one run.

“The team fought hard today,” said head coach Shannon Salsburg. “It was great to come out strong in game one. Ohio is a quality team. We knew they would come back strong. We had opportunities but came up just a bit short. Overall it was a strong start to our MAC conference games.”

The Falcons, after their Friday doubleheader, traveled to Akron to play two games against the Zips. The Falcons prevailed in both games winning 4-0 and 7-6.

BG started off by shutting out the Zips 4-0 behind pitcher Jamie Kertes, who allowed just four hits and recorded seven strikeouts.

The game was silent for both teams until the sixth inning when the Falcons scored three runs on three hits. Freshman Shelby Fink recorded two RBI in the inning, while Fulk added an insurance run in the seventh, completing the game. This is the Falcons’ eighth shutout of the season.

The Falcons completed the weekend against Akron on Sunday by winning a close game, 7-6, thanks to offensive star Arney who went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and five RBI.

Like many of the games in the Falcons season, the team got in the lead early. BG scored four runs on three hits in the first inning of play. By the third inning the Falcons had accumulated a 6-1 lead, thanks to Paige Berger’s base running.

Akron crawled back with runs in the third and fourth to bring the lead to 6-3. However, the Zips came to life in the sixth, scoring three runs off five hits against BG’s three pitchers. The defense held up to hold the game to a Falcon victory at 7-6.

BG will be home for the first time on Wednesday with a doubleheader against Valparaiso at 3 p.m.