Eagles Face Falcons in Three-Game Set on the Road

Softball at Bowling Green
Date	Friday-Saturday, April 7-8
Venue	Bowling Green, Ohio \| Meserve Field
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stream	Not Available
Live Stats	G ame 1 \| Game 2 \| Game 3
Twitter	@EMUSoftball \| @EMUAthletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - Looking to build off the momentum of a midweek win, the Eastern Michigan University softball team returns to Mid-American Conference play this weekend, April 7-8, for a three-game set versus Bowling Green State University. The MAC cross-divisional series starts Friday, April 7, with a 3 p.m. first pitch. A doubleheader is on tap for Saturday, April 8, with the twin bill slated to start at 1 p.m.
   Live stats will be available for all three games between the Eagles and Falcons. Links can be found on the schedule page of EMUEagles.com. Additionally, fans can follow the action through Twitter by following @EMUSoftball.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE: Eastern Michigan will travel to Bowling Green for the first time since 2014 this weekend, April 7-8. In EMU's last trip to Meserve Field, the Eagles secured a split. The Eagles took game one, 3-0, before the Falcons closed out a 3-2 win in the second game of the doubleheader.

TALE OF THE TAPE: EMU hopes to improve on its overall tally against BGSU this weekend, as the Eagles trail the Falcons, 55-42, in 97 all-time meets. Last season, the Green and White salvaged the series and avoided the sweep with an 8-2 win in the series finale after the Falcons took a series-opening doubleheader, 8-1 and 5-4.
   Nicolle Miranda notched the win in the circle, going the distance, while allowing two runs on six hits and striking out four. Meanwhile, EMU's offense erupted for 13 hits, as four players picked up multiple hits. Brandice Olmos paced the offense, going 3-for-4, while Olivia Logan, Amanda Akles, and Aoife Duffy added two hits apiece.

STEPPING UP [TO THE PLATE]: Coming into the season, Sam Saporito did not expect to see much playing time behind home plate. With Taylor Wagner healthy, Saporito spent a lot of the offseason honing her craft as an outfielder. This weekend, Saporito is set to make her 11th consecutive start at backstop for the Eagles, as injuries lifted her into the starting lineup.
   Having to replace a veteran catcher is hard enough, but when you're filling the shoes of one of the top catchers in the conference it only becomes harder. Since taking over the starting job, March 24, Saporito has thrown out seven baserunners. Currently, she is riding a streak of six straight games with a runner caught stealing courtesy of her cannon.

FACING THE FALCONS: Bowling Green hosts Eastern Michigan in MAC cross-divisional action with hopes of improving upon its 17-22 overall record. The Falcons stand at 3-5 in MAC play after picking up a win in each of their first three conference series. BGSU took 1-of-3 from both Central Michigan and Northern Illinois, before topping Miami in the second game of a twin bill, April 4.
   As a team, the Falcons are hitting .277 at the plate and have been outscored 168-147. Four players are hitting over .300 this season, led by Chelsea Raker's team-best .357 batting average. Raker has cranked out 41 hits, including 11 doubles and five home runs, while driving in a team-high 30.
   In the circle, Bowling Green has utilized four different hurlers. The Falcons boast a team earned run average of 3.71, while opponents hit at a .275 clip and have tagged BGSU for 27 round-trippers. Meredith Miller has led the way for the Falcons, playing in 20 games and compiling a 9-5 record, while striking out 78 and walking 30.

SNAPPING THE SKID: With a 3-1 win over Detroit Mercy, April 5, the Eagles snapped a four-game losing streak in which they were outscored 30-9.

CONTINUING THE CLIMB: With a solo home run in EMU's second game against Toledo, April 4, Michelle Kriegshauser moved into sole possession of second-place all-time in career home runs in Eastern Michigan history. Kriegshauser registered her sixth long ball of the season, and 26th of her career, and now trails only Jenny Scherer.

TRIPLE THE DOUBLES: Senior Taylor Wagner tied the program record for doubles in a single game in a 3-for-4 outing against Toledo, April 4. The Marshalltown, Iowa native cranked three two-baggers in the game, tying best mark in program history. She now holds the program record along with Michelle Kriegshauser, Abi Clark, and McKenna Russ.

SLOW START TO LEAGUE PLAY: The Eagles have struggled at the plate to begin conference play, hitting just .179 at the dish as a team. Meanwhile, opponents are hitting a healthy .302 at the plate, and have out-hit the Eagles 49-25 through six games. To make matters worse, the Green and White have been outscored by a 41-16 tally and own a 7.46 team earned run average.

EMU AGAINST THE MAC: Eastern Michigan owns a 396-496-2 all-time record against teams in the Mid-American Conference, and has been a member of the league since 1982. The Eagles have been the most successful against Ohio, Miami, and Toledo. The Green and White lead the series with the Rockets, 57-51, while holding 50-34 and 44-39 edges in series with Ohio and Miami, respectively. Meanwhile, EMU trails in the all-time series with Akron (21-32), Ball State (38-59), Bowling Green (42-55), Kent State (33-50), Northern Illinois (25-38), and Western Michigan (42-66-1).

LOCKING UP THE SEASON SWEEP: EMU wrapped up a season sweep of Detroit Mercy, April 5, with a 3-1 win in the Motor City. With the win, the Eagles locked up their second victory over the Titans this season to claim the series.
   EMU took the early season meeting, 5-4, on a walk-off hit by Michelle Kriegshauser, before wrapping up a 3-1 win behind Trisha Trujillo's stellar pitching performance.

WINNING THE CLOSE ONES: Eastern Michigan has seen more than its fair share of one-run games this season. In fact, roughly half of EMU's games this season have been decided by one run. The Green and White are 9-5 in one-run games this season, a vast improvement over last year's mark of 3-9 in games decided by one run.

DEPENDS ON THE DAY: Through its first 33 games, Eastern Michigan has pieced together a 14-19 overall record.
   In wins, the Green and White are outscoring opponents 76-39, and own a .334 team batting average. EMU has cranked out 125 hits in wins, while holding opponents to 96. Additionally, the Eagles' hurlers hold a 2.14 ERA in wins.
   On the flip side, EMU has seen its struggles at the plate in losses. The Eagles are hitting just .215 as a team in their 19 setbacks this season, and have been outscored 118-35. In the circle, Eastern's pitching has seen its ERA jump to 5.70 in losses, while opposing pitchers are credited with a 1.59 ERA.

BASED ON THE BATS: Eastern Michigan's success this season has relied heavily on the Eagles' bats and EMU's ability to manufacture hits. The Eagles are 11-2 this season when they outhit opponents, compared to 2-12 when the opposition leads in the hit column. Additionally, scoring three-or-more runs has become a true tale sign of EMU's success. In 13 of the Eagles' 19 losses, the Green and White have not plated more than two runs. Conversely, when the Eagles score at least three runs, they boast an 13-6 record.

ON DECK: Eastern Michigan returns home for a hot minute, April 12, for the season finale against Toledo at Varsity Field. Following the 3 p.m. first pitch, the Eagles will hit the road once again, this time traveling to Muncie, Ind. for a three-game set against the Cardinals of Ball State.

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Players Mentioned

Amanda Akles

Abi Clark

Aoife Duffy

Michelle Kriegshauser

Olivia Logan

Nicolle Miranda

Brandice Olmos

Sam Saporito

Trisha Trujillo

Taylor Wagner

Eastern Michigan Athletics