Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Softball Drops Opener To Northern Illinois, 9-5
April 01, 2000 | Softball
April 1, 2000
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Northern Illinois scored six unearned runs to defeat the Bowling Green softball team, 9-5, Saturday afternoon (April 1). The game, the first half of a doubleheader, was held at the BGSU Softball Field.
The Falcons scored all five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, nearly erasing a 7-0 NIU lead. But, the Huskies scored twice in the top of the seventh to clinch the win.
The Huskies opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the first inning, then added another marker in the third off BGSU starter McKenna Houle. In the top of the sixth, sophomore Rebekah Tipton relieved Houle, and retired the first two NIU batters. But, an infield single was followed by a pair of walks which loaded the bases. Then, the Huskies' Samantha Knoll singled and took second on a Falcon error, with two runs scoring. After another walk, the next batter reached on a BG error, as two more runs scored. Those unearned runs, which seemed like insurance tallies at the time, would prove to be quite costly. BGSU nearly came all the way back in the bottom of the sixth.
In that frame, senior Colleen Bates led off with a homer to dead center field. One out later, senior Erin Zwinck singled, and sophomore Renee Rosemeier doubled her to third. The double was Rosemeier's second of the game.
After a groundout, freshman Libby Voshell walked to load the bases, and all three runners moved up on a wild pitch by NIU's Courtney Witvliet. Junior Nikki Rouhana walked to reload the bases, and junior Angie Domschot cleared them with a three-run double. But, the Falcons could draw no closer.
Houle re-entered the game in the seventh, and retired the first two batters. But, a BG error opened the floodgates for two more NIU runs, and the Brown and Orange could not rally in the bottom of the frame.
NIU outhit the Falcons, 12-8, with Sara Youstra going 3-for-3 and three other Huskies collecting two hits. For the Brown and Orange, Rosemeier had the two doubles and scored a run, while senior Carmen Hitterdal and Rouhana joined Angie Domschot with one double apiece. Six of the Falcons' eight hits were of the extra-base variety.
Houle took the loss for the Falcons, falling to 4-3 on the year. She allowed five runs (two earned) in a total of six innings, walking two batters and fanning three. Tipton, in one inning of work, was touched for four runs, just one of which was earned. She saw her seasonal earned-run average rise from 0.00 to 0.37.
Witvliet was the winning pitcher for the Huskies, going all the way and surrending five earned runs. She walked three batters and fanned eight.
The game took two hours and 25 minutes to complete.
