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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
CENTRAL MICHIGAN
CMU Ends Falcon Softball Run, 9-4
May 13, 2000 | Softball
May 13, 2000
DeKALB, Ill. - Central Michigan benefitted from four unearned runs as part of a five-run fifth inning en route to a 9-4 win over the Bowling Green softball team Saturday afternoon (May 13). The win gave the Chippewas the Mid-American Conference Tournament title at Mary M. Bell Field.
Central Michigan improves to 31-11 with the win, earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships. The Falcons drop to 33-18 with the setback.
Just three of CMU's nine runs in the game were earned off BGSU sophomore pitchers Jessie Milosek and Andrea Genter. The Falcons outhit the Chippewas by a 10-9 margin, but made five errors to CMU's two.
The Chippewas got on the board in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs. Becky Manson led off the inning with a single. After a fly-ball out, Nicole Weston walked and Tina Kinney was hit by a Milosek pitch to load the bases. A walk to Jennifer Skuta scored Manson, and a Hope Robertshaw single, one of her three hits in the game, plated Weston. But, Milosek was able to get out of the inning without any further damage.
The Falcons cut the lead in half in the third inning. Senior Carmen Hitterdal led off with a bloop single to shallow left, and classmate Erin Zwinck sacrificed her to second. Zwinck nearly beat the throw to first. With Hitterdal on second, sophomore Renee Rosemeier singled up the middle to bring her home.
In the fifth, the Falcons tied the game. Zwinck stretched a hit to right-center into a double, and came around to score on another Rosemeier single up the middle. The throw to the plate beat Zwinck, but she slid under the tag of CMU catcher Lindsay Horvath.
The wheels came off for the Brown and Orange in the fifth, however, as CMU batted around and scored five times. Milosek hit Kinney with a pitch, and Skuta bunted her to second. Then, Robertshaw tripled down the right-field line to plate Kinney. After a popup produced the second out, Amy Morrison reached on a BG error, with Robertshaw scoring. Pinch-hitter Michelle Brander singled, and Manson reached on another Falcon error to load the bases. Kim Burke then broke the game open with a triple over the head of Rosemeier in right-center, scoring three unearned runs and chasing Milosek. Genter came on and got the third out, but the damage had been done.
In the sixth, two more unearned runs gave CMU a 9-2 lead. Kinney reached on a two-base BG error to lead off the frame. After Skuta walked, Robertshaw reached on yet another Falcon miscue, loading the bases. Then, Wendy Stephens walked to force in a run, and Morrison singled to plate Skuta. With the Chippewas just 60 feet away from a "run-rule" win, BGSU third baseman Zwinck started a double play. She fielded a grounder off the bat of Sharon Blower and tagged Robertshaw on her way to the plate. Then, Zwinck flipped the ball to shortstop Libby Voshell, who beat pinch-runner Sarah Hamilton to the third-base bag. Genter got a popout to end the inning.
BGSU did what no other team has done in MAC Tournament play since the 1998 season: force CMU coach Margo Jonker to replace Kinney with a relief pitcher. The first four Falcons reached base in the seventh.
In that frame, Zwinck led off with a triple, and Rosemeier drew a walk. Jen Domschot followed with an RBI single to right-center, and an error by the CMU centerfielder put runners on second and third. Then, a bloop single by Nikki Rouhana scored Rosemeier and sent Domschot to third. Rouhana had three hits in as many at-bats in the game.
Kinney was replaced by Stephens, who retired the next three Falcons to give CMU the tourney title for the second consecutive year.
In addition to Rouhana's 3-for-3 effort, both Zwinck and Rosemeier had two hits. Zwinck scored two runs, while Rosemeier drove in a pair of runs.
Milosek took the loss to fall to 11-5. She gave up eight hits and seven runs, just three of which were earned. The soph walked two and fanned two in four and two-thirds innings. Genter allowed two unearned runs in an inning and a third. She gave up just one hit, but walked two batters.
Kinney allowed 10 hits and four runs (all earned) in six-plus innings. The senior walked four batters and whiffed two en route to her eighth consecutive MAC Tournament win.
The Falcons lose just three seniors off the 2000 squad: Zwinck, Hitterdall and Colleen Bates.
Rosemeier and Jen Domschot were named to the 10-player All-Tournament Team. A list of the all-tourney squad follows:
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
