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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
OHIO STATE
Softball Tops Ohio State, 2-1
April 25, 2001 | Softball
April 25, 2001
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Freshman Jody Johnson fired a complete-game three-hitter as the Bowling Green State University softball team beat host Ohio State University by a 2-1 count in eight innings. The Wednesday (April 25) game, the second half of a non-conference doubleheader, was held at Buckeye Field.
With the win, the Falcons improved to 26-16 on the season, while the Buckeyes dropped to 39-14. OSU had entered the game with a 20-5 home record and a 9-0 record against Mid-American Conference teams in 2001.
The Falcons hit the ball hard against OSU ace Katie Chain, but left nine baserunners in the game to the Buckeyes' three.
BG missed a chance to take an early lead in the first inning. With two outs, senior Jen Domschot hit a grounder directly to OSU second baseman Jenn Link, but Domschot beat the throw to first for a base hit. Junior Renee Rosemeier singled between the OSU third baseman and the bag, and Angie Domschot's hard hit to rightfield loaded the bases. But, Chain was able to strike out Lynsey Ebel to end the inning.
The Falcons broke through against Chain in the third. Sophomore Kandice Machain laced a one-out double to right-center, and took third on Rosemeier's two-out single. Angie Domschot singled down the left-field line, with the ball whizzing past Machain's back before she trotted home.
BG benefitted from some luck in the Domschot at-bat. Several pitches before the base hit, Domschot had hit a pop foul about 20 feet down the first-base line, but the ball dropped untouched with several Buckeye fielders standing in the vicinity.
While the Falcons had six hits through three innings, Johnson was mowing down the Buckeyes. The freshman, making just her fourth collegiate start, retired the first eight batters before Annie Dedic reached on a two-out error in the third.
The next OSU hitter, Link, doubled to left-center to score Dedic with an unearned run.
The Falcons continued to hit the ball, as BG held a 7-1 advantage in that department through four innings and a 9-1 edge through six. Still, the most important category -- the score -- was tied at 1-1.
Johnson struck out the side in the fifth, and again retired the Buckeyes in order in the sixth, but the hosts threatened to end the game in the bottom of the seventh.
With one out in that inning, Sarah West singled for just the second OSU safety of the game. Anna Smith was inserted as a pinch-runner, but was forced at second when BG first baseman Nikki Rouhana fielded Kristine Himes's bunt and fired to shortstop Libby Voshell at second.
Kristi DeVries singled to advance Himes to second, but Johnson got Beth McAbier to ground out to Rouhana.
The Falcons broke on top in the eighth. Jen Domschot drew a leadoff walk against reliever Wendy Allen. Allen retired the next two hitters on a strikeout and a groundout, but Domschot advanced to second on the grounder. Then, Ebel singled sharply to left, and the ball was hit hard enough that Domschot could advance only to third. But, Voshell made sure that Domschot advanced the final 60 feet.
Voshell hit a ball deep into the hole that OSU shortstop Breana Pozzi grabbed with a dive. But, Pozzi could not recover in time to make a throw, as Domschot crossed the plate.
Johnson ensured that there would be no Buckeye rally in the bottom of the eighth, striking out the side for the second time in the game. She fell behind Rogeanna Hottinger, 3-0, in the count, then threw three-straight strikes to fan Hottinger looking. Johnson then got Dedic looking and Link swinging for the final out.
Johnson improved to 5-2 with the victory. She allowed just three hits and an unearned run in her eight innings of work. Johnson did not walk a batter, and she struck out 10 for the Falcons' first double-digit strikeout effort this year.
Johnson faced 28 batters, just four over the minimum. She has pitched 16 innings in the last two days, allowing just one run during that span.
Allen took the loss in relief for the Buckeyes to fall to 6-4. She allowed two hits and one run in her two innings, walking one BG batter and fanning three.
The Buckeye starter, Chain, allowed one run and nine hits in her six innings of work. She struck out eight batters and did not issue a walk.
BG outhit the Buckeyes by an 11-3 margin, with five different Falcons getting two hits each. Both Domschot twins, Ebel, Rosemeier and Voshell had multi-hit games. Angie Domschot and Voshell each drove in a run in both ends of the doubleheader.
The Falcons, after going 33 games this year without an extra-inning contest, now have played three in the last eight days. BGSU has now won 10 consecutive extra-inning games, and the Falcons are 8-0 in such contests during the Leigh Ross-Shaw head-coaching era.
BG now returns home for a three-game MAC weekend series against Miami University. The Falcons and RedHawks will meet in a single Friday (April 27) contest, beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the BGSU Softball Field. Then, the teams will play a Saturday (April 28) doubleheader that starts at 1:00 p.m.
