Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
MICHIGAN
Michigan Beats Softball, 5-2
April 04, 2001 | Softball
April 4, 2001
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The University of Michigan scored four unearned runs in the second inning en route to a 5-2 victory over the Bowling Green State University softball team Wednesday afternoon (April 4). The non-conference game was held at the BGSU Softball Field.
The win was the fifth in a row for the Wolverines, who improve to 17-11-1 on the year. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Falcons, who are now 15-11.
U-M got on the board in the first inning with back-to-back hits off Falcon starter Jessie Milosek. With one out, Melissa Taylor tripled to center field, and Stefanie Volpe followed with an RBI single.
The visitors benefitted from a two-out Falcon error to score four unearned runs in the second inning. With two outs and runners on first and second, U-M's Taylor reached when her infield grounder was misplayed, loading the bases. Milosek walked the next batter, Volpe, and surrendered a two-run single off the bat of Monica Schock.
BGSU sophomore McKenna Houle replaced Milosek, and Melinda Moulden greeted her with a run-scoring single. Houle settled down from there, however, allowing just four hits and no earned runs in her five-and-a-third innings of work.
U-M hurler Marissa Young worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the second to keep the home team scoreless.
Young held the Falcons off the scoreboard until the sixth, and she struck out the first two batters of that frame. Senior Lynsey Ebel then stepped to the plate, however, and ripped a line-drive homerun to left field on the first pitch.
The round-tripper was Ebel's third of the season and the 11th of her career, tying the BGSU career record. Ebel now shares the record with Colleen Bates (1997-2000).
The Falcons rallied in the seventh inning as well. Freshman Jenifer Kernahan led off with a single, and junior Holly Frantz followed with a single down the right-field line. Kernahan was thrown out trying to advance to third on the play, with Frantz taking second on the throw.
Young got the next Falcon batter to ground out, with Frantz advancing to third. Then, redshirt freshman Liz Tuza's pinch-hit single plated the Falcon junior catcher. For Tuza, the hit was her first of the year, and the RBI was the third of her Falcon career.
Young retired the next batter, however, to earn the win and improve to 9-6. Young allowed eight hits on the day, and walked one batter while striking out nine.
Milosek took the loss for BG, dropping to 5-4 on the season. She allowed five hits and all five U-M runs (just one earned). Milosek walked one batter and recorded one strikeout.
In her relief stint, Houle struck out one and did not walk a batter.
The loss snapped a nine-game home winning streak for the Falcons, dating to last season. The last team to beat BG at the BGSU Softball Field was another Big Ten Conference opponent, Ohio State (6-2 on April 11, 2000).
BGSU now returns to Mid-American Conference play with a three-game weekend series at Central Michigan University. The teams will meet in a single Friday (April 6) game, starting at 4:00 p.m. Then, the Falcons and Chippewas will play a Saturday (April 7) doubleheader, with first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m.
Fans not making the trip to Mount Pleasant can listen to Saturday's second game. CMU's student radio station will be broadcasting that contest, and fans can connect to the broadcast by accessing CMU's athletics website (www.cmuchippewas.com).
