Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
MARSHALL
Falcons Earn Saturday Sweep Of Herd
March 23, 2002 | Softball
March 23, 2002
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University softball team opened up the Mid-American Conference portion of the schedule on a successful note Saturday (March 23), with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Marshall University. The Falcons captured the first game by a 6-3 score, and won the nightcap, 2-1, at the BGSU Softball Field.
BGSU improves to 9-9 overall and 2-0 in MAC play, while the Thundering Herd drops to 7-13 and 0-2, respectively.
On a day even more windy than normal at the Falcons' home field, the visitors took the early lead off senior Jessie Milosek in the opening game. MU freshman Sara Chamberlain led off the second inning with an opposite-field homer to right.
The Herd added another run in the third on three singles, two of which came via the bunt. The third single, by Vanessa Clarkson, plated Nichole Corrigan from second base.
BGSU got on the board in the bottom of the third. Senior Natalie Phillips led off with a double to right-center, and junior Libby Voshell hit a double of her own to right, scoring Phillips and cutting the deficit in half.
The Falcons took the lead with a pair of runs in the fourth. BGSU loaded the bases with none out, as freshman Sarah "Sam" Moore and junior Kandice Machain drew walks, sandwiched around a bunt single by redshirt freshman Marla Murphy. Phillips came to the plate and hit a grounder that was misplayed by the Marshall first baseman. Moore and Murphy both scored on the play, with Murphy just beating the throw to the plate.
The Herd tied the game in the fifth, scoring an unearned run on an error, a single, a groundout and a sacrifice fly. But, the Falcons would answer in the bottom of the fifth.
In that inning, senior Holly Frantz greeted MU relief pitcher De'Shaun Drake with a leadoff single, and she took second on a wild pitch. One out later, Moore drew another walk, and Murphy followed with a single to load the bases and set the table for Machain. The junior ripped a triple just inside the right-field line to clear the bases.
Milosek set down the Thundering Herd in order in the sixth, and allowed only a two-out single in the seventh en route to the complete-game victory. Milosek, who improved to 4-1 on the year, allowed two earned runs and eight hits. She struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Drake suffered the loss in relief of Randi Nielson for the Herd. Each team had eight hits at the plate.
Machain and Murphy paced BGSU with two hits apiece, while Moore and Murphy each scored a pair of runs in the game. Corrigan went 3-for-4 for the visitors, while Sierra Davenport had two hits.
In the second game, BGSU took the early lead with an unearned run off MU starter Chamberlain, the first of three pitchers. Machain led off the first inning by reaching base on an error by the second baseman, and she took an additional base after the ball skipped off the rightfielder's glove. One out later, Voshell, the reigning MAC East Division Player of the Week, smashed a double to the base of the wall in right-center to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.
The game remained 1-0 until the fourth inning, when Marshall loaded the bases with nobody out against BG junior McKenna Houle. Drake led off with a double, and took third on a wild pitch. After a walk and a hit-by-pitch, Carrie Dean came to the plate and hit what appeared to be a single to center, just in front of a charging Machain. But, Machain grabbed the ball on the short hop and threw to Voshell in time to get a force play on Chamberlain. Clarkson, who thought the ball had been caught on the fly, tried to return to second from third, and was caught in a rundown. Drake was able to score from third on what turned out to be a double play, and Houle got the next batter to hit a grounder back to her, ending the half-inning with the score tied.
Houle retired the Herd in order in the sixth inning. BG mounted a threat in the bottom of the sixth, but could not score, sending the game to the seventh still tied at 1-1. .
Houle again set Marshall down one-two-three, and sophomore Jody Johnson led off the bottom of the inning with a double to right. She took third base on a Murphy groundout, but could not score on Machain's grounder to second. With two outs, Phillips singled up the middle off MU reliever Davenport to score Johnson for the victory.
BGSU held a 6-4 advantage in the hits department in the second game, led by a 2-for-4 performance from Phillips. For the Herd, Corrigan went 2-for-2 to complete a 5-for-6 day at the plate.
Houle got the complete-game, four-hit win. After Milosek threw 95 pitches in the opening contest, Houle threw 99 pitches in her victory. Houle walked two batters and fanned one.
Davenport, the third MU pitcher, took the loss, allowing one run and four hits in an inning-and-two-thirds of work.
BGSU improves to 38-10 (.792) in home games during the Leigh Ross-Shaw head-coaching tenure, including a 32-8 (.800) mark against the MAC. The Falcons have won 20 of the last 22 home games against conference foes.
The Falcons now hold a 15-1 advantage over Marshall in the all-time series between the teams, including a perfect 5-0 mark in games played at the BGSU Softball Field.
The Falcons and the Thundering Herd are scheduled to complete their weekend series with a single game Sunday (March 24), beginning at 1:00 p.m.
