Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
AKRON
Seventh-Inning Rally Gives Falcons Split
April 10, 2002 | Softball
April 10, 2002
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Senior Natalie Phillips doubled to score redshirt freshman Marla Murphy in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving the Bowling Green State University softball team a 3-2 victory over the University of Akron and a split of the teams' Wednesday (April 10) doubleheader. The Mid-American Conference games were held at the BGSU Softball Field.
The Falcons' rally lifted BGSU's record to 13-18-1 overall and 4-7 in MAC play, while dropping the East Division-leading Zips to 20-8 and 10-2, respectively. UA captured the opening game of the twinbill by a 5-1 score.
After Akron tied the second game in the top of the seventh inning, Murphy, who was 3-for-3, led off the bottom of the inning by beating out a tapper toward third base for a single. The three-hit game was the first of Murphy's collegiate career.
Junior Kandice Machain followed with a sacrifice bunt, sending Murphy to second base, before Phillips drove an 0-1 pitch over the Zip centerfielder's head to end the game.
The Zips had tied the score on Kerstin Sewell's two-run homer to left in the top of the seventh inning. The blast, Sewell's seventh of the year, came after a Tracee McCoy leadoff double, and spoiled the shutout bid of senior Jessie Milosek.
The Falcons opened the scoring in the fourth inning of that second game. The teams had combined for a total of just two hits in those first three frames, singles by Machain (first inning) and Murphy (third inning), but sophomore Jenifer Kernahan had a one-out single in the fourth.
The next batter, freshman Sam Moore, hit a long foul to leftfield that was caught by a hustling Sewell for the second out, but Kernahan was able to tag and move to second. Then, sophomore Jody Johnson drove a seeing-eye single up the middle to plate Kernahan.
Milosek was perfect through the first three innings, and had a no-hitter through four frames. But, Sewell hit a one-out double to the base of the wall in right-center in the fifth, for the Zips' first hit of the game. Then, Milosek struck out Amy Garner, but Ali Janutolo drew a walk after fouling off five pitches. Amy Blauvelt followed with a grounder up the middle. Second baseman Murphy grabbed the ball a few feet behind the base and flipped it to shortstop Moore, just beating Janutolo to the bag to end the inning.
BG doubled the lead in the fifth inning. Murphy led off with a hit that grazed the top of the glove of UA pitcher Micah Barbato and went into centerfield. Machain grounded into a fielder's choice, with Murphy retired. Phillips singled to center to advance Machain to second, but Barbato got senior Holly Frantz to hit a popup into shallow right for the second out. Then, senior Renee Rosemeier singled up the middle to score Machain and give BG a 2-0 lead.
The Zips threatened in the sixth, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Becky Stern led off with her fourth bunt single of the day, and Rianne Hess blooped a flare into shallow right-center for a single. Melissa Hurley follwed with a soft liner to shortstop that was speared by Moore. The freshman threw to Phillips at first to double up Hess for the second out. Then, Milosek got Julie Villard to ground out and end the threat.
In the seventh, however, the Sewell homer tied the score with none out. Milosek hung tough after the homer, getting the next three batters to ground out and setting the stage for the Falcons' game-winning run in the bottom of the inning.
Milosek got the win with a complete-game five-hitter. She walked two batters and struck out a season-high six. Barbato took the loss, allowing 11 hits. She fanned three and did not walk a batter.
The win broke BGSU's five-game home loss streak, and also snapped a seven-game losing slide in MAC action. The Falcons outhit UA, 11-5, in that second game. Kernahan had two hits, as did Phillips.
In the opening game, Akron pitcher Lisa Keenan kept the Falcons off the scoreboard until the botom of the seventh, by which time the Zips had built a five-run lead. Junior McKenna Houle held the visitors scoreless until the top of the sixth, when UA plated a pair of unearned runs.
In that sixth frame, Villard drew a leadoff walk, and McCoy's single sent pinch-runner Lindsay Vittorio to second. Then, Houle got Sewell to hit an infield popup, but Conrad followed with a grounder up the middle that eluded the glove of second baseman Moore for an error. When the Falcon outfielder could not pick up the ball, Vittorio scored the game's first run. A Janutolo grounder to the right side scored McCoy to give UA a 2-0 lead.
In the seventh, Machain made a nice diving catch to rob the leadoff hitter, Blauvelt, but Stern beat out a bunt for a base hit, before Hurley hit a three-run homer to left. Senior Andrea Genter relieved Houle and struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
BGSU's got on the board in the bottom of the seventh, as Rosemeier hit a one-out single. Junior Crystal Wilson followed with a single past the shortstop, sending pinch-runner Murphy to second, and Frantz followed with a shot down the third-base line that scored Murphy. The next two batters, Moore and Johnson, hit the ball hard, but lined out to leftfield and shortstop, respectively.
Keenan struck out 10 and did not walk a batter in improving her record to 12-4. She allowed five hits and the one run. Houle gave up just six hits and allowed three earned runs in six-and-a-third innings, walking three and fanning three.
At the plate, Stern had three of Akron's six hits, while Rosemeier was the lone Falcon with a pair of hits.
BGSU is scheduled to play the next eight games away from home, beginning with a three-game weekend series at Miami. The teams will meet in a Saturday (April 13) doubleheader and a Sunday (April 14) single game.
BG's next scheduled home action is an April 27 doubleheader against Buffalo.
