Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
BUFFALO
Seventh-Inning Rallies Lead Buffalo To Sweep, 6-1 & 7-4
April 27, 2002 | Softball
April 27, 2002
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The University at Buffalo used a pair of seventh-inning rallies for a doubleheader sweep of the Bowling Green State University softball team Saturday afternoon (April 27), by scores of 6-1 and 7-4. The Mid-American Conference doubleheader was held at the BGSU Softball Field.
The Bulls improve to 9-22 overall and 4-13 in MAC play with the wins, while the Falcons drop to 17-24-1 and 8-12.
In the opening game, the Falcons got a second-inning run and saw that 1-0 lead hold up until the final frame. Nine of UB's 13 runs on Saturday came in the seventh inning, including six in the first game.
BGSU's second-inning rally began when Holly Frantz hit a ball into right-center and legged out a double. Sophomore Jenifer Kernahan, who led the Falcons with four hits in the doubleheader, then doubled to left-center to plate Frantz.
Meanwhile, senior Jessie Milosek was blanking the Bulls, allowing only four hits through five innings. But, the visitors threatened in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs. Milosek then went to a 3-0 count on Jessica Labella, but came back to get a strikeout and end the threat.
BGSU had a chance to add to the lead in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with two outs. But, UB catches Julie Hibner picked the BGSU runner off of first, setting in motion a chain of rundowns that ended with an out at third base to end the inning.
The roof caved in on the Falcons in the form of four seventh-inning errors. The first batter, Hibner, reached on a misplayed grounder, and Dominique Jones followed by laying down a bunt. The BGSU throw to first was high, and the Bulls had runners on second and third with no outs.
Then, Milosek hit Jessica Kensy to load the bases, but got the next batter, Marce Ross, to loft a fly ball to shallow right. The ball was dropped as the tying run came across the plate. Then, Melissa Pace hit an infield grounder that was booted for the Falcons' fourth error of the frame, as Jones scored to give the Bulls the lead.
UB had not yet had a hit in the inning, but Breanne Nasti changed that in a hurry, breaking the game open with an opposite-field grand slam over the fence in left. Milosek retired the next three batters, but the damage had been done.
BGSU could get only a one-out bunt single by Marla Murphy in the bottom of the inning, and UB pitcher Stacey Evans (4-8) then got the final two outs for the win. Evans allowed just one run on six hits, walking four batters and striking out six.
Milosek, now 8-6, gave up seven hits in her complete-game effort. She allowed six runs -- all unearned -- walking one batter and fanning three.
At the plate, senior Renee Rosemeier had two hits for the Falcons, while Ann Magur was 3-of-4 for the Bulls. UB's Nasti was 2-of-4 with four RBI.
BGSU outhit the Bulls by a 7-6 count, but the Brown and Orange committed six errors.
In the second game, the Falcons broke on top quickly, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning. Junior Kandice Machain singled through the left side of the UB infield, then took second on a wild pitch by the Bulls' Heather Robbins. Machain moved to third when Robbins was called for an illegal pitch.
Senior Natalie Phillips drew a walk and stole second, putting runners on second and third. From there, both runners came around to score on two more illegal pitches.
Machain and Phillips teamed up for another run in the third inning, as the former hit another leadoff single through the left side of the infield, and scored on a double in the leftfield gap by the latter.
The Bulls, held to just two hits in the first four innings, took the lead with a four-spot in the fifth. Kensy had a one-out single off senior Andrea Genter, and walks to Ross and Melissa Pace loaded the bases. Then, Nasti laced a two-run double to left-center, and Magur followed with a two-run two-bagger of her own, into the gap in right-center.
Junior McKenna Houle came on to replace Genter, and struck out Allison Round on three pitches. She then got Hibner to ground out to end the inning.
The Falcons struck back quickly, scoring a run in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore Jody Johnson led off with a single, and took second on Murphy's sac bunt. Then, Machain singled to left field, with Johnson taking third. Phillips hit a grounder back to the pitcher's circle, and Robbins' throw to third caught Johnson trying to dive back to the bag. The Falcons had runners at first and second with two outs.
Kernahan came to the plate and laced a single up the middle to score Machain with the tying run. Kernahan now has a 10-game hitting streak, and is batting .484 (15-of-31) in that span.
The score remained tied until the seventh, when the Bulls again put together an eleventh-hour rally. Pace had a one-out walk, and Nasti singled off Houle's glove into center. Then, Magur continued her career day with a triple that scooted on the wet grass and went all the way to the wall in right. Both runners came around to score.
Magur was an incredible 7-of-8 in the doubleheader, including a 4-of-4 performance in the nightcap. In the second game, she had a double, a triple and four RBI.
UB got an insurance run when Magur scored ahead of the throw home on Round's slow grounder to first.
Reliever Andrea Sage retired the Falcons quickly in the bottom of the inning to earn the win. Sage, now 1-6 on the year, threw two inning of hitless relief, walking one and fanning one.
Robbins had allowed four runs and nine hits in her five innings, with a pair of walks and a pair of strikeouts.
Houle (4-11) took the loss in relief, allowing three runs and three hits in two-and-two-thirds innings of work. Genter had worked into the fifth, allowing four runs and five hits. She walked five batters and struck out three.
At the plate, Machain went 3-of-4 with three runs scored, while six other Falcons had one hit apiece. For UB, in addition to Magur's four hits and four RBI, Nasti was 2-of-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Nasti and Magur combined for 11 of UB's 15 hits on the day, and teamed for seven RBI as well.
The Falcons and Bulls are scheduled to conclude the weekend series with a single game Sunday (April 28). The game, slated to begin at 1:00 p.m., will be "Senior Day" for the Falcons, as the team's six seniors -- Frantz, Genter, Milosek, Phillips, Rosemeier and Rebekah Tipton -- will be recognized.
