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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
TOLEDO
Genter, Falcons Earn Extra-Inning Win At Toledo, 3-2
May 01, 2002 | Softball
May 1, 2002
TOLEDO, Ohio - A 10th-inning sacrifice fly by senior Holly Frantz scored pinch-runner Sam Moore with the winning run as the Bowling Green State University softball team downed the host University of Toledo, 3-2. The Mid-American Conference game was held at UT's Scott Park.
With the win, the Falcons (19-24-1 overall, 10-12 MAC) retain their hopes of qualifying for the MAC Tournament. BGSU needs two wins at Ohio University Sunday (May 5), and the Brown and Orange will need some help as well.
Toledo dropped to 12-34-1 and 1-19, respectively.
Senior Andrea Genter went all 10 innings in the circle to get the win. Genter improves to 4-2 on the season, and is 2-0 in MAC games.
BGSU got on the board with a pair of second-inning runs. Junior Crystal Wilson drew a leadoff walk, and was out at second on a fielder's choice by Frantz. Then, sophomore Jenifer Kernahan ripped a triple over the head of UT rightfielder Kalika Stavroulakis to score Frantz with the game's first run.
For Kernahan, the triple was the first of her career. It also extended her current hitting streak to a career-high 12 games, tying the BGSU season best.
The next batter, sophomore Jody Johnson drew a walk. Then, redshirt freshman Marla Murphy, in a nine-pitch at bat, fouled off five consecutive offerings with the count 1-2. On the ninth pitch, Murphy beat out an infield single as Kernahan scored.
UT pitcher Colette McMasters got the next two batters to hit grounders for the second and third outs. McMasters would not allow another run until the 10th inning.
Meanwhile, Genter did not allow the Rockets a hit until the third inning, but the hosts put together a rally in that frame. Laurie Linton drew a one-out walk, and went to third on a single by Vicki Nelson. Then, Deanna House bunted down the third-base line. The ball, rolling near the foul line, was fielded, but a throw to first was late as House was safe and Linton scored.
Genter fanned cleanup hitter Crystal Rizzuto for the second out. Rizzuto struck out three times on the day. Then, after issuing a walk to load the bases, Genter got Stavroulakis to foul out to right to end the inning.
The Falcons twice got the first two runners aboard on hits, in the fifth and ninth innings. Both times, those hitters were Murphy and junior Kandice Machain. But, McMasters and the Rocket defense would not allow the Falcons to cross the plate.
UT tied the game in the fifth, when House led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jenny Schaaf.
Genter and McMasters then put zeroes across the board for the next few innings, but the Falcons nearly broke through in the ninth. As mentioned, Murphy and Machain began the inning with hits. For Murphy, the hit was her third of the day, tying a career high.
The next batter, senior Natalie Phillips, successfully executed a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Then, junior Libby Voshell hit a grounder to Rocket shortstop Jennifer Mielke, who threw to first for the second out as Murphy broke home with the throw. UT first baseman House threw home and, on a bang-bang play at the plate, the umpire called Murphy out to end the inning.
But, the Falcons finally broke through in the 10th. Senior Renee Rosemeier led off the inning with a double to center that bounced off Linton's glove. Wilson bunted pinch-runner Moore to third base, and Frantz followed with a fly ball to deep left that was caught by Schaaf. Moore easily tagged and scored what would prove to be the winning run.
In the bottom of the 10th, Genter allowed a two-out single by Stavroulakis, but struck out Kim Pettitt to end the game. Genter gave up seven hits in her complete-game victory, walking five batters and striking out eight. The strikeout total matched the Falcons' season high and was just one away from Genter's personal career best.
McMasters allowed 10 hits, walking three batters and striking out two. McMasters threw 155 pitches to Genter's 185 in the game.
At the plate, Murphy was 3-for-4 for the Falcons, while both Machain and Kernahan had two hits in five at-bats.
House, the lone Rocket with a multi-hit game, went 2-for-4 in the contest.
The game marked the Falcons' second extra-inning conference game of the year, with the first also coming at Scott Park, a 10-8 win on April 22. BGSU has now won eight-straight extra-inning games against MAC foes, dating to the 1997 season.
The Falcons are slated to return to action with a Thursday (May 2) non-conference doubleheader at Detroit. Starting time is 3:30 p.m. at Titan Field. Then, the Brown and Orange will head to Ohio University for the final contest of the regular season. The teams will play a Sunday (May 5) doubleheader, beginning at 1:00 p.m. in Athens.
BGSU, looking to qualify for the MAC Tournament for the fifth consecutive year, needs to sweep the Bobcats in Sunday's twinbill. The Falcons also need Ohio to take at least one of the Bobcats's two games at Marshall Saturday (May 4), and BGSU needs a Ball State sweep of Western Michigan in the teams' three-game weekend series in Kalamazoo.
