Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
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SWT's Big Inning Spells Defeat For Falcons
February 15, 2003 | Softball
Feb. 15, 2003
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - A nine-run sixth inning by Southwest Texas State University proved to be much too much for the Bowling Green State University softball team to overcome Saturday evening (Feb. 15), and the result was a 10-4 Bobcat victory. The game was part of the New Mexico State Tournament at Presley Askew Field.
SWT is now 7-8 on the season, and a perfect 4-0 in the tournament, while BGSU drops to 2-2 both on the weekend and on the year.
A bright spot for the Brown and Orange was the offense of freshman 3B Gina Rango. Rango had three hits in as many at-bats, with a double and her second homer of the young campaign. She drove in three of BG's four runs in the game.
For four innings, the contest was a pitchers' duel. BG frosh Liz Vrabel and the Bobcats' Katie Ann Trahan matched goose-eggs, and Vrabel had a no-hitter into the fifth inning. For her part, Trahan allowed only two BG hits in the first three innings, a Rango leadoff double in the second and a one-out single by junior Valerie Tipton in the third.
In the fourth, the Falcons got two hits, but the inning ended when Rango was out at the plate trying to score from second on a single by redshirt junior Liz Tuza.
BGSU broke on top in the fifth. The Falcons, the visiting team for the fourth time in as many games, got a leadoff hit from freshman Abby Habicht. Tipton reached when the first baseman misplayed her sacrifice bunt. The error allowed pinch-runner Marla Murphy to advance all the way to third. Trahan got senior Kandice Machain to pop up for the first out, and relief pitcher Nicole Neuerberg then induced junior Candace Fenton to hit another popup. But, with two outs, senior Libby Voshell came through, singling to center to score Murphy. Then, Rango's three-run blast gave the Falcons a four-run frame.
In the bottom of the fifth, a pair of walks and a fielder's choice had SWT runners on first and second with one out. Then, Jessica Spring ended Vrabel's no-hit bid with an RBI single to center. That run ended a 19-inning scoreless streak by Falcon pitching. Vrabel got out of the inning without any further damage, but the Bobcats would explode for nine runs in the following frame.
In that inning, the first two hitters singled, and Rachael Bonnetti followed with a three-run homer to tie the game. Vrable induced the next hitter to pop out, but then surrendered a single. Sophomore Kristen Anderson relieved Vrabel, and allowed a walk and an RBI single, giving the Bobcats the lead for good. The next batter reached on an infield error, and a two-run triple by Ryan Stukel was followed by a solo homer off the bat of Hannah Snow. In all, SWT had seven hits in the inning, although five of the runs were unearned.
Vrabel took the loss to drop to 1-1. She gave up five runs and five hits in her five-and-two-thirds innings of work, walking four batters and striking out five. Anderson, in her BG debut, was touched for five runs (all unearned) and three hits.
Neuerberg picked up the win with an inning-and-two-thirds of relief. Both Trahan and Neuerberg gave up two runs, both unearned.
BGSU had eight hits, with only Rango having a multiple-hit game. The Bobcats also had eight safeties, with Spring, Stukel and Snow getting two apiece.
The Falcons complete play in the NMSU Tournament with a Sunday (Feb. 16) game vs. Indiana. That contest is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. locally (noon Eastern) at Presley Askew Field.
