Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
MOREHEAD STATE
Falcons Get A Win And A Tie At Morehead State
March 11, 2003 | Softball
March 11, 2003
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Bowling Green State University softball team extended its unbeaten streak to five games, posting a win and a tie in a twinbill against Morehead State University Tuesday afternoon (March 11) at MSU's University Softball Field. The Falcons won the opener by an 8-6 count in eight innings, while the second game was called due to darkness with the teams deadlocked, 5-5, after five frames.
The Falcons are now 6-4-1 on the young season, while the host Eagles are 2-7-1.
In the first game, the hosts got on the board early, scoring twice in the first inning and once more in the second off Falcon senior McKenna Houle. The Brown and Orange got on the board with a two-out rally in the third inning. Junior Candace Fenton singled to center, then came all the way around to score on a double by senior Libby Voshell.
The Eagles answered almost immediately, however, as Natalee Owens led off the bottom of the third with a homer, giving MSU a 4-1 lead.
The Falcons got a pair of runs in the fifth inning, with some help from the hosts. With one out, senior Kandice Machain singled and continued to second on a throwing error. Then, Fenton singled, with Machain scoring on another Eagle error. Fenton, who ended up on third base on the play, scored on Voshell's single to cut the BG deficit to 4-3.
Meanwhile, freshman Lindsay Heimrich replaced Houle in the circle to start the fifth inning. In her collegiate pitching debut, she retired six of the first seven batters she faced, allowing only a two-out walk in the fifth. Heimrich got a called third strike on each of the last two batters in the sixth frame.
The Falcons rallied in the seventh. For MSU, reliever Jacque Jackson replaced starter Molly Cope, who had worked the first six innings. Machain greeted Jackson with a double to left-center, and took third on a passed ball. One out later, Voshell drew a walk, and freshman Gina Rango singled to score Machain and tie the game, with Voshell taking second. Junior Jenifer Kernahan followed with a single that plated Voshell to give BG the lead. With runners on second and third, a wild pitch scored Rango. But, the hosts would rally in the bottom of the seventh.
After back-to-back MSU singles to lead off the inning, freshman Liz Vrabel replaced Heimrich in the circle. Vrabel got the first batter she faced to ground out, but the runners advanced. Then, one out later, a wild pitch scored one Morehead runner, and a Toni Orr double plated the tying run. Orr was 3-for-3 with the double and a triple in the game.
But, the Falcons would go ahead for good in the eighth inning, with a pair of bunts igniting the rally. First, redshirt sophomore Marla Murphy led off with a bunt single, and took second on Machain's sacrifice. Jackson got Fenton to pop up for the second out, but Voshell kept the inning alive with a single that sent Murphy to third. Then, Rango doubled to centerfield to score both pinch-runner Stephanie Finkel and Voshell.
Vrabel got two strikeouts and a grounder back to the circle to end the game. She picked up the win to improve to 4-1 on the season. Vrabel allowed only one hit in two innings, striking out three batters without issuing a walk.
Jackson took the loss in relief, giving up five runs and six hits in two innings. The starter, Cope, allowed three runs (one earned) and seven hits in six innings.
At the plate, the first four hitters in the Falcon lineup went a combined 9-for-18, scoring seven of BG's eight runs with five RBI. Voshell had three hits, scoring twice and driving in a pair of teammates. Machain, Fenton and Rango each had a pair of hits. Machain and Fenton scored twice, while Rango had three RBI in the win.
Junior Valerie Tipton, the number-six hitter in the lineup, also had a two-hit game. The Falcons pounded out a season-high 13 hits in the opener, while MSU had eight safeties.
The second game was called after five innings on account of darkness. In the nightcap, BGSU got on the board first. Heimrich, after making her collegiate pitching debut in the opener, got her first collegiate hit in the second game, an infield single with one out in the top of the first. It would not be the last hit for Heimrich, who went 3-for-3 in the game.
With two outs and Heimrich still on first, Rango clubbed her third homer of the young season. The Falcons led by a pair of runs.
The Eagles got a run back in the bottom of the first, without benefit of a hit, against sophomore transfer Kristen Anderson. A leadoff walk, a fielder's choice, another walk and another fielder's choice produced a run. With the bases loaded, however, Anderson got a ground-ball out to end the inning.
The Falcons saw the 2-1 lead disappear in the second inning, thanks to an MSU three-spot. The big blow was a two-run triple by Nikki Brock, and a sacrifice bunt produced the final run of the inning.
BGSU responded quickly, though, tying the game with two third-inning runs. MSU starter Stephanie Hernandez retired the first two batters, but then allowed three consecutive singles, off the bats of Heimrich, Voshell and Rango. With the bases loaded, Kernahan came to the plate and clubbed a two-run double to tie the score.
Heimrich again got a Falcon rally started in the fifth. The frosh singled and took second on a sacrifice by Voshell. One out later, she scored on a Kernahan single. But, the Eagles would rally.
In the home half of the fifth inning, a one-out double put the tying run on base, and a grounder moved that runner, Michelle McGrady, to third base. Then, pinch-hitter Alison Queen singled to score the tying run. Queen would advance to second on a passed ball, but Anderson threw a third strike past Jill Sloan to end the inning. Then, the contest was called.
Heimrich, in addition to her 3-for-3 hitting performance, scored three of BG's five runs in the game. Rango and Kernahan each went 2-for-3, with Kernahan driving in three runs and Rango two.
Anderson allowed eight hits in her five innings, walking two hitters and striking out five. Hernandez surrendered nine hits, striking out three without walking a batter.
On the day, Rango went 4-for-8 with five RBI, while Kernahan had three hits and four RBI. Voshell had four hits with three runs and two RBI.
The Falcons now head to Charlottesville, Va., for seven games, beginning with a Thursday (March 13) contest vs. the University of Virginia. Then, BGSU will participate in the four-team, three-day Cavalier Classic, playing doubleheaders against Seton Hall, Stony Brook and host UVa.
