Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
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Titans Take Two, 2-0 and 5-4
March 26, 2003 | Softball
March 26, 2003
Final Stats - Game One
Final Stats - Game Two
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Visiting University of Detroit Mercy got a strong pitching performance in the first game and a late rally in the second for a doubleheader sweep of the Bowling Green State University softball team Wednesday afternoon (March 26). The Titans posted wins by scores of 2-0 and 5-4 at the BGSU Softball Field.
With the victories, Detroit improved to 14-7 on the season, while the Falcons dropped to 9-14-1.
In the opener, UDM's Lindsay Roy (6-1) threw a complete-game four-hitter to earn the shutout win. Roy struck out three Falcons and did not issue a walk.
The Titans got the only run Roy would need in the opening inning, as Amanda Bley led off the game with a double down the left-field line and scored on a two-out error.
The score remained 1-0 until the late going. The Titans threatened to increase the lead in the sixth, as Roy led off with a double. Andrea Sikora hit a grounder to Falcon third baseman Gina Rango, who threw to second baseman Marla Murphy to retire Roy. One out later, Kristin Martin singled to move Sikora to third base. But, Falcon pitcher Kristen Anderson got a strikeout of Kari Messina to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, BGSU got a leadoff single, but UDM catcher Katrina Klemp picked the runner off first base. Then, senior Kandice Machain singled, and classmate Libby Voshell followed with a sharp grounder up the middle. But, Titan shortstop Nichole Taucher robbed Voshell of a hit, diving to her left to stab the ball, then -- while still lying on her stomach -- tagging second base to force Machain. Roy then got Rango to hit a liner to center for the third out.
The Titans got an insurance run in the seventh, as Taucher led off with a single. Cori Castel laid down a sacrifice bunt, with Taucher safe at second on a BG error. A groundout advanced the runners to second and third, and Amanda Bley's single scored Taucher. Castel was caught in a rundown on the play to end the inning.
Roy set down the Falcon in order to earn the win. Anderson was the hard-luck loser for the Brown and Orange, despite throwing a complete-game six-hitter. She did not allow an earned run, but saw her record drop to 2-1 on the year. Anderson walked one batter and had two strikeouts.
At the plate, the Titans had a 6-4 advantage in hits, with leadoff batter Bley going 3-for-4 to lead the way.
In game two, starting pitchers Kim Allemon and Jody Johnson held the hitters scoreless for the first two innings, but the Falcons struck first off Allemon in the third. After senior Kandice Machain threw a Titan runner out at the plate to end the top of the inning, the Falcons got on the board in the bottom of the frame.
With two outs, Rango doubled to center and scored on junior Jenifer Kernahan's single to left. The ball got past the leftfielder, allowing Kernahan to advance all the way to third base. But, Allemon got a strikeout to end the inning.
The Falcons doubled the lead in the fourth. Senior Crystal Wilson led off with a single and took second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Stephanie Finkel. One out later, freshman Lindsay Heimrich reached on an error, with Wilson taking third, and Machain singled to left to give the Falcons a 2-0 advantage.
The Titans got a run off Johnson in the fifth, as Katrina Klemp doubled to score Sikora, but the Falcons struck for two more runs in the bottom of the frame. Voshell and Rango had back-to-back singles to begin the inning, but Voshell was erased on Kernahan's grounder, and Allemon got another grounder for the inning's second out. But, Wilson delivered with a two-out, two-run single to center to give the Falcons a 4-1 advantage.
The Titans rallied in the sixth, however, as seven consecutive hitters reached base. Johnson got a strikeout of the leadoff hitter, but UDM loaded the bases on a walk and two singles. Sikora then drew a walk to score Anna Ollgaard, and Klemp singled to shallow center to plate Bley. Freshman Liz Vrabel replaced Johnson, and Kristin Martin hit a bloop single just over the glove of shortstop Voshell as she ran toward the outfield with her back to the plate. Roy scored on the play.
Vrabel then got pinch-hitter Adrienne Baran to foul out, but Taucher singled to center to score Sikora with the go-ahead run. On the play, however, Machain threw out pinch-runner Abby Ignagni at the plate to end the inning.
The Falcons threatened in the sixth. Finkel led off the inning with a liner that was stabbed just above the ground by second baseman Sikora. Then, Murphy beat out an infield hit, and Heimrich singled to move Murphy to second and chase Allemon. UDM's Lisa Ferguson came on in relief of Allemon, and got Machain to fly out to center for the second out. Then, Voshell hit a fly ball to the warning track in left, but Raina Dailey made the catch to retire the side.
In the bottom of the seventh, Rango also hit a ball to the track, where centerfielder Bley made the catch. Kernahan then singled, and Fenton bunted pinch-runner Liz Tuza to second base. Tuza took third on a wild pitch, but Ferguson got a game-ending strikeout.
Allemon got the win, improving to 2-1 with five-and-a-third innings of work. She allowed four runs (two earned) on 12 hits, striking out two batters without issuing a walk. Ferguson got her first save, getting the final five outs and allowing one hit. She had one strikeout.
Johnson (1-4) took the loss, allowing five runs and 10 hits in her five-and-a-third innings of action. Johnson issued four walks and had five strikeouts. Vrabel allowed two hits in her inning and two-thirds, whiffing two batters.
At the plate, the Falcons had a 13-12 edge in hits. Wilson and Rango both went 3-for-4 in the nightcap, with Rango scoring twice and Wilson scoring one run and driving in two. Kernahan had a pair of hits in four at-bats.
Klemp had three hits and two RBI for the visitors, while four of her teammates had two hits apiece in the second game.
The Falcons will look to rebound this weekend, as BGSU returns to Mid-American Conference action. The Brown and Orange will head to Central Michigan for a three-game weekend series, with a Saturday (March 29) doubleheader and a Sunday (March 30) single game.
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