Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
LOUISVILLE
Another Shutout Win For Falcons, 3-0
March 09, 2003 | Softball
March 9, 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In softball, timely hitting certainly can contribute to victory.
But, pitching a shutout guarantees a win.
For the third consecutive game, the Bowling Green State University softball team got timely hitting by the offense and a shutout in the circle en route to a 3-0 win over the host University of Louisville Sunday afternoon (March 9). The game, held at Ulmer Stadium, gave the Falcons the championship of the four-team Red and Black Classic.
BGSU improves to 5-4 on the year, with all five wins coming via shutout. UL dropped to 5-7. The Falcons went 3-0 in the two-day tournament, outscoring opponents by a combined 8-0 in the three games.
Freshman Liz Vrabel threw her second complete-game shutout of the year in improving to 3-1. Vrabel allowed just two hits, a fourth-inning single by Nicole Sparks and a sixth-inning double off the bat of Lyndsey Jordan. Vrabel walked two batters and struck out a BGSU season-high 10 batters.
For the second time on Sunday, senior Crystal Wilson drove in two of BG's three runs in the win. Senior Libby Voshell led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a single, and junior Jenifer Kernahan's one-out hit advanced pinch-runner Jody Johnson to second. Junior Val Tipton reached base on an error by UL pitcher Krystle Herold, allowing Johnson to score and Kernahan to take third. Then, Wilson's single to center plated Kernahan.
Vrabel, who faced the minimum 15 batters over the first five innings, allowed only one runner past first base in the entire game. That came in the sixth, when Jordan doubled and took third on a two-out wild pitch. Vrabel walked Sara Bausher, but got Sparks to ground out to end the inning.
BGSU got another run in the bottom of the sixth, as Rango doubled and took third on Kernahan's grounder. After Tipton was hit by a pitch, Wilson singled to right to complete the game's scoring.
In the top of the seventh, Vrabel issued a leadoff walk before striking out the side. She faced only 24 batters, two over the minimum, in her seven innings. On the weekend (including a Friday game vs. UL that was not part of the tournament), Vrabel was 2-0 with an earned-run average of 0.00. She struck out 14 batters in 13 innings of work.
Herold took the loss for UL, allowing six hits and only one earned run. She walked one batter and struck out seven.
Rango and Wilson each had two of the Falcons' six hits, while Voshell went 1-for-2 to increase her current hitting streak to six games.
As mentioned, all five of the Falcons' wins have come by shutout this season. BGSU pitching, after putting together a 19-inning shutout streak earlier in the season, currently has blanked opponents for the last 25 1/3 innings.
The Falcons remain in the state of Kentucky for a Tuesday (March 11) doubleheader at Morehead State University.
