Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
OHIO
BGSU Blanks Bobcats Twice
April 02, 2003 | Softball
April 2, 2003
Final Stats - Game One
Final Stats - Game Two
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University softball team returned to winning ways with a doubleheader sweep of Ohio University in a Wednesday (April 2) doubleheader at the BGSU Softball Field. The Falcons picked up 5-0 and 1-0 wins over the Bobcats in the Mid-American Conference twinbill.
With the victories, the Falcons improve to 11-17-1 overall and 2-5 in MAC play. The Bobcats, the preseason favorite to win the East Division in the league's coaches poll, drop to 3-15-1 and 0-8-1, respectively.
In the opener, freshman Liz Vrabel fired a one-hitter for her fourth complete-game shutout of the season. She allowed only a one-out single in the seventh inning. Vrabel pitched a scoreless inning to start the nightcap before giving way to junior Jody Johnson, and the two combined on a four-hitter. The Falcon pitching staff now has nine shutouts this season.
Senior Libby Voshell capped the first-game scoring with a two-run homer to left in the fourth inning. The homer was her fifth of the season, tops on the team.
The Falcons, after falling victim to shutouts in each of the last three games, wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard Wednesday. BGSU scored in each of the first four innings of the opening game.
The Brown and Orange got unearned runs off Ohio starter Kerri Harley in each of the first two frames, as the Bobcats made two errors in each inning. In the first, freshman Gina Rango led off with a single, and took third after senior Kandice Machain reached on an error. Rango was caught trying to get back to third base on an unsuccessful BG delayed steal attempt, but junior Jenifer Kernahan came through with a two-out double down the left-field line, scoring Machain with what would prove to be the winning run. That run ended a BGSU scoring drought of 23 2/3 innings.
BG doubled the lead in the second inning. Junior Candace Fenton led off with a single to shallow centerfield, and took third when sophomore Stephanie Finkel ripped a double over the centerfielder's head. The extra-base hit was the first of Finkel's career.
On the next play, a squeeze attempt by freshman Abby Habicht, Fenton was tagged out at the plate, and was injured on the play and forced to leave the game.
With the next batter, redshirt junior Liz Tuza, at the plate, OU catcher Georgia Villard made an errant throw to allow Finkel to score.
BGSU increased the lead in the third inning, as Voshell ripped a leadoff double over the leftfielder's head and scored on a one-out single by freshman Lindsay Heimrich.
In the fourth inning, Voshell again ripped a hard drive to left, but this time saw the ball clear the fence. After Machain's one-out bloop single, Voshell hit her fifth homer of the season to increase the lead to 5-0.
Meanwhile, Vrabel was working on a no-hitter. Ohio's only two baserunners had come on Falcon errors, one in the first and one in the third. In the top of the fifth, Villard made a bid to snap the no-hitter, hitting a grounder that seemed ticketed for leftfield. But, shortstop Voshell dove to her right to stop the ball deep in the hole, then scrambled to her feet and fired to get Villard and preserve the no-no.
Ohio went one-two-three in the sixth inning, and Vrabel retired the leadoff hitter in the seventh before finally allowing a hit. OU's Erin Chapman, who entered the day with a .452 batting average, laced a clean single into shallow right-center. Vrabel got Crystal Turner to hit a fielder's choice grounder, then retired Kiersten Scrima on a foul pop to end the game.
Vrabel improved to 7-6 with the complete-game win. She allowed, obviously, just the one hit, and struck out eight without walking a batter. Vrabel faced only three batters over the minimum.
Harley took the loss, dropping to 1-6 on the campaign. She allowed all five runs (three earned) in three-and-a-third innings, giving up nine hits. Harley walked two batters and struck out one. Kristie Howe pitched two-and-two-thirds innings of shutout relief, surrendering only one hit and walking one batter.
Voshell and Kernahan each had two of the Falcons' 10 hits in the game. Kernahan was 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run batted in. Voshell scored two runs and had a pair of RBI, while Machain also scored twice.
In the second game, Vrabel pitched the opening inning, allowing one hit and walking her first batter of the day, before giving way to Johnson at the start of the second. Johnson allowed only three hits in her six innings of work, improving to 2-4 on the season. She walked four batters and struck out four.
Candy Warden (0-6) was the hard-luck loser for the Bobcats, despite throwing a complete-game seven-hitter. Warden allowed one run, walked one batter and fanned one in her six innings.
The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the second. Heimrich led off the inning with a single up the middle, and Finkel executed a sacrifice bunt to advance Heimrich to second. One out later, sophomore Kristen Anderson hit a bloop double over the head of OU rightfielder Randi Rico to plate Heimrich.
The Bobcats threatened to score in two of the last three innings. In the fifth, Turner reached first on a leadoff error, and Jenny Tisevich doubled to left to put runners on second and third with no outs. But, Lyndsay Eirich pushed her bunt foul with two strikes for the first out, and Johnson got Katie Davis to hit a grounder back to the circle. Johnson looked Turner back to third before firing to first for the second out. Then, she induced Scrima to hit a popup to shallow rightfield that Finkel grabbed to retire the side.
In the seventh, Rico beat out a slow grounder for a leadoff infield hit. Turner laid down a bunt, but BG catcher Kernahan fired to second to retire Rico. Then, however, Turner took second base on a wild pitch. Johnson got a strikeout of Tisevich, but walked Eirich to put two runners aboard for Davis. Johnson got Davis on a swinging strikeout to end the game.
The Falcons held a 7-4 advantage in hits in the second game, with Machain and Heimrich each getting a pair. Heimrich was 2-for-2 with the game's lone run, and went 3-for-4 in the two games.
The Falcons continue a six-game homestand with a Sunday (April 6) doubleheader vs. the arch-rival University of Toledo. Start time is 1:00 p.m. at the BGSU Softball Field.
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