Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
TOLEDO
Falcons Open MAC Play With Split at Toledo
March 27, 2004 | Softball
March 27, 2004
TOLEDO, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University softball team opened Mid-American Conference play with a split at the University of Toledo Saturday afternoon (March 27). The Falcons took the first game, 3-0, as Liz Vrabel pitched a masterpiece, but the host Rockets battled back for a 2-1 win in the second game at UT's Scott Park.
The Falcons are now 11-14 overall, while the Rockets are 6-14. Both teams are 1-1 in MAC action.
Vrabel threw a one-hitter in the first game of the day, allowing only a double to Vicki Nelson with two outs in the second inning. Vrabel walked three batters and struck out six in improving to 5-8 on the season.
Her teammates gave her all the help she would need with a three-run third inning. Freshman Jeanine Baca, who had three hits in the game, led off with an infield single. Rocket shortstop Gina Muratori stopped the ball on its way up the middle, but was unable to get the speedy Baca at first.
Sophomore Lindsay Heimrich followed with a sacrifice bunt, sending Baca to second base. Sophomore Gina Rango drew a walk, and senior Jenifer Kernahan then roped a double to the left-field wall off UT starter Kim Pettitt, scoring Baca and sending Rango to third base. Then, both Rango and Kernahan came around to score on a Kristen Anderson hit to left-center.
Meanwhile, Vrabel was in control. After giving up the hit to Nelson, she retired 12 consecutive hitters before allowing a two-out walk in the sixth. Vrabel also walked a batter in the seventh, but got a fielder's choice and an infield popup to end the game.
Pettitt took the complete-game loss for UT to fall to 1-9. She allowed seven hits and walked five batters while whiffing three.
Baca was 3-for-4 in the game, while Anderson had two of BGSU's seven hits. All seven BG safeties were singles.
In the second game, BGSU senior Jody Johnson and UT freshman Stephanie Moore locked up in a pitchers' duel. Johnson allowed a hit and a walk in the first inning, but, with runners at second and third, got Amy Morris to pop up to end the frame.
Another walk and an error in the second inning again led to a pair of Rockets at second and third, but Johnson induced Muratori to hit a soft liner to Rango at third.
Johnson then got the Rockets to go out in order in both the third and fourth frames, but the Falcons had yet to reach base vs. Moore. She was perfect through the first four innings, before the Brown and Orange finally broke through.
In the Falcon fifth, Kernahan drew a leadoff walk, and Anderson sacrificed pinch-runner Marla Murphy to second. Moore got a grounder for the second out, with Murphy forced to hold at third. But, sophomore Abby Habicht came through with a line single to center, and the Falcons had the lead.
For a while, it looked as if that 1-0 lead might hold. Johnson worked a scoreless fifth, but walked Kristin DuVall to begin the sixth. A passed ball moved pinch-runner Kate Moxim to second base, before Jessica Horn blasted a two-run homer to left, giving the Rockets the lead.
BG got a leadoff hit from Kernahan in the seventh, but the Rockets picked her off first base. Freshman Ashley Zirkle had a two-out single, but the Falcons could advance a runner no further.
Moore got the win, improving to 4-3. She allowed just four hits and one unearned run, walking a batter and striking out a batter.
For her part, Johnson allowed only four hits. She walked three batters and whiffed five, but dropped to 5-4 on the season.
Four different players had one hit apiece, for both the Falcons and the Rockets.
The teams will return to the diamond for a single game Sunday afternoon (March 28) at Scott Park.
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