Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
TOLEDO
BGSU Blanks Toledo, 6-0, to Take Weekend Series
March 28, 2004 | Softball
March 28, 2004
TOLEDO, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University softball team combined a balanced hitting attack with another shutout from Liz Vrabel to pick up a 6-0 win over the University of Toledo Sunday (March 28). The win came in the rubber game of the teams' Mid-American Conference weekend series at UT's Scott Park Field.
With the victory, the Falcons improve to 12-14 overall and 2-1 in MAC action, while dropping the Rockets to 6-15 and 1-2, respectively.
Vrabel, who threw a one-hit shutout on Saturday, gave up six hits in Sunday's contest, but again kept the Rockets off the scoreboard. The sophomore did not issue a walk and struck out eight UT batters in improving to 6-8 on the year.
Meanwhile, the Falcon batters pounded out 11 hits, just the third double-digit total in that category in 2004. Freshman Jeanine Baca had three hits in the win, while sophomore Lindsay Heimrich and freshman Ashley Zirkle had two hits apiece.
The Brown and Orange got on the scoreboard with a pair of third-inning runs off UT starter Stephanie Moore. With one out, Heimrich hit a hard shot off Moore's glove, and beat the throw of Rocket shortstop Kristina Shultz. Then, sophomore Gina Rango drew a walk, and senior Jenifer Kernahan hit a liner toward left, but that ball was grabbed for the second out of the inning.
Heimrich had alertly advanced to third on Kernahan's fly ball, and that paid off when the next batter, Kristen Anderson, beat out a roller toward third base. Heimrich scored, while Rango went from first to third on the play. Then, Zirkle's single up the middle plated Rango to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead.
The Brown and Orange picked up an unearned run in the fifth. Rango led off by smashing a double to leftfield, and took third on a Kernahan grounder to the right side of the infield. Moore got another grounder for the second out, but then issued a walk to Zirkle. Then, sophomore Abby Habicht reached on a Rocket throwing error, with Rango scoring the Falcons' third run.
Then, BG put the game away with three seventh-inning runs. Kernahan led off the inning, and tomahawked a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left for her first homer of the season. Anderson drew a walk, and UT's Lindsey Greer relieved Moore in the circle. A Zirkle grounder moved pinch-runner Emmy Ramsey to second, and Habicht was hit by a pitch to put two runners aboard.
With Stephanie Finkel at the plate, Ramsey took off for third, and continued home when the throw sailed down the left-field line. Several batters later, Baca beat out a two-out grounder toward first, with pinch-runner Marla Murphy scoring the game's final run.
Vrabel set down the Rockets in order in the seventh inning to pick up her third shutout of the season.
The Falcons had at least one hit in all seven innings. Rango scored a pair of runs in the win.
For the Rockets, Vicki Nelson had two of the team's six hits on the day.
Moore suffered the loss to drop to 4-4. She allowed 11 hits and five runs (four earned) in six-and-two-thirds innings, walking four Falcons. Greer got one out in the seventh before Moore re-entered the game. Greer allowed one run, walking one batter and hitting another. BGSU's hitters did not have any strikeouts in the win.
The Falcons now prepare to begin the home portion of the schedule, hosting defending league regular-season champion Marshall University in a Wednesday (March 31) doubleheader. First pitch of the first game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at the BGSU Softball Field.
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