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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
BALL STATE
Falcons Down Cards, 4-2, To Complete Weekend Sweep
April 18, 2004 | Softball
April 18, 2004
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University softball team used a three-run third inning to post a 4-2 win over Ball State University Sunday afternoon (April 18). The win completed a sweep of the teams' three-game Mid-American Conference series at the BGSU Softball Field.
With the win, the Falcons even their overall record at 21-21, and BG improves to 8-5 in MAC play. The Cardinals drop to 12-27 and 5-6, respectively.
Sophomore Liz Vrabel picked up the win in relief, giving her a 3-0 record against the Cardinals on the weekend. The Falcons swept Ball State for the second-straight season.
The Cardinals got on the board with an unearned run in the top of the first inning. Kris Burdine led off the game with a bunt, and reached base when the throw was off-line. The next hitter, Mandy Snyder, also bunted, and beat the throw for an infield single.
Jodi Willis was the third-straight Cardinal to bunt, and moved the runners along with a sacrifice. From there, Burdine was able to score on Britni Clark's sacrifice fly to left, giving the Cards the early lead.
In the bottom of the first, the Falcons got two runners aboard, as sophomore Lindsay Heimrich and junior Kristen Anderson each had singles. But, BSU centerfielder Burdine was able to haul in senior Jenifer Kernahan's liner to end the threat.
In the third, the Falcons rallied to take the lead. Freshman Megan McPherson led off with an infield hit, and freshman Jeanine Baca bunted her to second. Heimrich followed with a single to left, with McPherson forced to hold her ground until the ball was past Cardinal shortstop Alyssa Huffman and into the outfield. McPherson advanced to third on the play, but Heimrich alertly took second on the throw home.
The next Falcon hitter, sophomore Gina Rango, plated both runners as her hard-hit ball made its way through the infield. Then, Anderson reached on an error, with Rango taking third. Rango then scored the Falcons' third run of the inning on Kernahan's groundout, with her slide eluding BSU catcher Clark.
The Cardinals got a run back in the top of the fourth. Taylor Yancey led off with a double, prompting the Falcons to bring sophomore Liz Vrabel on in relief of Heimrich. Yancey took third on a Huffman single, then scored on Cortney Patteson's base hit.
But, BGSU answered in the bottom of the frame. Stephanie Finkel drew a leadoff walk, and freshman Emmy Ramsey bunted pinch-runner Marla Murphy to second. Then, Baca hit a ball into the gap in right-center that went all the way to the wall. Murphy easily scored, and Baca reached third ahead of the relay throw for a triple.
The Cardinals mounted a threat in the seventh, as Burdine and pinch-hitter Crystal Newton had back-to-back singles. Rightfielder Anderson made a nice running catch of a Willis drive on the line in rightfield for the second out, and Vrabel got Clark to pop up to McPherson on the edge of the outfield grass to end the game.
The Cards had a slim 8-7 advantage in hits, with Huffman going 2-for-3 for the visitors. For the Falcons, the top-four players in the lineup combined for six of the seven hits. Heimrich and Rango each went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Rango had a pair of runs batted in.
Vrabel picked up her third win of the weekend with four innings of shutout relief. She allowed five hits, striking out one batter without issuing a walk, in improving to 11-11 on the year.
Heimrich allowed two runs (only one earned) and three hits in three-plus innings, with a walk and a strikeout. For the Cardinals, Rachel Cleaveland, the first of three pitchers on the day, took the loss to fall to 1-6. Cleaveland allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits before exiting the game with one out in the third. Nicki Hellem allowed a run and two hits in two-plus innings, while Quincy Duran worked a one-two-three sixth inning for the visitors.
The Falcons will be back in action Wednesday afternoon (April 21), heading to Northeast Ohio for a doubleheader at Kent State University. That twinbill is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. Then, the Brown and Orange will return home for a three-game weekend series vs. Northern Illinois University (April 24-25).
