.png&type=webp)
Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Heimrich's Four-Hitter Helps Falcons Past IPFW, 7-1
April 03, 2004 | Softball
April 3, 2004
Final Stats -- Game One
Final Stats -- Game Two
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Sophomore Lindsay Heimrich threw a complete-game four-hitter and a pair of her Bowling Green State University softball teammates homered as the Falcons defeated host IPFW, 7-1, Saturday morning (April 3) at the IPFW Softball Field. The host Mastodons dealt the Falcons a disappointing 2-0 loss in the second game of the non-conference doubleheader.
The Falcons, now 13-17 on the season, got on the board with a pair of second-inning runs in the opener. Junior Kristen Anderson reached on a single over the shortstop's head, and freshman Ashley Zirkle then reached base on a fielder's choice. On that play, Anderson beat the IPFW third baseman's throw to second, putting two Falcons aboard.
The next hitter, sophomore Abby Habicht, singled to rightfield to load the bases, and freshman Kari Steigerwald followed with a single of her own to score Anderson. After a grounder produced a force play at the plate, freshman Jeanine Baca came through with a two-out single that plated Habicht.
In the Falcon fourth, Baca picked up another run batted in. Steigerwald drew a leadoff walk, and took second when freshman Emmy Ramsey reached on an error. The two frosh pulled off a double steal before Baca hit a blooper that fell just in front of the charging centerfielder, scoring Steigerwald and giving the Falcons a 3-0 lead.
The score remained the same until the seventh inning, when BGSU had four extra-base hits and scored four times. With one out, Heimrich doubled off the highest part of the wall in center. Had the ball been five or ten feet to the right, it would have cleared the fence.
Sophomore Gina Rango followed Heimrich's hit with a blast of her own. Rango's hit, however, was about 30 feet to the right of where Heimrich's ball had gone, and cleared the wall in right-center. The homer was Rango's fifth of the year, tying her total from last season and putting her one shy of the school record.
Anderson drew a walk, and after an out, freshman Ashley Zirkle hit a two-run homer of her own, smashing a ball to leftfield.
The Mastodon's only run of the game came on a two-out BG error in the seventh. Heirmich went all the way, allowing only the unearned run and four hits on the year. She walked just one batter and struck out seven in improving to 2-2.
Mindy Mason, the first of three Mastodon pitchers, took the loss, allowing two runs and four hits in two innings. Beth Harmon allowed five runs and seven hits in four-plus innings, before Mindy Pomeroy camee on to get the final out.
At the plate, five of BGSU's 11 hits went for extra bases. Baca, Rango and Zirkle all had two hits and two RBI apiece, while Habicht also had a pair of hits. Anderson scored two runs for the Brown and Orange.
Heather Devore had two of IPFW's four hits in the first game.
In the day's second game, however, the Falcon bats were quiet against Pomeroy, who allowed only three hits. In the meantime, the Mastodons got on the board right away.
In the bottom of the first, IPFW took the lead for good. Leadoff hitter Jenna Beachy led off with a single, before Falcon sophomore Liz Vrabel struck out Laura Randolph. Then, Maggie Bruening hit a ball that seemed ticketed for centerfield, but BG second baseman Melissa Wagner made a diving stop behind the bag, and flipped the ball to shortstop Megan McPherson to force Beachy for the second out.
Bruening, however, stole second, and came home on a bloop hit by Devore.
The Mastodons tacked on some insurance with an unearned run in the fifth. Kari Butler led off with an infield single off Anderson, and, on a sacrifice bunt, Angela Pasquali also reached base on an errant BG throw to first. Butler took third on that play, then scored when the next batter, Pomeroy, laid down another sac bunt.
Meanwhile, Pomeroy allowed only one hit through the first five innings. The Falcons got a runner aboard in the sixth inning, on McPherson's second hit of the game, and Steigerwald drew her second walk of the game. A passed ball put runners at second and third, but Pomeroy got out of the inning with an infield grounder.
In the seventh, a two-out error allowed Wagner to reach base, and Habicht followed with a single that landed just inside the right-field line. Pinch-runner Ramsey took third on that play, but Pomeroy got a grounder back to the circle to end the game.
Pomeroy picked up the win, improving to 2-5 with the three-hit shutout. She walked two batters - Steigerwald in each case - and struck out five.
Vrabel took the loss, allowing one run and three hits in two innings. She struck out three hitters and did not allow a walk, but fell to 6-10 on the year. Anderson, in her first pitching appearance of the year, allowed only an unearned run and two hits in three innings. She struck out one Mastodon hitter and did not issue a walk. Senior Jody Johnson pitched a scoreless sixth frame, allowing a walk.
McPherson had two-thirds of the Falcons' second-game hits, going 2-for-2. For IPFW, five different players had a single apiece.
The Falcons continue on to Bloomington, Ind., for a Sunday (April 4) doubleheader at Indiana University.
NOTES
