Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
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WESTERN MICHIGAN
Heimrich, Falcons Win Wild One, 8-6 Over WMU
May 15, 2004 | Softball
May 15, 2004
AKRON, Ohio - Sophomore Lindsay Heimrich capped a wild sixth inning with a grand slam, helping her own cause as the Bowling Green State University softball team remained alive in the Mid-American Conference Tournament with an 8-6 win over Western Michigan University Saturday afternoon (May 15) at Firestone Stadium.
With the win, the Falcons, seeded sixth for the six-team, double-elimination tournament, improve to 32-28 on the year. The third-seeded Broncos end the 2004 campaign with a mark of 32-26.
After opening the tournament with a loss to WMU, the Falcons have now eliminated the number-one, number-two and number-three seeds from the tourney. BGSU advances to face the fourth seed, Miami University, in a game scheduled for Sunday (May 16) at noon.
In addition to her grand slam, Heimrich picked up the victory with four and two-thirds innings of relief work. Falcon senior Jody Johnson, who started the game, returned to the circle to get the final two outs and her first save of the season.
The opening batter of the game, Mary McCloskey, got on base for the Broncos with an infield hit after a long at-bat against Johnson. But, the Falcons gunned down McCloskey at second on Katie Niemi's sacrifice bunt attempt, then got another fielder's choice and a fly ball to retire the side.
In the bottom of the first, Western starter Laura Stewart set down the first two hitters on ground balls, before Heimrich worked her for a walk. Then, sophomore Gina Rango laced a 1-2 Stewart offering over centerfielder Crystale Gorny's head for a double, bringing Heimrich all the way around with the game's first run.
The Broncos responded with three runs in the second. Kristi Strange hit a leadoff single just over Johnson's outstretched glove, and a failed Falcon pickoff attempt sent pinch-runner Dayna Crawford to second. Crawford took third on a sac bunt and scored on Stefanie Scheumann's single up the middle to tie the game. Scheumann took second on a groundout.
Then, Gorny singled, but centerfielder Jeanine Baca quickly fielded the ball, forcing Scheumann to hold at third. With McCloskey at the plate, Gorny stole second base. Then, with a 3-0 count and first base open, the Falcons elected to put McCloskey aboard to load the bases for Niemi. Niemi worked Johnson to a full count before drawing a walk that plated Scheumann with the go-ahead run. Jaymie Voss also drew a walk, prompting Falcon head coach Leigh Ross-Shaw to replace Johnson with Heimrich in the circle.
Heimrich got the next hitter, Amy Fleming, to hit a grounder to shortstop Jenifer Kernahan for an unassisted force at second.
Kernahan, the first batter up in the bottom of the inning, drew a base on balls. Sophomore Abby Habicht hit a fly ball that Gorny was able to track down in right-center. Then, Kernahan was forced at second on freshman Kari Steigerwald's bunt, but freshman Megan McPherson singled to left, moving Steigerwald to second. But, Stewart got Baca to pop up to end the inning.
Strange led off the Bronco third with a single that ticked off the glove of diving second baseman McPherson, then took second on a wild pitch. Heimrich walked Tricia VanDerSlik, but got Scheumann to ground out. Kelly Barnett hit a grounder to Rango, who caught Strange straying too far off third base. Strange was out in the ensuing rundown, and Heimrich then whiffed Gorny on three pitches to get out of the jam.
Stewart kept the Falcon offense relatively quiet until the sixth. Rango drew her second-straight walk to begin the inning, and junior Kristen Anderson successfully executed a sac bunt. Rango took second, and Anderson was safe at first after the ball glanced off third baseman VanDerSlik's glove. Stewart fielded the ball and threw to first, but Anderson beat the throw by a split-second.
The next hitter, Kernahan, took several close pitches and drew a walk, and the Falcons had the bases loaded with no outs.
Habicht then hit a grounder to the left of the circle, but shortstop Niemi could not field it cleanly, and all runners were safe, including Rango with the Falcons' second run. Steigerwald followed with a bunt, and Anderson was safe at home with the tying run, as Stewart's hurried toss toward the plate was off line.
The Falcons took the lead when Baca's blooper landed on the edge of the outfield grass for a single -- the first hit of the inning -- that plated Habicht.
The Broncos made a pitching change, bringing Voss into the circle, and she induced pinch-hitter Ashley Zirkle to hit a grounder to third that led to a force play at the plate for out number two. But, the Falcons were not quite finished. Heimrich hit a Voss offering over the right-field fence for a grand slam, giving the Brown and Orange a five-run lead. In that pivotal sixth inning, the Falcons plated seven runs on just two hits.
Voss led off the seventh inning with a single up the middle, and she took second on a fielder's choice by Fleming. On the play, third baseman Rango had to hold her throw until a teammate was at second, and Voss beat the ensuing throw.
Strange then singled to right, scoring Voss and sending Fleming to third, with no outs. Then, VanDerSlik singled up the middle to score another run, cutting the lead to 8-5 and bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of Scheumann.
Scheumann fouled off several pitches, but then swung and missed a Heimrich offering for the first out of the inning. But, Barnett's high chopper bounded over Heimrich's head, and all runners were safe. On the play, WMU's sixth run scored when shortstop Kernahan's throw to first was low.
Johnson returned to the game, with a two-run lead, runners at first and third and only one out. She got Gorny to pop up on a 1-1 count, and McPherson raced in to grab it just in front of the second-base bag. Then, McCloskey popped up to Kernahan, and the Falcons had the victory.
BGSU got the win despite being outhit by an 11-5 margin. Strange went 3-for-4 for the Broncos, while Voss and Scheumann each had a pair of hits.
Five different Falcons had one hit apiece, with Heimrich's blast being the big blow. The sophomore scored two runs as well.
In the circle, she improved to 5-4 on the season, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits. Heimrich issued one walk and struck out five Bronco batters.
Stewart suffered the loss for Western, falling to 22-14. The senior gave up seven runs (just three earned) on only four hits. She did walk five Falcon batters and did not record a strikeout.
Johnson, who picked up BGSU's first two tourney wins, allowed four hits and three runs in two and one-third innings of action. She walked three batters in the contest. Johnson came out of the game with two outs in the second, and returned to get the final two outs and the Falcons' first save of the season.
The Falcons, as mentioned, move on to face Miami in a noon start Sunday. Miami, undefeated in tourney play, needs one win to claim the tournament crown, while BGSU needs to pick up two wins over the RedHawks to win the tourney.
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