Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
VIRGINIA
BGSU Blanked Twice at Frost Classic
February 25, 2005 | Softball
Feb. 25, 2005
Virginia 4, BGSU 0 -- Final Stats
Chattanooga 3, BGSU 0 -- Final Stats
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Bowling Green State University softball team suffered a pair of losses Friday afternoon (Feb. 25), opening the 2005 season with a 4-0 setback to the University of Virginia before falling to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 3-0. Both games were part of The Frost Classic.
The Falcon bats managed a total of just four hits in the two games, with two apiece from senior Kristen Anderson and junior Lindsay Heimrich.
In the opening game, Virginia hurler Cory Tolar allowed only one BG baserunner, on a leadoff single by Anderson in the top of the second. After Anderson singled up the middle, sophomore Ashley Zirkle's sacrifice bunt moved her to second base. Anderson took third on a fly ball by junior Abby Habicht, but was stranded there.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers had scored a first-inning run on a single, a stolen base and two fly outs. UVa scored two more runs in the third, as Sara Larquier -- who had driven home Elea Crockett in the first -- plated two more runs. This time, Larquier singled to plate both Kathryn Mirras and Crockett.
The Cavs completed the scoring in the sixth, as Mirras led off with a single and came around to score on a two-out hit by Jessica Taylor.
Tolar went all the way for the win, facing just one batter over the minimum. She struck out five batters.
Junior Liz Vrabel suffered the loss, allowing all four runs and seven hits over five innings. Like Tolar, she fanned five hitters without allowing a walk.
Freshman Emily Gouge made her collegiate debut and worked a scoreless inning. She issued a leadoff walk, but combined with catcher Habicht to thwart a stolen-base attempt. Then, Gouge struck out the next two hitters to end the inning.
Two other Falcons saw their first collegiate action as well, as sophomore Angie Ortiz, who sat out last season, started the game at third base, while freshman D.J. DeLong played shortstop.
Crockett had two hits and scored two runs for the Cavs, while Mirras scored the game's other two runs. Larquier had three of the four runs batted in.
In the Falcons' second game of the day, Chattanooga scored a run in the fourth inning and two more in the seventh for the win. Gouge and Vrabel again combined in the circle, and allowed only five hits by the Lady Mocs. But, the Falcons could pick up only three hits.
After a two-out single by Heimrich in the first, UTC pitcher Lacey Swarthout retired 13 consecutive batters. BG's next baserunner came on an Ortiz walk to lead off the sixth. Sophomore Megan McPherson sacrificed Ortiz to second, but an infield popup and a groundout stranded her there.
For the Falcons, Gouge retired the first four batters of the game and worked three hitless innings, but saw the hosts break through in the top of the fourth. A single through the right side of the infield and a walk put two runners aboard with nobody out.
Gouge got a strikeout, but then surrendered a run-scoring double to Leslie Barron, a transfer from LSU. One run scored on the play, but Ashleigh Bull was out at the plate as sophomore Kari Steigerwald, McPherson and freshman Brecken Libbe combined on a 9-4-2 out at the plate.
In the top of the seventh, reliever Vrabel issued a leadoff walk to Robyn Johnson, who would score on a two-out homer by Tara Tembey.
The Falcons got a pair of runners in the seventh, on a leadoff single by Anderson and a one-out hit by Heimrich. Libbe reached on a fielder's choice, as Heimrich was forced at third, and Swarthout then got a game-ending strikeout.
Gouge took the loss for her first collegiate decision, despite allowing just one run and three hits in her four-and-a-third-inning stint. She walked four batters and struck out three.
Vrabel came on to get the final eight outs, allowing two runs on two hits. The junior walked one hitter and whiffed two.
Swarthout improved to 3-3 on the year, allowing just three hits and one walk while fanning five Falcons.
Heimrich had two-thirds of BG's hits, going 2-for-3, while Barron was 2-of-3 with an RBI for the Lady Mocs.
The UTC game marked the debut of frosh Libbe and Allison Vallas. Vallas, like Libbe a graduate of Perrysburg H.S., drew the start in leftfield.
The Falcons will look to bounce back with two more games at the Frost Classic on Saturday (Feb. 26). The Brown and Orange will face Tennessee Tech and Bradley. On Sunday (Feb. 27), BG will close tourney play with games vs. Kentucky and Purdue.
