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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
OAKLAND
Shutout Streak Ends, But Falcons' Win Streak at Six After Sweep of Oakland
April 11, 2005 | Softball
April 11, 2005
Game 1 Stats -- BGSU 8, Oakland 1
Game 2 Stats -- BGSU 3, Oakland 2
ROCHESTER, Mich. - The shutout streak may have ended for the Bowling Green State University softball team, but a more important streak continues -- a winning streak. For the third consecutive day, the Falcons posted a doubleheader sweep, this time at Oakland University on Monday afternoon (April 11). BGSU won the opener by an 8-1 score, then rallied from a two-run deficit for a 3-2 win in the second game at the OU Softball Field.
With the wins, the Falcons improve to 19-20 on the season, and BGSU has won six consecutive games. The Golden Grizzlies drop to 5-29 overall.
Gina Rango had quite a day at the plate. Rango was a perfect 6-for-6, including a four-hit performance in the opening game. In her final plate appearance of the day, Rango was intentionally walked.
Rango, just a junior, had a pair of runs batted in in the opening game, in the process breaking the BGSU career RBI record. She now has driven home a total of 92 runs in her Falcon career.
In the opening game, the heart of the Falcon order proved to be doom for the Golden Grizzlies, as BGSU's four, five and six hitters -- Rango, freshman Allison Vallas and senior Kristen Anderson -- combined to reach base in all 12 plate appearances.
The teams played a scoreless first inning, but that would change in the second. The Falcons batted around, putting four runs on the board. Rango led off the inning by beating out a grounder to short. Vallas followed with a chopper to third, but OU third baseman Alexandra Perrino's throw to first was high, and sailed into foul territory down the right-field line. Rango scored easily, and Vallas continued all the way to third.
The next hitter, Anderson, singled over the head of second baseman Natalie Webb to score Vallas with the game's second run. Back-to-back fielder's choices produced a pair of outs, but junior Abby Habicht reached on another OU infield error. The runners, Habicht and freshman D.J. DeLong, moved up on a wild pitch, and DeLong scored from third on a single by sophomore Megan McPherson. Habicht completed the inning's scoring, crossing the plate on another wild pitch.
The Golden Grizzlies ended BGSU's shutout streak with a run in the bottom of the second. Stephanie Zellner led off with a single, and moved up a base on back-to-back pitches, a wild pitch and a passed ball. From there, she trotted home easily on Perrino's fly ball to deep leftfield. That run ended freshman Emily Gouge's scoreless streak at 17 2/3 innings, and the Falcons' shutout string at exactly 29 innings.
The Falcons got that run back in the top of the third. Rango had another leadoff single, and came all the way around to score on a Vallas double down the left-field line. BGSU had a chance to increase the lead, but OU pitcher Nicole Marzano got out of a bases-loaded jam with a double-play grounder.
A little history was made in the fourth, as the Falcons got two more runs. Sophomore Kari Steigerwald beat out a one-out bunt, and took second on an infield grounder. From there, Steigerwald would score on Rango's single up the middle. The RBI moved her into a tie with Dena Romstadt (1990-93) for the school's career record.
BG got another run in the inning, on Anderson's two-out line single to left. Rango scored on the play, giving the Falcons a 7-1 lead.
In the sixth, another milestone, as Rango made the RBI record her own. Sophomore Jeanine Baca reached base on an errant OU throw, advancing to second on the infield error. Rango hit a blooper that dropped in front of charging centerfielder Camie Knorr, as Baca came around to score. The hit was Rango's fourth of the game.
The eight runs were more than enough for Gouge, who allowed just an unearned run and four hits in her complete-game win. She won her fifth consecutive decision, and third in as many days, to improve to 5-2 on the year. Gouge, who was named the Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Week earlier in the day, walked two batters and tied her career high - set the day before - with eight strikeouts.
For the Golden Grizzlies, Marzano took the loss, allowing seven runs (just four earned) and nine hits in four innings of work. She issued three walks and had two strikeouts in the game. Jessica Brubaker allowed one unearned run and three hits in three innings, walking one and fanning one.
At the plate, of course, Rango's 4-for-4 game led BG's 12-hit attack. She scored three runs and drove in two. Anderson was 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI in the game, while sophomore Megan McPherson had two hits and one RBI. Four different players had one hit apiece for the Golden Grizzlies.
In the second game, the Grizzlies looked to break on top in the first inning, but a trio of Falcons hooked up on a nice defensive play to keep the game scoreless. Knorr singled off BG starter Anderson with two outs, and Zellner hit a ball over centerfielder Baca's head. But, Baca threw the ball to second baseman McPherson, who relayed to catcher Habicht in time to get Zellner at the plate.
The hosts did get on the board, however, in the third inning. After a pair of walks, both runners came around to score on a two-out line triple to center by Knorr. For the first time all day, the Grizzlies had the lead. Anderson bounced back by getting Zellner on a called strike three to end the inning.
The Falcons, blanked by OU starter Laura Chomokos for the first four innings, made some noise in the fifth. Rango, for the sixth consecutive at-bat, had a single, and Anderson followed with a hit-and-run single behind Rango, putting runners on first and third with one out. But, the Grizzlies got out of the jam, as on sophomore Ashley Zirkle's fly ball to centerfield, Rango was out attempting to tag and score. The double play was the hosts' third of the game.
In the home half of the fifth, the Grizzlies put runners at the corners after two were retired, on a hit batter and a BG error. That brought Knorr to the plate, but Anderson got her to hit a soft liner to third baseman Rango.
BGSU mounted a rally in the sixth. Freshman Brecken Libbe beat out a bunt with one out, and DeLong was hit by a pitch. Then, soph Emmy Ramsey's sacrifice bunt put the runners in scoring position, before Baca placed a bloop double just over the left side of the infield and in front of diving leftfielder Cheron Guyton.
Rango, 6-for-6 on the day to that point, came to the plate, and the Grizzlies issued her an intentional walk. Then, Chomokos hit Vallas with a pitch to load the bases. But, rightfielder Christina Schulte was able to track down Anderson's long fly ball to end the half-inning.
After sophomore Liz Vrabel came on in relief to get the final two outs in the sixth, BG put together a two-out rally in the top of the seventh. Libbe singled to center, for her second safety of the game, and DeLong drew a walk. With pinch-hitter Lindsay Heimrich at the plate, the ball slipped out of Chomokos' hand as she prepared to throw a pitch. The runners moved to second and third on the wild pitch.
Then, Heimrich hit a slow grounder to Knorr at shortstop. Her throw was low, however, and pulled first baseman Zellner off the bag toward the circle. Heimrich was able to elude Zellner's lunging tag attempt, and was safe at first as Libbe crossed the plate with the go-ahead run.
In the bottom of the seventh, Vrabel threw a called strike three past Danielle Nutter for the first out, then did the same thing to Lindsey Schaller. Guyton drew a walk, but Vrabel got Schulte swinging to end the game.
Vrabel picked up the win with an inning-and-two-thirds of hitless relief. She walked one batter, but recorded four of her five outs via strikeout. Vrabel is now 10-9 on the year.
Anderson pitched well enough to win, allowing only four hits and two runs in five-and-a-third innings in the circle. She issued two walks and struck out three OU hitters.
Chomokos was the hard-luck loser for the Golden Grizzlies, allowing three runs (two earned) in her complete-game effort. She walked two batters and whiffed four, surrendering eight hits.
At the plate, three Falcons -- Libbe, McPherson and Rango -- each had a pair of hits as BG outhit the hosts by an 8-4 margin. Baca had both Falcon RBI in the game. Knorr and Zellner each went 2-for-3 for the hosts, with Knorr driving in both OU runs.
The Falcons will enjoy a day off before returning to action with a Wednesday (April 13) doubleheader against the University of Akron. For the first time since winning the 2004 MAC Tournament there, the Falcons will return to Firestone Stadium for the twinbill, which begins at 5:00 p.m.
