Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
BUFFALO
BGSU Blanks Buffalo, Back to Back
April 30, 2005 | Softball
April 30, 2005
Game 1 Stats -- BGSU 1, Buffalo 0 (8 inn.)
Game 2 Stats -- BGSU 8, Buffalo 0 (5 inn.)
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Freshman Allison Vallas had a walk-off hit in each game as the Bowling Green State University softball team picked up a Saturday (April 30) sweep of the University at Buffalo. The Falcons won the opener, 1-0 in eight innings, before posting a five-inning, 8-0 win in the nightcap of the Mid-American Conference doubleheader at the BGSU Softball Field.
With the wins, the Falcons improve to 25-26 overall and 10-8 in the MAC, while dropping the Bulls to 17-25 and 8-7, respectively.
The Falcons got shutouts from junior Liz Vrabel in the opener and freshman Emily Gouge in the second contest. Vrabel broke the BGSU single-season strikeout record, while Gouge fired her first collegiate one-hitter.
Vallas had an eighth-inning single to score sophomore Kari Steigerwald in the opener, and ended the second contest with a two-run double in the fifth.
In the opening game, the visiting Bulls had a scoring threat right away, putting runners at the corners with no outs in the top of the first inning. The game's leadoff hitter, Mary Russell, fouled off a 3-2 pitch, but first-base umpire called illegal pitch on Vrabel for ball four. Then, Falcons had her picked off, but she broke for second on the throw to first, and beat the throw to second. After fouling off several pitches, Marcy Hansen fisted a single up the middle, with Russell taking third, and the Bulls had runners at the corners with no outs.
But, as Hansen broke for second on what appeared to be a delayed double-steal attempt, the Falcons caught her trying to scramble back to first, as second baseman Megan McPherson applied the tag for the first out. Vrabel then got back-to-back swinging strikeouts of Ann Magur and Lacy Schneider.
Hansen's single was the only hit for either team over the first three-and-a-half innings, before junior Lindsay Heimrich singled to lead off the Falcon fourth. Vallas then reached on catcher's interference, with pinch-runner Emmy Ramsey taking second. The next hitter, junior Gina Rango, hit a fly ball to right for the first out, but Ramsey tagged and beat the throw to third, with Vallas advancing to second. UB pitcher Sophie Barstad got a pair of grounders back to the circle, however, to end the BG threat.
After allowing the first two runners of the game to reach base, Vrabel then retired the next 15 batters. She had two strikeouts in four of the first five innings, including whiffing the first two hitters in the fifth. The second strikeout of that frame, against Melissa Pace, enabled her to tie the BGSU single-season record.
Vrabel made the record her own with a strikeout of Kerry Cafazzo to begin the sixth. The next hitter, Lauren Picciano, beat out a bunt for the Bulls' first baserunner since the opening inning. But, on the very next pitch, she was caught stealing on a throw by catcher Abby Habicht and tag by shortstop D.J. DeLong. Vrabel then got a popup to end the inning.
Neither team advanced a runner past first over the next three half-innings, and the teams headed to extra innings. In the BG half of the eighth, Steigerwald reached on a one-out single to left. The next hitter, McPherson, laid down a bunt toward third base, and both runners were safe when Steigerwald beat the throw to second. Barstad got a fly ball for the second out, but Vallas followed with her single to centerfield, and Steigerwald beat the throw to the plate, sliding in safely to give the hosts the victory.
Vrabel improved to 14-11 on the season with the win, allowing four hits and one walk. Three of the Bulls' four hits were infield hits, while the walk came on the illegal pitch call on a full count. Vrabel struck out 13 batters, just one away from her career high.
Barstad pitched well enough to win, allowing only one run and four hits. She walked one batter and whiffed four, but dropped to 9-9 on the year.
At the plate, Heimrich was 2-for-4 for the Falcons, while Hansen was 2-for-3 to lead the Bulls.
In the second game, the Falcons got on the board with a first-inning run, but left the bases loaded. McPherson began the inning by legging out a hit down the left-field line for a double. Heimrich hit a chopper to the Bulls' shortstop, Picciano, who pumped to first, then threw toward second in an attempt to get McPherson. But, the throw hit McPherson in the leg, and she was able to scramble back to the base safely. Vallas followed with a single to left to load the bases with no outs.
Rango followed with a liner to left, but the ball was right at Kristen Jock for the first out. Baca hit a grounder to short, but McPherson slid home ahead of the throw to put the Falcons on the board. But, UB hurler Stacey Evans got a strikeout and a fly ball to avoid further damage.
Falcon starter Gouge helped her own cause as BG increased the lead in the fourth. The Falcons sent 10 batters to the plate, with four of those coming around to score. Baca worked Evans for a leadoff walk, and took second on senior Kristen Anderson's near-perfect sacrifice bunt. DeLong was hit by a pitch before the runners executed a double steal. Both would score on Gouge's single into shallow right-center. For Gouge, the hit was the second of her career, and the runs batted in were her first and second as a Falcon.
Steigerwald then drew a walk, and McPherson hit a one-hopper back to the circle. Evans threw to third base, but pinch-runner Natalie Armintrout beat third baseman Colleen Greene to the bag, and the fielder's choice loaded the bases.
Heimrich then hit a grounder to short, and the Bulls got a force at second for the second out of the inning as Armintrout crossed the plate to give the Brown and Orange a 4-0 lead.
Vallas walked to load the bases for Rango, who hit a grounder behind the second-base bag. The UB shortstop couldn't come up with the ball, however, and Vallas slid into second safely as Steigerwald scored.
BG scored the four fourth-inning runs on just one hit, with three walks, the hit batter and the fielder's choices factoring into the scoring.
The Falcons ended the game with three more runs in the fifth. Anderson doubled to left to get things going, and Gouge picked up her second hit of the day with a one-out blooper off the glove of the lunging second baseman in shallow right-center. With two outs, McPherson's second two-base hit of the day plated Anderson and sent Gouge to third. Heimrich was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Vallas ended the contest with a double into the right-field corner, scoring Gouge and McPherson.
Gouge improved to 6-6 on the year. She allowed just one hit, while collecting two hits of her own at the plate. Gouge faced just one hitter over the minimum, walking one batter and striking out six.
Evans took the loss for the Bulls, falling to 8-13. She surrendered eight runs (seven earned) and seven hits, walking three batters and fanning one.
Gouge, McPherson and Vallas all had multiple-hit games for the Brown and Orange. Gouge and Vallas each were 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, with Gouge also scoring a run. McPherson had two doubles in four at-bats, scoring two runs and driving in one.
The Falcons and Bulls will return to the BGSU Softball Field Sunday (May 1) to complete the teams' three-game weekend series. Sunday's single game begins at 1:00 p.m., and will be preceded by "Senior Day" festivities. Anderson, the Falcons' lone senior, will be recognized prior to the start of the contest.
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