Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
MIAMI (OH)
RedHawks Blank Falcons, 4-0 and 1-0
April 06, 2005 | Softball
April 6, 2005
Game 1 Stats -- Miami 4, Bowling Green 0
Game 2 Stats -- Miami 1, Bowling Green 0
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Visiting Miami University used solid pitching and timely hitting to pick up a pair of wins over the Bowling Green State University softball team Wednesday afternoon (April 6). The RedHawks captured a 4-0 victory in the opener, then plated a seventh-inning run for a 1-0 win in the nightcap.
With the wins, MU improves to 20-15 overall and 8-2 in Mid-American Conference play. The host Falcons drop to 13-20 and 3-4, respectively.
Miami's Jackie Poggendorf threw a five-hit shutout to pick up the win in the first game, then got a save in the nightcap. She entered the second game with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh inning, and struck out the side to preserve the victory.
BGSU junior Liz Vrabel took the loss in the second game, despite throwing a complete-game two-hitter.
In the opening game, the RedHawks struck early, with an unearned run in the first. MU leadoff hitter Halle Popson bunted the game's second pitch for a single. Falcon starter Lindsay Heimrich got her counterpart, Poggendorf, to pop up to the circle for the first out. The next hitter, Bianca Paz, hit a fly ball that Falcon centerfielder Jeanine Baca tracked down with an impressive diving catch in the right-center. Popson was caught off first, but the relay throw sailed into the RedHawks' dugout, and the runner was awarded third base. From there, she scored on Leslie Macedo's single that landed just inside the right-field line.
After Poggendorf set the Falcons down in order in the bottom of the first, the RedHawks threatened again in the second. Sarah Buffie led off with a single, and pinch-runner Casey Ruberg took second on a sacrifice bunt. Jamie Arundel walked, and both runners moved up a base on a passed ball. But, Heimrich got Jessica Moore to ground out, with the runners holding their bases, then struck out Popson on three pitches.
In the third, Poggendorf led off with a double that just eluded a diving Baca in right-center, caroming off the top of her glove. Poggendorf took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sac fly to right by Paz.
The 'Hawks were at it again in the fourth, sending seven batters to the plate. Kristen Hays led off with a single, and took second on a sac bunt. Heimrich got a grounder for the second out, but hit Popson with a pitch. Then, Poggendorf's blooper landed just beyond the reach of shortstop D.J. DeLong in shallow center, with Hays scoring. Popson would score the visitors' fourth run on a BG throwing error.
Meanwhile, Poggendorf was perfect through four and two-thirds innings, until Heimrich reached on a single through the infield. Poggendorf waved at the ball, possibly getting in the way of shortstop Paz, and the ball rolled past the reach of both players into the outfield. The next hitter, senior Kristen Anderson, doubled to the wall in left-center, but two perfect relay throws gunned down Heimrich at the plate to end the inning.
Freshman pitcher Emily Gouge was a bright spot for the home team, shutting down the RedHawks with three perfect innings of relief, but Poggendorf continued to keep the Falcons off the scoreboard. BG mounted a rally in the seventh, as junior Gina Rango and freshman Allison Vallas had back-to-back singles, but Poggendorf got an infield grounder for the second out, and rightfielder Hays caught Anderson's long fly ball a step in front of the fence to end the game.
Heimrich suffered the loss in the circle, allowing four runs (just two earned) in four innings of work. She walked one RedHawk batter and had one strikeout. Gouge faced the minimum nine batters in her stint, throwing 29 strikes among her 40 pitches and whiffing four.
Poggendorf picked up the win to improve to 11-9 on the year. She allowed five hits, all in the final two-and-a-third innings, and did not walk a batter. Poggendorf had five strikeouts in her complete-game effort.
At the plate, Poggendorf and Macedo each had two of Miami's seven hits. Five different Falcons had one hit apiece in the opener.
In the second game, Vrabel blanked the RedHawks for six-plus innings. After allowing a hit to Popson to lead off the game, she set down 18 consecutive MU hitters, striking out the side in the second inning. In the third, Vrabel got some help from Rango, who made a diving stop of Arundel's hot grounder just inside the third-base line, then scrambled to her feet to throw to first in time for the out.
Vrabel's counterpart, Courtney Salmon, was equal to the task, no-hitting the Falcons through five-plus innings. She set down the first seven hitters of the game before issuing a two-out walk to junior Abby Habicht in the third.
In the sixth, sophomore Kari Steigerwald broke up the no-hit bid, lining a one-hopper off the glove of first baseman Popson, who was playing in. Steigerwald was erased on classmate Megan McPherson's bunt attempt, but McPherson, running all the way, reached third on Heimrich's bloop single to shallow center. The Falcons had runners at the corners, but Salmon got a grounder back to the circle and threw to first for the third out.
Meanwhile, Vrabel had not allowed a hit since Popson's leadoff single in the first, but Miami mounted a rally in the seventh. Poggendorf led off with a slow roller that was just out of Vrabel's reach for an infield hit, giving the RedHawks their first baserunner since the opening frame.
The next hitter, Paz, bunted toward first base, and Heimrich threw to second in an attempt for the force play, but the umpire ruled that Poggendorf had beaten the throw. On the fielder's choice, the visitors had runners on first and second with nobody out.
The runners each moved into scoring positions on Macedo's sac bunt, and Hays hit a slow roller to shortstop Angie Ortiz. Ortiz threw home, but Poggendorf was safe on the fielder's choice, and the visitors had a 1-0 lead.
Hays attempted to take second, and did so, but Paz was out at home on second baseman McPherson's relay as catcher Habicht applied the tag for the second out. Christine Bills drew a walk, and Moore hit a ball that seemed ticketed for centerfield until Ortiz made a diving grab just above the ground for the third out. But, the Falcons trailed by a run, heading to the bottom of the seventh.
Rango led off the inning, however, with a single just past the reach of a diving Paz into leftfield. The next hitter, Vallas, hit a ball over Paz's head into center, sending Rango to second. Then, Anderson's drop-dead gorgeous bunt dropped dead about two feet down the first-base line. By the time catcher Arundel fielded the ball and threw to first, Anderson was safe by a step, and the bases were loaded with no outs.
The wheels were turning, as both teams made alterations to their respective lineups. Armintrout pinch hit for the home team, while Poggendorf replaced Salmon in the circle for the visitors. The RedHawks won that battle, as Poggendorf got a strikeout for the first out.
Poggendorf was on a roll, getting a strikeout of another pinch-hitter, DeLong, for the second out, and also striking out Steigerwald to end the game.
Vrabel took the loss despite allowing only two hits. She walked one batter and struck out eight, but fell to 8-9 on the season. Vrabel threw just 82 pitches in the game, with 53 strikes.
Salmon allowed five hits, three in the seventh inning, but got the win to improve to 9-6. She walked one and struck out one, with 45 strikes among her 61 pitches. Ten of Poggendorf's 12 pitches were strikes as she picked up the save.
On the day, the Falcons outhit the RedHawks, 10-9. Anderson, Heimrich, Rango and Vallas all had a hit apiece in each of the two games, while McPherson had a safety in the opener and Steigerwald in the nightcap.
The Falcons return to action with a Saturday (April 9) doubleheader at Ball State, beginning a stretch of three twinbills in as many days. BGSU is back home on Sunday (April 10) to face IPFW in a 1:00 p.m. double-dip, then the Falcons hit the road again for a Monday (April 11) date at Oakland.
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