Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
BUFFALO
Vrabel, Falcons Beat Buffalo, 2-1
May 01, 2005 | Softball
May 1, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University softball team combined an opportunistic offense and a solid pitching performance, and the result was a 2-1 win over the University at Buffalo Sunday afternoon (May 1) at the BGSU Softball Field. The win gave the host Falcons a sweep of the teams' three-game Mid-American Conference series.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 26-26 overall and 11-8 in MAC play, and BGSU has clinched a berth in the MAC Tournament. The Bulls fall to 17-26 and 8-8, respectively.
UB pitcher Sophie Barstad was perfect in five of her six innings Sunday, but BG bunched together three hits in that remaining inning. A two-run fourth inning was enough for Falcon hurler Liz Vrabel, who won her second game of the weekend against the Bulls.
On a windy afternoon, even by Bowling Green standards, the Bulls got on the board right away. The game's opening hitter, Mary Russell, hit a ball to left-centerfield for a leadoff double. On the first pitch to Marcy Hansen, the Falcons threw down to second, but Russell broke for third and beat the throw.
Vrabel responded by getting Hansen to pop up, then striking out Ann Magur. Cleanup hitter Julie Hibner, however, hit a ball through the right side of the Falcons' infield, and beat rightfielder Kristen Anderson's throw to first by a step for an RBI single, as Russell crossed the plate with the Bulls' first run of the weekend. Vrabel battled back to strike out Lacy Schneider, but the visitors had the early lead.
Barstad was perfect through three innings, aided by some solid infield play. Third baseman Kerry Cafazzo made a diving catch of a popup to end the first inning, and second baseman Hansen ranged to her left for a lunging grab of junior Abby Habicht's liner to end the third.
Barstad's streak of consecutive batters retired ended right there, however. Sophomore Megan McPherson gave the Falcons their first baserunner of the day, beating out a bunt toward third base to begin the fourth inning. One out later, freshman Allison Vallas singled up the middle, and the hosts had a pair aboard.
Junior Gina Rango followed with a double over the head of rightfielder Russell. The runners each had to hold to see if the ball would be caught, but McPherson was able to score with a nifty slide to avoid the tag attempt of UB catcher Hibner, and Vallas took third.
The next hitter, sophomore Jeanine Baca, lifted a fly ball to almost the same spot as Rango's hit. Baca's ball, was not hit quite as far, but it was deep enough to score Vallas for a sacrifice fly that proved to be the game-winning RBI.
The Falcons were not out of the woods just yet, though. The Bulls looked to rally in the top of the fifth, as Cafazzo reached on a one-out error, and Lauren Picciano was safe on a slow roller to the right side. The next hitter, Russell, grounded out to the right side, with the runners taking second and third. Vrabel, however, got a big strikeout of Hansen to get out of the jam..
Vrabel retired the Bulls in order in the sixth. In the seventh, UB got a one-out single from Melissa Pace, as Anderson just missed making a spectacular diving catch. Cafazzo bunted, but Vrabel fielded the ball and threw to shortstop D.J. DeLong in time to force pinch-runner Colleen Greene for the second out. Then, Vrabel induced Picciano to hit a fly ball. On `Senior Day' at the BGSU Softball Field, it was perhaps fitting that the Falcons' lone senior, Anderson, caught the ball for the final putout of the final home game of her career.
Vrabel picked up the win to improve to 15-11 on the year. She allowed a run and six hits in her complete-game outing, striking out 10 batters without issuing a walk.
Barstad, who deserved a better fate, suffered the loss to fall to 9-10 on the year. She surrendered only three hits -- all in the fourth inning -- and did not walk a batter in her six innings of work.
At the plate, the Bulls outhit the Falcons by a 6-3 count, with Pace going 2-for-3. She was the lone player on either team to have a multiple-hit game.
The Falcons now break for exams this week, before returning to action with a three-game series at Central Michigan University next weekend. The Falcons and West Division-leading Chippewas are scheduled to play a Saturday (May 7) doubleheader and a Sunday (May 8) single game to close the regular season. Then, the Falcons, Chippewas and six other teams will participate in the MAC Tournament the following week.
 Senior Kristen Anderson  |
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