Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
UAB
BGSU Batters Bucs, 11-2
February 26, 2006 | Softball
Feb. 26, 2006
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Bowling Green State University softball team opened Sunday (Feb. 26) action on a highly-successful note, posting an 11-2 win over East Tennessee State University. The game, the Falcons' fifth at the Panera Bread Challenge, was held at Hargraves Field in Chattanooga, Tenn.
With the victory, the Falcons improve to 5-0, both on the weekend and on the season.
Freshman Desiree Miller punctuated the six-inning, 'run-rule' win with a walk-off grand slam in her first collegiate game.
A total of five different Falcons had multiple-hit games. Senior Gina Rango was 2-for-2, while seniors Lindsay Heimrich and Natalie Armintrout, junior Jeanine Baca and sophomore Allison Vallas each had two hits in three at-bats.
Vallas, Miller and sophomore Dawnjene DeLong each scored a pair of runs.
BGSU got on the board right away, with three runs in the bottom of the first. Baca singled and took second on junior Megan McPherson's sacrifice bunt. Rango tripled to right-center, to plate Baca, before Vallas was hit by a pitch. Vallas stole second, and Rango trotted home on a throwing error by ETSU catcher Jessica Lonsinger. Vallas advanced all the way to third on the play, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Heimrich.
The Buccaneers got back in the game with a pair of runs in the fifth off senior Liz Vrabel. A Lonsinger double began the inning, and Janine Sprague homered with two outs, cutting the Falcon lead to just 3-2. But, BG answered with a three-spot in the bottom of the inning.
Vallas began the rally with a leadoff double. DeLong was hit by a pitch with one out, and Armintrout singled. Vallas was out on the play, but Miller was also hit by a Courtney Jenkins pitch, loading the bases with two outs.
Junior Lauren Hoffman came through with a single that plated DeLong and chased Jenkins. Reliever Brittney Lehrschall promptly hit Baca with a pitch to score Armintrout, and pinch-hitter Wendy Sheehan drew a walk that scored Miller.
Wiemer relieved Vrabel and mowed down the Bucs in order in the top of the sixth, getting a strikeout, a groundout and a popup that was grabbed by catcher Miller. Then, Miller and the Falcons would end matters in the bottom of the inning.
Vallas and Heimrich began the frame with singles through the right side of the ETSU infield, and DeLong walked to load the bases. The runners all moved up a base on a wild pitch, with Vallas scoring. Jenkins reentered the game in the circle, and was greeted by Wiemer, who drew a walk to reload the bases, with still no outs in the inning. The next batter was Miller, who clubbed the homer to put the Falcons ahead by nine runs and end the game.
Vrabel picked up the win to move to 3-0 on the year. She allowed two runs and four hits, walking one batter while striking out four.
Jenkins took the loss, allowing eight runs (seven earned) and 11 hits in four-and-two-thirds innings. Lehrschall retired just one batter, allowing three runs with two hits and two walks. The two combined to hit four BG batters.
The Falcons will conclude play in the Panera Bread Challenge with a contest against Belmont later Sunday afternoon.
