Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
BALL STATE
BGSU Sweeps Ball State with Back-to-Back Blankings, 4-0 and 7-0
April 14, 2006 | Softball
April 14, 2006
BGSU 4, Ball State 0 -- Final Stats
BGSU 7, Ball State 0 -- Final Stats
MUNCIE, Ind. - Senior Liz Vrabel picked up a pair of wins and her Bowling Green State University softball teammates had their hitting shoes on, as the Falcons posted a doubleheader sweep over host Ball State University Friday afternoon (April 14). The Falcons won the Mid-American Conference twinbill by scores of 4-0 and 7-0 at the BSU Softball Complex.
With the wins, the Falcons improve to 25-15 overall and 8-2 in MAC action, while BSU drops to 9-19 and 3-7, respectively.
Freshman Desiree Miller set the tone with a three-run homerun in the first inning of the opener, while junior Ashley Zirkle was 4-for-4 in the nightcap. In that second game, Zirkle had three runs scored, three RBI, two doubles and a homer for the Brown and Orange.
The Falcons got on the board right away in the opening game, putting up a three-spot in the top of the first. With one out, freshman Hayley Wiemer worked BSU starter Amanda Pick for a walk, and senior Gina Rango followed with a single. The next hitter was Miller, and the freshman hit a Pick offering over the centerfield fence for a three-run homer.
The Cardinals got a pair of baserunners against Vrabel in the bottom of the first. With one out, Cortney Patteson singled to right, and Pick drew a walk. But, the Falcon hurler got Abby Gross to ground to second baseman Megan McPherson, and the junior began a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
BGSU mounted a two-out rally in the fourth. After a pair of groundouts, senior Abby Habicht walked, and junior Emmy Ramsey banged a single through the left side of the Cardinal infield. Then, McPherson laid down a textbook bunt toward third base, and all three runners were safe.
The next hitter, sophomore Dawnjene DeLong, hit a liner, but BSU third baseman Taylor Yancey saved at least one run by diving and knocking down the ball, then diving to tag the third-base bag for the inning-ending force play.
Meanwhile, after getting the double-play grounder in the first inning, Vrabel set the Cardinals down in the order in each of the next three innings. She did not allow another baserunner until hitting Yancey with a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fifth. But, Vrabel quickly recovered to retire the next three batters, all on infield popups.
Vrabel needed just five pitches to retire the side in both the fourth and fifth innings, and she again retired the side in order in the sixth.
In the seventh, the Falcons put another run on the board, largely due to the speed of McPherson. The BG junior began the inning by beating out a grounder to the left side of the infield. Then, DeLong executed a sac bunt, and McPherson advanced all the way to third base as no BSU field could get back to the bag in time.
The next hitter, Wiemer, laid down a bunt and McPherson slid home safely on the squeeze play, giving the Brown and Orange a four-run lead.
Gross gave the Cardinals their second hit of the game with a one-out double in the bottom of the seventh. But, Vrabel got Yancey to hit a soft liner back to the circle for the second out, then struck out Katie Pilger to end the game.
The reigning MAC Pitcher of the Year allowed just the two hits in her complete-game shutout, walking one batter and striking out six. She allowed only two baserunners over the final six innings in improving to 11-8.
At the plate, Rango was 3-for-4, while Miller had two hits and three RBI on the first-inning homer. The round-tripper was the third of the season for the BG freshman.
McPherson rounded out the list of Falcons with multi-hit games, going 2-for-2 with a run scored.
Pick took the loss for the Cards, falling to 4-6 on the year. She allowed four runs on 10 hits, walking two batters and striking out three.
In the second game, the Cardinals threatened against sophomore starter Emily Gouge in the first inning, but Gouge escaped danger. Patteson drew a one-out walk, and took second when Pick singled through the left side of the Falcon infield. But, Gouge, who had struck out Kelli Jeziorski to begin the inning, got another strikeout, this time of Gross. And, she induced Yancey to hit a fly ball to leftfielder Allison Vallas to end the threat.
In the second inning, junior Jeanine Baca reached on a one-out walk, and Habicht showed bunt before pulling the bat back and bouncing a ball over the head of third baseman Yancey.
Zirkle followed by driving a Laura Masch pitch to left-center for a double, scoring Baca and sending Habicht to third. Masch recovered to get a pair of grounders that retired the side, but the Falcons had the lead.
In the fourth frame, the Falcons doubled that lead. With one out, Zirkle lined a sharp single to center, and took second on a McPherson grounder. Then, DeLong scorched a double to the wall just left of center, and Zirkle trotted home easily.
Vrabel entered the game in the bottom of the fourth and, after allowing a leadoff single to Gross, proceeded to strike out the side.
The Falcons extended the lead with three runs in the sixth. Habicht led off the inning by singling sharply to center, and Zirkle followed with a soft liner down the third-base line. Yancey made a stab at the ball, but could not grab it, and it went down the line for a double, sending pinch-runner Ramsey to third.
McPherson followed with a sharp single that nearly grazed the brim of Zirkle's helmet as she started off second. Zirkle was able to hold up long enough for the ball to go past her into centerfield, then the junior took third base as Ramsey scored on the single. That play, while a slightly wacky one, was nothing compared to the wackiness that was to come shortly thereafter.
On the next play, DeLong hit a sinking liner that dropped just in front of the charging rightfielder, Jeziorski. Jeziorski fielded the ball on the short-hop and fired to first, leading to a bang-bang play. The near umpire, however, was looking the other way, perhaps having anticipated a throw to third base. First baseman Nicki Hellem, after fielding Jeziorski's throw, then threw to third in an attempt to get McPherson. The third-base umpire, who had made an 'out' call on the play at first, was not looking at the base when the play occurred at third.
The home-plate ump called time and appeared to make an 'out' signal. At this point, about the only certainty was that Zirkle had scored on the play, which was followed by a lengthy conversation involving the three umpires and both head coaches, BGSU's Leigh Ross and Ball State's Terri Laux.
When the smoke had cleared, DeLong was called out at first base, but McPherson was ruled safe at third. The next hitter, Wiemer, singled through the right side of the infield to plate McPherson with the Falcons' fifth run.
Abby Zollman, the Cardinals' second pitcher of the inning, responded by getting a pair of fielder's choice grounders to avoid further damage, but the BG lead was five.
The hosts mounted a threat in the bottom of the inning. Pick reached base with a grounder deep in the hole at shortstop, and Gross singled to left to move Pick to second base. Yancey then lifted a fly ball to right, and Zirkle made the catch for the second out, with Pick tagging and taking third. Then, pinch-hitter Pilger hit a liner to left, where the charging Vallas made a diving catch for the third out.
The Falcons tacked on some insurance in the top of the seventh, as Habicht worked reliever Quincy Duran for a leadoff walk, and Zirkle followed with a long homer to left for a 7-0 BG lead.
Wiemer entered the circle in the bottom of the seventh and worked a one-two-three inning to close out the win.
Vrabel picked up her second win of the day with three innings of three-hit shutout relief. The senior struck out three hitters and did not walk a batter in upping her mark to 12-8.
Gouge, the starter, allowed just one hit in three scoreless innings of her own, walking two batters and whiffing three.
BSU, like the Falcons, used three pitchers in the game. Masch, the starter, allowed five runs and 10 hits in five innings, walking one. Zollman gave up a walk and two hits in her inning of work, but did not surrender a run.
Duran struck out the side in the seventh, her lone inning of action, but not before allowing two runs on the Habicht walk and the Zirkle homer.
Zirkle, of course, paced the Falcons' 13-hit attack in game-two, going 4-for-4 with the homer and two doubles giving her nine total bases. The junior scored three times and drove in three runs.
Wiemer and Habicht had two hits apiece, while DeLong had a pair of RBI in the win. For the Cards, Pick had two hits, as did Gross.
The Falcons now head to Oxford, Ohio, for single contests vs. Miami University on Saturday and Sunday (April 15-16).
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