Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
MIAMI (OH)
Falcons Explode for 10-0 Win at Miami
April 16, 2006 | Softball
April 16, 2006
OXFORD, Ohio - Senior Liz Vrabel fired a four-hit shutout, and the Bowling Green State University softball team exploded for eight runs over the final two innings en route to a 10-0 win over Miami University Sunday afternoon (April 16). The Mid-American Conference game was held at the Miami Softball Field.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 26-16 overall and 9-3 in MAC play, while the RedHawks drop to 16-28 and 3-9, respectively.
The victory left the Falcons all alone in first place in the MAC's East Division. BGSU had entered the day in a first-place tie with Akron, but the Zips fell to Kent State, 7-0, on Sunday.
Falcon seniors Abby Habicht and Gina Rango homered in the victory, as the BG bats banged out a total of 13 hits on the afternoon.
The Falcons got on the board just four batters into the game. Sophomore Dawnjene DeLong started the contest with a single to centerfield, and a sacrifice bunt attempt by junior Jeanine Baca resulted in both runners reaching safely. MU starter Kelly Cabana got a popup for the first out, but freshman Hayley Wiemer followed with a single to left, scoring DeLong with what turned out to be the only run the Falcons would need.
After Vrabel retired the first four Miami hitters of the game, the RedHawks put a pair of runners aboard on a Breanna Robinson walk and a Christine Bills single in the second inning. But, Vrabel got a grounder for a fielder's choice, and a popup to catcher Habicht to end the inning.
DeLong began the third inning like she had the first, by reaching base. The sophomore was hit by a Cabana pitch, and advanced to second on Baca's single through the left side. Rango's bunt single loaded the bases with no outs.
A squeeze-play attempt resulted in a force play at home for the first out, but sophomore Allison Vallas then drew a walk to score Baca with the game's second run. The walk was one of seven issued by Cabana in the game, although the MU pitcher avoided further damage in the third by getting another fielder's choice and a fly ball for the third out.
Neither team scored again until the sixth. MU had one hit apiece in the third, fourth and fifth frames, while the Falcons got a Baca single and a Vallas walk in the top of the fifth, but neither team could get a runner to cross the plate.
The sixth, however, was a different story, at least for the Falcons. BGSU sent 10 runners to the plate and scored five runs in that half-inning. Habicht began the inning with a homer to left, for a 3-0 lead, but the Falcons were just getting started.
Senior Lindsay Heimrich singled up the middle, before junior Megan McPherson's fielder's choice grounder. Then, DeLong reached on a fielder's choice of her own, but McPherson was also safe on the play. The two players pulled off a double steal, and Baca drew a walk, with McPherson scoring on a throwing error by the RedHawk catcher. Rango then drew a walk to load the bases.
A third-straight walk, this time to Wiemer, produced another run. The Falcons continued to play station-to-station softball as a Vallas single advanced everyone one base. Junior Ashley Zirkle followed with a single of her own that scored Rango for a 7-0 lead. Habicht, the 10th batter of the inning, hit a liner, but it was right at second baseman Alexis Javier, who pulled off an unassisted double play to finally end the inning.
It was more of the same in the seventh, though, as BG sent eight more batters to the plate. After Vrabel set down the RedHawks in order in the bottom of the sixth, Cabana got the first two outs in the seventh on a fly ball and a strikeout. The next hitter, senior Natalie Armintrout, reached on a pinch-hit single, and junior Lauren Hoffman followed with a successful pinch-hitting appearance of her own, with a double to left-center.
Hoffman's hit put two runners on base for Rango, who put an exclamation point on the win with a three-run homer to left. BG got two more runners on base on a Wiemer walk and a Vallas single before Cabana got out of the inning.
Vrabel again set down the RedHawks in order in the seventh to close out the win. She improved to 13-8 with her complete-game, four-hit shutout, walking one batter and striking out three. The reigning MAC Pitcher of the Year threw 82 strikes among her 120 pitches.
Cabana, who has thrown every pitch of all 12 MAC games for the RedHawks, suffered the loss, allowing 10 runs on 13 hits. She walked seven batters and had a pair of strikeouts in falling to 6-17 on the spring.
A total of 10 different players had at least one hit for the balanced BGSU attack. Baca was 2-for-2 with a walk, a sac bunt and a pair of runs scored, while Rango and Vallas also had two hits each.
Rango, of course, had two runs scored and three RBI, on the seventh-inning homer, while Vallas drove in two runs on the day.
Wiemer had a multi-RBI day, while DeLong scored two runs in the win.
For the RedHawks, Bills and Halle Popson each had two hits to comprise the team's entire four-hit attack.
The Falcons return home for the next six games, beginning with a Tuesday (April 18) non-conference doubleheader vs. Oakland University. First pitch of the first game is 3:00 p.m. at the BGSU Softball Field.
