Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
EASTERN MICHIGAN
Another 'Walk-Off' Win for BGSU, 3-2 Over Eastern Michigan
April 23, 2006 | Softball
April 23, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - For the second-straight day, a single up the middle gave the Bowling Green State University softball team a 'walk-off' win over Eastern Michigan University. On Sunday (April 23), it was senior Lindsay Heimrich who produced the hitting heroics, giving the Falcons a 3-2 win in nine innings in the Mid-American Conference contest at the BGSU Softball Field.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 30-18 on the season and 11-5 in MAC action. The Eagles drop to 20-23 and 8-6, respectively.
Heimrich had a game-high three hits to pace an 11-hit BGSU attack. The three-hit game was her first this spring and the fifth of her career.
The first game of the teams' two-game series ended with a base hit by Falcon sophomore Allison Vallas in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving the Brown and Orange a 2-1 win on Saturday afternoon (April 22).
On Sunday, just as in Saturday's contest, BG senior Liz Vrabel picked up a complete-game victory. Vrabel allowed five hits in her nine innings on Sunday afternoon, improving to 16-9 on the season.
The beginning of Sunday's contest, just like the end of the game, mirrored Saturday's action between the Falcons and the Eagles. The visitors again got on the scoreboard first, as Lauren Clark had a two-out, first-inning homer for the second-straight day. Clark gave the Eagles a 1-0 advantage by hitting a Vrabel offering over the fence in right-centerfield.
The homer came one batter after freshman third baseman Desiree Miller had made a nice diving catch of a foul pop off the bat of Heather Giroux.
After Clark's dinger, Vrabel responded by getting a strikeout of Lindsay Schmid to end the inning. But, for the second time in as many games and only the third time all year, the opponent had scored a first-inning run.
Junior Jeanine Baca drew a leadoff walk, and took second on a grounder by sophomore Dawnjene DeLong. But, EMU starter Michelle Lloyd was able to retire the next two batters to keep the Falcons off the scoreboard.
The Falcons put a pair of seniors on base in the second inning, as Abby Habicht worked Lloyd for a one-out walk, and Heimrich went the other way, lining a single to left. Junior Emmy Ramsey moved the runners along with a sacrifice bunt, but Lloyd was able to get a popup to retire the side.
In the third, Kelly Gulliver began the inning by reaching on a Falcon infield error, and an Ashley Strauss bunt moved Gulliver into scoring position. Vrabel got a strikeout of Giroux, and after issuing an intentional walk to Clark, induced Schmid to hit a lazy fly ball that rightfielder Vallas grabbed just inside the line.
In the Falcon third, a pair of freshmen got aboard with two down, as Hayley Wiemer drew a walk and Miller ripped a Lloyd pitch through the left side of the Eagle infield. But, leftfielder Gulliver made a shoestring catch of a Vallas fly ball to end the inning.
Nikki Denman began the fourth inning with a double that rolled to the wall in left-center, and a grounder to the right side moved pinch-runner Stephanie Sabo to third base with two outs. But, Vrabel got Kayla Bluthardt to hit a grounder to second baseman Megan McPherson, who flipped the ball to first for the third out of the half-inning.
BGSU, after leaving five runners on base over the first three innings, pushed a pair across the plate in the fourth. With one down, Heimrich reached on a walk, and Ramsey was safe on an infield hit. A McPherson grounder resulted in a force play on Heimrich at third base for the first out, but Baca came through with a single up the middle, with Ramsey beating the throw to the plate as Baca took second and McPherson third.
With DeLong at the plate, an EMU throw down to third base caromed off the glove of third baseman Heather Han and trickled onto the outfield grass as McPherson scored to give the Falcons the lead.
The Falcons threatened again in the fifth. After Vrabel set down the Eagles in order in the top of the inning, Vallas drove a ball into the gap in right-center, and legged it out for a triple. Lloyd, however, got the next two Falcons to hit fly balls to left, keeping the Eastern deficit at a single run.
Clark led off the top of the sixth for the visitors, and hit a long foul ball down the rightfield line during a lengthy at-bat. Vrabel eventually won that battle, getting Clark to hit a grounder to DeLong at short for the first out. The reigning MAC Pitcher of the Year then got both Schmid and Denman to ground out.
Ramsey beat out a bunt to lead off the bottom of the sixth, but was stranded at second, sending the game to the seventh. Han laced a single to left to begin the inning, but a bunt attempt by Katie Grens was unsuccessful, as first baseman Heimrich fielded the ball and threw to second to nail pinch-runner Ann Meikle for the first out.
Bluthardt's bunt attempt was successful in advancing Grens to second, and Gulliver came through for the visitors, hitting a chopper that bounced over Miller's head, caromed off the third-base bag and rolled into foul territory down the left-field line. Grens scored easily on the unconventional double, tying the game at 2-2. McPherson made a spectacular diving catch of a Strauss popup near the pitcher's circle to end the top of the seventh, and Lloyd set down the Falcons in order to send the teams to extra innings for the second consecutive afternoon.
Vrabel retired the Eagles in order in the top of the eighth, and Habicht began the bottom of the inning by hitting a fly ball down the right-field line that would have gone for at least a double, had the ball landed fair. However, it was ruled a foul ball, and Habicht returned to the plate. Two pitches later, though, Habicht reached base by poking a ball to right for a leadoff single.
Heimrich displayed a nifty piece of hitting, showing bunt before pulling the bat back and lacing a single to leftfield to move Habicht to second. Ramsey's bunt try was grabbed by third baseman Han for the first out, and Lloyd got a strikeout for the second out. Baca drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases, but a grounder ended the inning and sent the game to the ninth.
The first three hitters in that ninth frame were first-ball swinging, with two of them grounding to DeLong at short. The third, however, was Grens, who doubled to right-center. Still, however, Vrabel needed just five pitches to retire the side, as Bluthardt hit a fly ball to rightfielder Vallas on the second pitch of her at-bat.
With one down in the bottom of the inning, Miller hit a bouncer over the head of pitcher Lloyd and into centerfield for a base hit. Vallas followed with a shot up the middle. Lloyd was able to reach up and get a glove on the ball, but could not keep it from heading into center for another single.
Habicht hit a roller right to shortstop Clark, but the ball rolled through her legs, loading the bases with one out. The next hitter was Heimrich, who swung and missed the first two pitches of her at-bat to quickly fall behind in the count. She fouled off several pitches before sending a Lloyd pitch back up the middle and into centerfield as Miller trotted home with the winning run.
Vrabel, as mentioned, got the complete-game win, allowing two runs on five hits. She issued two walks (one intentional) and had five strikeouts.
Lloyd suffered the loss to fall to 3-10 on the season. She allowed three runs (two earned) and 11 hits, with six walks and four strikeouts on the afternoon.
Heimrich's three hits paced four Falcons who had multi-hit games, as Miller, Ramsey and Vallas had two hits apiece. Ramsey was 2-for-3 with a sac bunt and a run scores, while Miller also scored a run and was 2-for-5 at the plate. Vallas also had a 2-for-5 day, including her third triple of the season.
For the Eagles, five different players had one hit apiece.
The Falcons left at least one runner on base in every inning except the seventh, and BGSU had a game total of 15 runners left on base, to the Eagles' six.
BGSU will step outside of MAC play for a midweek doubleheader, heading to Chicago for a Wednesday (April 23) twinbill that begins at 3:00 p.m. locally (4:00 p.m. Eastern). Then, the Falcons will close the home schedule with a pair of single games next weekend vs. arch-rival Toledo.
NOTES
