Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
OHIO STATE
Falcons Swept at Ohio State, 3-0 and 4-1
April 05, 2006 | Softball
April 5, 2006
Ohio State 3, Bowling Green 0 -- Final Stats
Ohio State 4, Bowling Green 1 -- Final Stats
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The third inning was not kind to the Bowling Green State University softball team Wednesday night (April 5). Host Ohio State University scored all seven of their runs in that frame, en route to a doubleheader sweep of the Falcons, by scores of 3-0 and 4-1. The non-conference twinbill was held at Buckeye Field.
With the wins, the Buckeyes improve to 20-14 on the season, while the Falcons drop to 21-12.
BGSU could manage a total of just one run and seven hits in the twinbill. Sophomore Dawnjene DeLong led the Brown and Orange, hitting a double into the gap in each of the two games.
In the opener, the Falcons put a pair of baserunners aboard, as DeLong began the game by drawing a walk, and senior Gina Rango reached on a two-out Buckeye error. And, senior Abby Habicht hit a pitch from OSU hurler Kim Reeder for a one-out double to right-centerfield in the second inning. But, in each case, Reeder was able to escape the inning unscathed.
Falcon senior Liz Vrabel gave up a hit to the Buckeyes' top hitter, Megan Schwab, with two outs in the bottom of the first, but retired the next three batters. She induced the first three hitters of the second inning to hit popups, with freshman Hayley Wiemer grabbing the first one in shallow rightfield and shortstop DeLong ranging near second base to grab the second.
With two outs in the bottom of the second, Stacy Hibma's popup dropped between several infielders for a base hit, but third baseman Rango then made a diving grab of Chelsea Baker's liner that seemed ticketed for the left-field line, ending the inning.
The Falcons made it five baserunners in three innings when junior Jeanine Baca and Rango drew back-to-back two-out walks in the top of the third. But, Reeder got a groundout to end the inning and keep the game scoreless, at least for the time being.
The hosts, however, broke that tie, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring three times in the bottom of the third. Nicole Lancaster walked to begin the inning, and Nycole Koyano moved her to second base with a sacrifice bunt. Brittany Vanderink also bunted, and beat it out for a hit that put runners at the corners with one out.
Vanderink stole second, and both runners scored on a base hit by Schwab. Vrabel got a strikeout of Christina Douglas for the second out, but Billie Carder followed with a double down the left-field line to score Schwab with the Buckeyes' third run of the inning.
DeLong ripped a double to the base of the wall in left-center in the fifth inning, and Rango beat out a grounder to second base in the sixth, but the Falcons could not turn either hit into a run.
Reeder improved her season mark to 10-6 with the three-hit shutout. She walked four BG batters, but struck out 10. Vrabel, like Reeder, threw a complete game, allowing the three third-inning runs and six hits. Vrabel issued a pair of walks and had seven strikeouts.
Vanderink and Schwab had two hits apiece, pacing OSU's six-hit attack in the first game. Each player scored a run, while Schwab drove in a pair of teammates. DeLong, Habicht and Rango had a hit apiece for the Falcons, with each of the three players also reaching base via a walk.
In the second game, the Falcons threatened right away against OSU starter Jamee Juarez. DeLong ripped the first pitch of the game to the wall in left-center for a double. Wiemer's grounder to the right side of the infield moved DeLong to third base, before Baca walked and stole second. But, Juarez responded with a pair of strikeouts to escape the jam.
BGSU starting pitcher Wiemer mowed down the Buckeyes in the bottom of the first, but the hosts mounted a second-inning threat. Courtney Pruner began the inning by beating out a slow roller down the third-base line, and Carder also was safe on a hit that did not travel very far, reaching on a bunt toward the circle. Then, however, Wiemer struck out both Juarez and Douglas, and got Hibma to ground out to second base to end that inning. As in the opening game, though, the Buckeyes would break through in the third inning.
OSU got a leadoff double from Lauren Daykin in that third frame, and a one-out single by Koyano moved pinch-runner Stephanie Hill to third base. Then, a slow bouncer off the bat of Schwab resulted in all Buckeyes advancing safely, as Hill scored. Koyano took third on a BG throwing error attempting to catch her napping after rounding second, and the two OSU runners then executed a double steal for the home team's second run of the inning.
With two down, a Juarez single to right plated Schwab for the Buckeyes' second three-run third inning of the night. OSU's fourth run came on a grounder that led to a BGSU error, but second baseman Megan McPherson grabbed the carom of the ball and threw out a runner at the plate to end the inning.
The Falcons finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth. Junior Emmy Ramsey led off with a soft liner over the head of Juarez and into shallow center. One out later, a Wiemer sac bunt moved Ramsey to second, and she scored when Baca roped a base hit into centerfield.
On the play, Baca advanced all the way to third base, taking second on the throw home and advancing another base when OSU catcher Daykin's throw to second was off-line. But, she was stranded there, as Rango's sinking liner to center hung in the air just long enough for Lancaster to make the catch and end the inning.
Wiemer gave up just one hit over the final four innings, but the damage had been done. The Falcons put a runner on base in the sixth inning, as sophomore Allison Vallas drew a leadoff walk, and took second base on Habicht's sac bunt. But, Vallas was stranded there, as Juarez got a strikeout for the third out.
In the seventh, freshman Wendy Sheehan made a pinch-hitting appearance, and drew a walk with two outs. But, a hard liner by Baca was grabbed by leaping second baseman Koyano to end the game.
No player on either team had more than one hit in the contest. Juarez picked up the win with her complete-game four-hitter, despite walking five batters. She had six strikeouts in improving to 10-8 on the season.
Wiemer dropped to 5-6 on the year, allowing just one earned run and six hits. She walked one hitter and fanned three.
BGSU will look to get back on track this weekend, when the Falcons host four Mid-American Conference games at the BGSU Softball Field. The Brown and Orange will begin the weekend with a Friday (April 7) doubleheader vs. the University of Akron, starting at 1:00 p.m.
