Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
OHIO
Two 12th-Inning Runs Lift Ohio Past Falcons, 3-1
April 08, 2006 | Softball
April 8, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Ohio University got a pair of 12th-inning runs to snap a tie game and post a 3-1 win over the Bowling Green State University softball team Saturday afternoon (April 8). The Mid-American Conference game was held at the BGSU Softball Field.
With the win, the visiting Bobcats improve to 19-20 on the season, and Ohio is now 4-3 in MAC play. The Falcons drop to 22-14 and 5-2, respectively.
Michelle Sauter pitched all 12 innings to get the win for the `Cats, allowing one run on six hits. Senior Liz Vrabel struck out 13 batters, just one shy of her career best, in nearly 10 innings of relief work, but suffered the loss.
 Senior Gina Rango had a pair of hits Saturday, tying the BGSU career record in that category (photo by Jeff Harwell)  |
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Each team got a first-inning baserunner via a walk, as Alicia Catlette drew a one-out base on balls against sophomore starter Emily Gouge, and stole second, but went no further. In the bottom of the inning, soph Dawnjene DeLong worked Sauter, but was erased on a double play.
In the top of the second, the visitors threatened, but did not score. Robin Miller was hit by a pitch to begin the inning, and stole second before taking third on Emily Futscher's sharp single to leftfield. On the play, Futscher took an extra base on a BG error, putting two runners in scoring position. When Marian Davis walked, the Bobcats had the bases loaded with just one out.
Gouge, however, responded by getting Courtney Waters to strike out on three pitches, then induced Debbie Szalejko to hit a grounder to second baseman Megan McPherson for the third out.
In the third inning, the Bobcats put two more runners aboard, as the Falcons bent but did not break. Catlette singled up the middle, and took second on a sacrifice bunt by pinch-hitter Maureen McKelvey. A walk to Shannon Weidner prompted the Falcons to bring Vrabel into the game.
Vrabel worked the count to 2-2 on Amanda Sacks, then threw what appeared to be a called third strike. A base umpire had called an illegal pitch, however, moving the runners up a base and making it a 3-2 count. On the next pitch, though, Vrabel got Sacks to swing and miss, and the 2005 MAC Pitcher of the Year then got Miller to strike out looking to end the inning.
The Falcons got a baserunner in the bottom of the third, in the person of senior Abby Habicht. Habicht worked Sauter for a walk, but was forced out on the Bobcats' second double play of the day.
Ohio took the lead in the fourth, as Waters walked with two outs, stole second and scored on Szalejko's single to left. Waters and the ball arrived at the plate at roughly the same time, but Waters was able to slide home safely as the ball skipped away. Vrabel recovered to get a strikeout of Catlette to end the inning, but the visitors had the lead.
The Falcons got their first hit of the day in the fourth, as DeLong hit a hard ground ball that caromed off the glove of third baseman Futscher. DeLong took second base on a grounder to the right side of the infield by junior Emmy Ramsey. Rango got the Falcons on the scoreboard by lining a ball up the middle for a base hit. DeLong rounded third and scored ahead of the throw to the plate, tying the score.
In the top of the sixth, OU's Miller very nearly broke the tie, hitting a pitch over the left-field fence, but foul by several feet. Vrabel got Miller to hit a foul pop to third baseman Rango for the first out, then threw three pitches past Futscher. The Falcon senior closed the inning by firing a called third strike past Davis.
The Falcons mounted a threat, aided by a pair of Bobcat errors, in the bottom of the sixth. DeLong reached base on a one-out error, and pinch-hitter Natalie Armintrout hit a grounder that was mishandled by the Bobcat shortstop to put a pair of runners aboard. But, Sauter was able to escape that jam, getting a strikeout and a grounder to the right side of the infield.
Meanwhile, Vrabel struck out five consecutive batters over the sixth and seventh innings, including all three batters in the seventh frame, sending the teams to the bottom of the seventh still tied at 1-1.
Junior Jeanine Baca began that half-inning by hitting a 1-1 pitch to the base of the wall in right-centerfield for a stand-up double. Sauter got a strikeout, though, and Habicht hit a liner that was right at leftfielder Kelly Rodriguez for the second out. Sauter and pinch-hitter Hayley Wiemer battled through a lengthy at-bat, before the OU hurler got the Falcon freshman to hit a grounder to the right side of the infield to retire the side and force extra innings.
Vrabel struck out the first two hitters of the eighth inning, making it seven-straight K's and 12 batters in a row, before the visitors got their first baserunner since the fourth inning. Sacks reached on a BGSU error with two down in the eighth, before Miller hit a cue-ball shot that spun past DeLong for a bad-hop single. But, Vrabel got pinch-hitter Kristen Salvatore to hit a grounder to first baseman Lindsay Heimrich, and the senior stepped on the bag for the third out.
Sauter looked to have things well in hand in the bottom of the eighth, dispatching of the first two batters. But, Ramsey beat out a slow roller to shortstop for a base hit, and Rango got aboard when her grounder to the left side of the infield was booted. Sauter, however, got a grounder to first to retire the side.
In the ninth, Vrabel retired the Bobcats in order, and the Falcons got a leadoff baserunner in the bottom of the frame, as Sauter couldn't come up with Baca's grounder back to the circle. Freshman Desiree Miller executed a textbook bunt, with Baca taking second base on the sac bunt.
Habicht hit a grounder up the middle, but shortstop Sacks made a diving stop, and threw to first for the second out. Baca took third on the play, but Sacks' play prevented the game-winning run from scoring. Sauter then got a strikeout to force the first use of the `tens' column on the BGSU Softball Field scoreboard this spring.
In the top of the tenth, Catlette culminated a lengthy at-bat by hitting a ball into the gap in right-center for a leadoff double. Rodriguez did a nice job of hitting, getting a grounder to the right side that sent Catlette to third with one out.
The next hitter, Weidner, hit a ball back up the middle. Vrabel made a lunge at the ball, and got a glove on it, but the ball bounded toward second base. Shortstop DeLong ranged over near the bag, grabbed the ball and fired home, where the ball and the baserunner arrived at the same time. Catcher Habicht blocked the plate, held on to the ball and tagged Catlette for the second out. Vrabel then got Sacks to hit a popup, and the senior pitcher grabbed it to retire the side.
Rango began the bottom of the 11th inning by hitting a fly ball into right-center, and centerfielder Szalejko's diving effort nearly was enough to rob the Falcon senior, but the ball hit off the end of Szalejko's glove for a double. Sophomore Allison Vallas followed with a single up the middle, but Rango was caught in a rundown between third and home for the first out.
Vallas took second on that play, and advanced to third on Baca's grounder. But, Sauter got another grounder for the third out.
The tiebreaker rule was put into effect in the 12th inning, and Waters was placed on second to begin the inning. She took third on Szalejko's sac bunt, and scored the go-ahead run when Catlette doubled to center.
Catlette moved to third on a grounder by Rodriguez, and Weidner hit a ball off the fence in left for a double that gave the visitors a 3-1 lead.
That was more than enough for Sauter, who retired the Falcons in order in the bottom of the inning to lock down the win. She allowed one run on six hits in her 12 inning of action, walking two batters and striking out seven to improve to 9-7 on the season.
Vrabel, as mentioned, had 13 strikeouts in relief, just one away from her career high. She allowed three runs (two earned) and just five hits in her nine-and-two-thirds innings, walking two hitters.
At the plate, Catlette had three of Ohio's seven hits, scoring a run and driving in a run. Rango was the lone Falcon with a multiple hit game, going 2-for-5 and driving in BGSU's only run of the day.
The Falcons and Bobcats will return to the diamond Sunday afternoon (April 9), completing their two-game series with a 1:00 p.m. contest.
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