Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
MIAMI (OH)
Salsburg and Co. Clicking On High Gear in 6-4 Win
February 25, 2007 | Softball
Feb. 25, 2007
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Senior Jeanine Baca's lead-off homerun extended her hit streak to four games and gave the Falcons a lead they would not relinquish. They beat the RedHawks of Miami University 6-4 in non-conference action in game four of the Panera Bread Challenge on the campus of the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. The Falcons are 3-1 at the Challenge, and on the season, while Miami has a 3-1 record in Tennessee and boasts a 6-7 record overall.
"It was great to face Miami now and get a feel for them before the conference season," said head coach Shannon Salsburg. "We just had an amazing day all around and our bats were on fire today."
Bowling Green used the momentum from their hitless win earlier in the day and did not allow the RedHawks a hit until the fifth inning.
Baca's long ball to right field was the first of two Falcon scores in the bottom of the opening inning. The Miami pitching staff next placed shortstop Dawnjene DeLong on first due to a pitch that made contact with DeLong's body rather than her bat. In a déjà vu from the events of the morning, Bowling Green took the early 2-0 lead.
The Falcons had their biggest inning of the Panera Bread Challenge recording four run in the third inning as DeLong both opened and closed the inning in the batter's box. DeLong, Hayley Wiemer, Allison Vallas, and Jocelyn Gray scored in the effort.
Bowling Green held on to the 6-0 until Miami staged a late comeback in the fifth inning. Kimberly Williams three run homer to right field cut the BG advantage in half.
The scoreboard read 6-3 until the seventh inning. MU's Ashley Gartland picked up an RBI on her single to right field. The comeback effort was halted as Emily Gouge struck out one RedHawk and Alexis Javier grounded out to BGSU's Carly Reipenhoff at second base.
Wiemer and Gouge shared time on the mound and each struck out two RedHawks.
DeLong leads the Falcon unit and is responsible for five runs on the weekend. Baca has chipped in four.
With her one hit, Ashley Zirkle joins Baca with a hit in each of the four games BGSU has competed in.
Bowling Green will close the Challenge with Akron in a non-conference match-up on Sunday morning. Bats will start swinging with the first pitch scheduled for 11:00 a.m. This will also be the first meeting for the programs in the month of February.
