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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Boston University
Gouge Named Most Valuable Pitcher, Falcons Lose in Nine Innings
March 18, 2007 | Softball
March 18, 2007
TAMPA, Fla. - The softball Falcons (14-4) dropped their first tournament championship match-up as Boston University (15-6) defeated BGSU 5-4 in extra innings in the final game of the USF Speedline tournament. Junior pitcher Emily Gouge was named the Most Valuable Pitcher for her performance in Tampa this weekend.
BGSU advanced to the championship after earning the No. 1 seed from their pool and beating fellow top seed UNLV this morning.
Gouge becomes the second Falcon pitcher to be recognized at the conclusion of tournament play; sophomore pitcher Hayley Wiemer was named MVP of the Charleston Southern Tournament. Gouge, a Vero Beach, Florida native, finished the championship game with four strikeouts and recorded a K count of 21 on the weekend.
The Falcons found themselves down 3-0 at the conclusion of five innings, but rallied back to force two extra innings.
"Both teams have tremendous strengths in hitting and pitching. The winner of this game was going to be determined by who scored last," said head coach Shannon Salsburg.
The Falcon offense ran in two scores in the top of the sixth with Wiemer's double to right center. As the Falcons welcomed senior runners Jeanine Baca and Emmy Ramsey back to the dugout, they also kept BU on their toes as their lead was cut from three runs to one, 3-2.
Bowling Green kept BU scoreless in the sixth, despite runners occupying first and second, then scrapped their way to a 3-3 tie in the seventh with freshman Susan Sontag's leadoff homerun to left field. Junior Dawnjene DeLong made it as far as third base in the same inning, but was unable to score.
Both Bowling Green and Boston University earned runs as a result of players beginning the eighth inning on second base. BG's Wiemer came home as a result of Brittnay Hay's base on balls with potential scorers on each of the infield bags.
Boston University scored in the ninth on a throwing error to end the standoff.
"Unfortunately we are on the short end of this game, but it is nothing to hang our heads about," said Salsburg. "We played an absolutely fantastic day of softball."
The Falcons will have a week to recuperate before traveling to Michigan State University in East Lansing on March 28 for their last non-conference game before the MAC's opening weekend.
