Bowling Green State University Athletics
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Hot Falcons Defense Keeps RedHawk Runners Cold
April 13, 2007 | Softball
April 13, 2007
Final Stats / Photos From Game 1 / Photos From Game 2
The Falcon offense, often powered by the longball, has been the rave surrounding Bowling Green State University this season, but it was their stellar defense that fought off two late rallies to earn bookend wins over Miami at the BGSU Softball Field today. Sophomore pitcher Hayley Wiemer struck out one batter in relief to save the 2-1 BG lead in game one while classmate Brittnay Hay converted an acrobatic fielder's choice to wrap up game two, 4-3, and the day in conference play.
The Falcons, who have yet to split a conference outing, improve to 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference and 21-6 on the season. In dropping both decisions, Miami falls to 14-31-1 overall and 4-6 in the MAC.
On the day, Wiemer and fellow pitcher Emily Gouge threw 15 K's to MU's five. Senior catcher Ashley Zirkle was 3-of-5 for a .600 BA, while junior Allison Vallas went .500 (2-4) and freshman Susan Sontag was a cool .400 (2-5).
After two games, BGSU and MU were an even 12-12 in the hits column.
Both Vallas and Sontag postmarked pitches out of the park in game two. If BGSU can slug an additional set of twins towards Poe Rd this weekend, they will tie the program single season homerun record of 29. With the big shots, Vallas moves to third on the all-time single season homerun record list with seven and counting. Former Falcon Gina Rango holds the first and second slot with 10 in 2006 and nine in 2004. Vallas is fifth overall in the career homerun category with two handfuls in just under three complete years. Additionally, Sontag becomes the fourth Falcon freshman to hit four or more homeruns in her inaugural outing. She joins current teammate Jeanine Baca (5-'04) and former Falcons Gina Rango (5-'03) and Desiree Miller (4-'06) on the list.
With their runs batted in today, Wiemer and Vallas also earned appearances on the all-time single season RBI record list. Wiemer currently has welcomed 26 runners home while Vallas has ushered in 27. Through last weekend's contests, Wiemer led all MAC batters with 25 RBI's this season.
Vallas also jumps from a tied-137h to a tied-3rd overall with 87 career RBI's. She is even with Colleen Bates (1997-2000) but trails Dena Romstadt (91-1990-1993) and Gina Rango (132-2003-06).
The Falcons will remain home tomorrow and Sunday for a double dose of the Ball State Cardinals. Saturday's bird-fight is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. while Sunday's has a 1:00 p.m. start time.
Game One - BG 2, MU 1
Both Bowling Green and Miami registered a hit in the first inning, but BG held the advantage by converting their hit to a run and the lead. Senior Jeanine Baca connected for her ninth conference hit and the scored her ninth conference run when she was driven in on Wiemer's sacrifice fly to right field.
After a series of quick defensive outings, freshman Carly Riepenhoff had her choice of Falcons to return in the bottom of the fourth inning with Zirkle, and Hay within striking distance at third and first, respectively. Riepenhoff's base hit drove in Zirkle's winning run, but Hay's aggressive base running was narrowly overpowered by a right field to second to third base defensive relay putting Hay out at her destination en rout to ending the inning.
In their next at bat, Miami's offensive positioning of potentials scores on all bases allowed Briana Burke's lineout to left field score one MU run, but after reloading the bases on balls, DeLong powered the Falcon defense with back-to-back pop-up outs. MU grounded out to DeLong four more times in the next two innings going three-and-out in the sixth and five-and-out in the seventh.
Bowling Green's offensive loaded the bases in the sixth but were unable able to bat each other around on three hits.
In what would normally be a routine 6-3 play between DeLong and Vallas at first, the Falcons picked up a big second batter out after DeLong somewhat bobbled a grounder and Vallas was forced to recreate a yoga position to remain on the bag and glove the toss from short. Later, Sontag's diving catch in leftfield was ruled a base hit and Alexis Javier joined Vallas on first. With five K's and two outs, Gouge was retired for the game and Wiemer entered in relief. Wiemer, who prefers bubble wrapped batters (SEE: Wiemer Gets Laughs on Andrew Z in the Morning) retired MU's Alicia Hogl for her first save of the year.
Bowling Green won the first game 2-1 and did not bat in the bottom of the seventh.
Game Two - BG 4, MU 3
Fresh from her previous save, Wiemer made a statement to the MU batters by striking out the side in the first inning. In fact, the Redhawks did not record a hit until the fourth inning.
In the bottom of the first leadoff hitter Baca, who occupied second due to a walk and stolen base, returned to her teammates in the dugout when Vallas booted a double to centerfield that escaped Hogal's glove due to a bit of wind-aided misdirection. The Falcons took a 1-0 lead upon the upperclassmen's episode of `Trading Spaces'.
Bowling Green is now 17-1 when scoring first and 12-1 when scoring in the first inning.
RBI charges were tacked on to Vallas' long distance call in third as the score reached 3-0 while Sontag smacked a solo shot in the fourth and it seemed as if the Falcons would turn on the cruise control to put the RedHakws away.
MU was apparently not watching the same game.
Shalise Lugo sought revenge in the circle and found it as she struck out Sontag, who could see the loaded bases from the batters box, for the third out of the fifth inning.
Miami then got down to business scoring two runs on Hogal's opposite field dinger and another as a result of a fielding error Yet, the RedHawks were stopped short of a tie and BGSU escaped the inning with the 4-3 advantage while stranding two runners on base.
In a cinematic ending, including loaded bases and two outs, Hay ended the contest with an acrobatic dive for Breanna Robinson's infield hit and tagged third base for the final out before Hogl could reach the bag from second. If Hay would have missed the tagout, Halle Popson would have landed home as the tying run with three runners hoping to follow her lead in the infield.
