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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
EASTERN MICHIGAN
EMU Takes Two Over Bowling Green
April 20, 2007 | Softball
April 20, 2007
YPSILANTI, Mich. - Eastern Michigan ended the BGSU Mid-American conference win streak at eight after handing the Falcons their first MAC losses on the road. Eastern took the game one win, 1-0 and the game two win 2-1. Bowling Green is now 25-8 on the season and 8-4 in the MAC whereas EMU is 16-16 overall and 6-2 in the MAC.
The loss was the first shutout against the Falcons this season. Bowling Green had not been shutout since a pair of 8-0 and 1-0 losses at DePaul on April 26, 2006.
Eastern Michigan becomes the second MAC team to beat the Falcons twice since their opening weekend loss to Kent State.
Entering the game, BGSU found their first score in the fifth inning or later in four games and was 1-3 in those outings.
The Falcons will stay on the road to face Central Michigan tomorrow and Sunday with single games on either day. Saturday's single will begin at 2:00 p.m. whereas Sunday's will start at 1:00 p.m.
Game one BG 0, EMU 1
Allison Vallas was the first player on either squad to reach base as a result of a lead-off walk in the second inning, but did not remain active in the offensive set for long. Ashley Zirkle's ensuing bunt outted both Valls and Zirkle on the play.
Through two full innings, the Falcon outfield was kept on their toes with three fly-outs to the deep defensive grass, while Dawnjene DeLong scooped up a pair of outs at short and Emily Gouge retired a batter with a swinging strikeout.
Carly Riepenhoff's walk with two outs at the top of the third inning marked the first time either Bowling Green or Eastern would sent more than the automatic three batters to the plate. The Falcons were unable to move Riepenhoff past first base with a pop-up to second base ending the visitor's portion of the inning. Eastern Michigan's Heather Giroux, found the first EMU solid base hit in the bottom of the same inning, but was stranded at first after Lauren Clark, the next Eagle batter, ended the inning with a pop-up to Riepenhoff at second base.
The Falcons held the Eagles at bay despite a potential scoring scare in the fourth inning. EMU began the inning with a base hit bunt by Stephanie Sabo who eventually made it to the third base bag on Lindsay Schmid's double. All infield bases were occupied by Eagles after Heather Han was walked, but a gloved foul ball in left field by Emmy Ramsey ended the inning and the game remained scoreless through four full innings.
Eastern broke the stalemate in the bottom of a very active fifth inning.
Lindsay Ritz led-off the inning with a single through the left side and remained at the first base corner through Giroux's stikeout. Clark then traded places with Ritz at first as she reached on a fielder's choice and the combination of Baca and Riepenhoff outted Ritz at second. Sabo's second hit, a single to left field, advanced Clark to second and she was returned for the first score on Stauss's single to right field. Bowling Green's pitching change brought Wiemer in for Gouge. The junior finished the game with a walk, six hits and two K's. Wiemer then earned her lone strike out, against Schmid as the last batter in the inning, and EMU was on the board with the 1-0 lead after five.
In their next at bat, Bowling Green's DeLong began the inning with a single to the pitcher and was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Riepenhoff. With two outs, she was joined by Ramsey, a pinch runner for Lauren Hoffman, and Wiemer due to a pair of walks. Vallas, the current team career RBI leader, could not bring the trio home and earned the third out on a fly ball to centerfield.
Deep in the sixth, EMU found yet another runner on the hot corner but was unable to bring her home and the 1-0 lead continued to the seventh inning.
The Falcons began the final inning with two quick outs but Brittnay Hay brought a spark to the offense as she advanced to first base by way of a walk. DeLong followed with a single to left and both batters were given another base after Riepenhoff singled through the right side. Once again with bases loaded, the Falcons could not capitalize as Baca, the ensuing batter, fouled out to left field.
The Eagles out hit the Falcons 7-3, but the Falcons were walked five times in comparison to EMU's once.
DeLong led the Falcons with two hits, while Riepenhoff contributed another.
EMU pitcher Michelle Lloyd threw seven strikeouts including two in the first and once each inning there after except for the sixth.
Game two BG 1, EMU 2
Once again Vallas was the first batter to reach base after a quick three-up three down inning for both the Falcons and the Eagles. In this game, she would also become the first score as she made the trip around the bases thanks to twin singles by DeLong and Susan Sontag. On Sontag's single up the middle, Vallas scored from second base with two outs threatening. Bowling Green could not advance their lead as the inning was ended on a Riepenhoff strikeout.
Wiemer and the BG defense did not allow an Eastern batter a hit through three innings.
In the top of the fourth, the Falcons found runners in Sharon Palma, a pinch runner for Zirkle, and Brittnay Hay. Hay was stationed on first after being hit by a pitch and Palma was on second due to a DeLong SAC bunt. Both runners advanced one base in part to a Riepenhoff single to left field and the BGSU bases were loaded for the first time in game two. With two outs, Baca struck out looking after the right fielder dropped one of her hits that landed on the wrong side of the foul line by approximately two feet.
Bowling Green took the 1-0 lead into the fifth after a quick inning with an EMU ground out to DeLong at short and a double play between DeLong and Vallas at first outing Strauss, the batter, and Sabo, the first base runner.
In the fifth, Wiemer made it as far as the third base corner but was unable to score after smacking a double and advancing on a Vallas shot to first. Zirkle's grounder to third base ended the inning and the score remained a low 1-0 in Bowling Green's favor.
EMU tied the game with the old picket fence when Han, who began the drive with a single through the right side advanced to second on a fielding error by Hay at third base and was brought home on a Ritz RBI single. EMU's Jessica Grant moved to third base on the play, but was stranded when Giroux's fly to Ramsey in left field ended the inning.
Entering the seventh, the squads remained at the 1-1 deadlock despite BGSU and EMU runners taking to the base path in the sixth inning.
Bowling Green picked up three quick outs with a strikeout and two groundouts in the seventh.
EMU's Scherer opened the seventh inning with a double down the left field line and was advanced to the hot corner on a Han SAC bunt. Grant followed Scherer into the base running effort on a fielder's choice. Ritz then reached base on a fielding error that took a high bounce to shortstop DeLong and Scherer scored the winning run unearned.
Bowling Green out hit the Eagles in game two 8-5 but could not compensate for the home team's six K's against their bats.
