Falcons are Walk-Off Winners Twice Over

Friday, May 4

Bowling Green, Ohio

3:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

NORTHERN ILLINOIS

May 04, 2007 | Softball

May 4, 2007

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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - The Bowling Green State University softball team picked up a sweep of Friday's (May 4) doubleheader sweep of Northern Illinois University. The Falcons won two very different types of games with the same exclamation point -- a walk-off homerun. BG downed the Huskies by scores of 10-0 (five innings) and 3-2 at the BGSU Softball Field.

With the wins, the Falcons improve to 30-9 overall and 13-5 in Mid-American Conference play. The Huskies drop to 20-25 and 9-11, respectively.

Sophomore Hayley Wiemer picked up the win in both ends of the twinbill, with a complete-game three-hit shutout in the opener and two innings of hitless relief in the nightcap.

BGSU's three homers in the first game included back-to-back blasts by senior Ashley Zirkle and junior Dawnjene DeLong in the fourth inning and a walk-off grand slam by freshman Susan Sontag in the fifth.

In the nightcap, the Falcons trailed by a 2-1 count entering the seventh inning, but senior Jeanine Baca's two-out, two-run shot to centerfield gave the Brown and Orange the dramatic come-from-behind victory.

Baca, DeLong and junior Allison Vallas each had three hits in the twinbill, with all three of Baca's going for extra bases (a double, triple and the homer). The Falcons hit an aggregate .327 to the Huskies' .190 in the two games.

Ironically, the Falcons were held hitless in the first three innings of each of Friday's games. In the first game, BGSU scored all 10 runs and had all nine hits in the span of an inning and a third. In game two, the Brown and Orange had seven hits after the start of the fourth inning, with two hits in three of the final four frames.

Huskie starter Taryn Hagemann held the BG bats at bay in the opening three innings of game one. Meanwhile, Wiemer was keeping the Huskies scoreless as well. Northern's only baserunner in the first two innings reached on an error, but Wiemer struck out the final two batters of each of those innings to keep the game scoreless.

Krista McPherson picked up the game's first hit in the top of the third inning, and stole second base, but Wiemer got Bailey Ouellette to hit a one-hopper back to the circle, and the BG soph threw to first to end that threat.

After another scoreless inning, Wiemer got the Falcons' first hit of the game, a sinking liner that NIU rightfielder Jenna Roberts nearly came up with. But, Roberts' diving try came up just short, and BG had a one-out baserunner.

Vallas followed with a line drive into the gap in right-center, with Wiemer advancing to third on the play. Both runners trotted home three pitches later, when Zirkle deposited Hagemann's 2-0 offering over the fence in left. DeLong followed with a solo shot to left-center, and the Falcons had a four-run advantage. But, the BG bats were just getting warmed up.

Northern looked to respond in the top of the fifth, as Kelly Park beat out a slow roller toward second, and Allie Parker followed with a hard-hit ball through the right side of the infield to put runners at first and second with no outs. But, the Falcons held the Huskies off the scoreboard.

First, Wiemer got a strikeout of Roberts, and Krystn Sendejas then hit a grounder to Falcon second baseman Carly Riepenhoff, who flipped the ball to shortstop DeLong for a force at second. With runners at the corners, Wiemer speared a McPherson grounder and tossed the ball to first baseman Vallas to retire the side.

The BG bats exploded in the bottom of the inning, with six runs on five hits. The only batter the Huskies retired in that frame was senior Emmy Ramsey, who voluntarily gave herself up on a sacrifice bunt.

The inning began with Baca hitting Hagemann's first pitch off the wall in left, for a leadoff double. Ramsey moved Baca to third, and Wiemer reached on a fielder's choice, as second baseman Ouellette grabbed her ground ball and threw home in an attempt to get Baca. But, her throw was high, sailing over catcher Parker's head, and both BG runners were safe as the Falcons took a 5-0 lead.

Vallas roped Hagemann's next pitch off the Glad bag in right-center for a double, with Wiemer taking third on the play. Zirkle draw a walk to load the bases, and DeLong's blooper was just over the head of third baseman Michelle Nendza's leaping effort, with everyone moving up one base on the RBI single. Then, Sontag blasted a homer to end the game after just an hour and seven minutes.

Wiemer, as mentioned, allowed just three hits in her complete-game shutout. The sophomore needed only 59 pitches, throwing a whopping 45 strikes, to pick up the win. She struck out seven batters and did not issue a walk.

Hagemann took the loss to fall to 7-13 on the spring. She allowed all 10 BGSU runs (nine earned) on nine hits over four-and-a-third innings, walking two batters and whiffing four.

At the plate, Vallas and DeLong had two hits apiece, while four Falcons -- Vallas, DeLong, Zirkle and Wiemer -- scored two runs each. The five through seven hitters in the lineup, Zirkle (three), DeLong (two) and Sontag (four), accounted for all nine runs batted in for the Brown and Orange.

Game two began much the way game one had, with each pitcher mowing down the opposition over the first few innings. Falcon junior Emily Gouge and NIU freshman Kate Greenough each through several hitless innings to start the game.

Gouge retired the first six NIU hitters in order, striking out the side in the second inning. Meanwhile, Greenough allowed just one BG baserunner through the first three frames, issuing a leadoff walk to Vallas in the second. But, the Huskie hurler got a double-play ball and another grounder to get out of the inning.

Northern broke through for a run in the third inning. Parker's blooper landed in left-center for a leadoff single. Jenna Mitchell's bunt attempt resulted in a popup that landed just inside the first-base line, but BG catcher Zirkle grabbed the ball and fired to second in time to force Parker.

A Sendejas bunt resulted in runners at second and third after a BG error, and Mitchell then scored on a McPherson single.

The Huskies doubled that lead in the fourth inning, as Ouellette led off with a double to center and took third on Randi Kreiter's infield hit. Nendza followed with an RBI single to give NIU a 2-0 advantage, and the Huskies still had runners at first and second with no outs. Wiemer prevented further damage, however, getting Ellen Stoddard to pop up a bunt and retiring Park on a fly ball. After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Wiemer induced Parker to hit a foul pop that Vallas grabbed for the third out.

Baca led off the bottom of the fourth by hitting a ball to the wall in right-center, and the senior legged it out for a triple. One out later, Wiemer hit a grounder to shortstop McPherson, who threw home in an attempt to get Baca. But, the Falcon senior was safe to give BG its first run of the game.

Vallas ripped a grounder through the right side for a single to put two runners aboard, but Greenough was able to get out of the jame with a pair of grounders.

The only baserunner of the fifth inning for either team was Riepenhoff, who singled with two outs, but Greenough got a grounder up the middle for an inning-ending fielder's choice.

In the sixth, Wiemer relieved Gouge and retired the side in order, but BG could not score in the bottom of the inning. Ramsey led off that half-inning with a hard-hit ball that deflected off the glove of third baseman Nendza, but shortstop McPherson was able to dive and catch the ball before it hit the ground for the first out.

Wiemer reached base on an infield single, as Ouellette could not come up with her bouncer up the middle. Vallas reached on a fielder's choice, and BG had two runners aboard when a Northern error resulted in Wiemer reaching second safely. After a popup, DeLong singled sharply to rightfield, but Wiemer was out at the plate to end the inning.

Wiemer entered the seventh inning having allowed only nine bases on balls in her first 133 1/3 innings pitched this season, but the sophomore uncharacteristically issued back-to-back walks with one out in the seventh. But, she responded with strikeouts of Mitchell and pinch-hitter Kate Welsh to send the game to the bottom of the seventh.

In that half-inning, Greenough struck out the first batter, but sophomore Brittnay Hay ripped a single to left, setting up Baca's heroics. The senior's ensuing blast to straightaway center gave the Falcons their 30th win of the season and a sweep of the day's doubleheader.

Wiemer picked up the win in relief to run her record to 2-0 on the day and 15-5 on the year. Greenough took the loss with a complete-game effort, allowing three earned runs on seven hits.

Gouge surrendered just one earned run and five hits in her five innings of work, striking out five hitters without allowing a walk. Wiemer had four strikeouts in the afternoon's second game.

At the plate, Baca was 2-for-4 with a triple, the walk-off homer, two runs scored and two RBI. Five different players had one hit apiece for NIU.

The Falcons' final home weekend of the season continues with a Saturday (May 5) single game vs. Western Michigan University. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at the BGSU Softball Field.