Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Northern Illinois
Huskies Down Falcons, 5-1, on Senior Day
April 18, 2010 | Softball
BGSU goes 6-4 at Meserve Field in 2010
Visiting Northern Illinois University pounded out 13 hits en route to a 5-1 win over the Bowling Green State University softball team Sunday afternoon (April 18). The Mid-American Conference game was held at Meserve Field.
Final Boxscore - PDF
With the win, the Huskies improve to 18-24 overall and 7-5 in MAC play. The Falcons drop to 10-16 and 6-4, respectively.
NIU pitcher Morgan Bittner scattered three hits to earn the complete-game victory. Bittner walked two batters and struck out six in improving to 13-10 on the year.
The Huskies took a quick 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Amanda Sheppard led off the game with a double down the left-field line off Falcon junior Zada Lines, Sheppard would score on a single up the middle by Andrea Colosimo. Colosimo took second on the throw to the plate, and scored one out later on a hit by Jennifer Barnett.
In the bottom of the first, sophomore Rachel Proehl beat out a slow grounder to second for a one-out single. But, Bittner got a strikeout for the second out. Freshman Paige Berger drew a walk, but as senior Susan Sontag hit a grounder, the home-plate umpire ruled her out for stepping on the plate when she made contact with the ball, ending the inning.
NIU's Alex Wulbecker led off the second with a long single down the left-field line. Krista Matsui bunted Wulbecker to second, but Lines induced Sheppard to hit a popup that second baseman Haleigh Bielstein grabbed in foul ground behind first base. Wulbecker took third on on the play, but Lines fanned Kate Welsh to end the threat.
Bittner retired the side in order in the bottom of the second, before the Huskies increased the lead to 3-0 with a third-inning run. Zoe Sinner hit a one-out single to left, and stole second two pitches later. The next hitter, Barnett, laced a single to left-center to plate Sinner and chase Lines. Junior Melissa Bott replaced her in the circle, and got Whitney Owens to hit a grounder that was grabbed by third baseman Melissa West. West threw to Bielstein to force Barnett at second. Adriana Sanchez singled through the left side – Northern's eighth hit of the game – with Owens taking second, but Bott got Wulbecker to hit a grounder to third for an inning-ending force play.
BG got its second hit of the day when Hannah Fulk singled up the middle with one out in the bottom of the third, but
In the fourth, Colosino singled to score Sheppard with the Huskies' fourth run, but the Falcons got a run back in the bottom of the inning. Berger lined the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth for a base hit. Berger stole second with Sontag at the plate, then took third on a passed ball on the next play. Berger scored the Falcons' lone run of the game on Sontag's grounder to short.
Northern added to the lead in the sixth, when pinch-hitter Dani Parrish doubled to score Ashley Cann, and Bittner shut down the Falcons the rest of the way.
Sheppard, Colosimo and Barnett had two hits apiece for the Huskies, with Colosimo and Barnett each driving in two runs and Sheppard scoring twice. Fulk, Proehl and Berger had one hit each for the Brown and Orange.
Sunday was 'Senior Day' at Meserve Field, as the Falcons' two seniors, Karmen Coffey and Sontag were recognized in ceremonies prior to the game.
BGSU now will play the remainder of the regular-season schedule on the road, beginning with next weekend's trip to Ball State and Miami. The Falcons are slated to play a Friday (April 23) doubleheader agains the Cardinals in Muncie, with single games vs. the RedHawks on Saturday (April 24) and Sunday (April 25) in Oxford.
