May 14, 2004

Final Stats

AKRON, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University softball team had not defeated Central Michigan University in 10 years. Now, the Falcons have topped the Chippewas twice in six days.

Senior Jody Johnson threw a two-hit shutout, and the BG bats came alive in a 3-0 victory over the top-seeded Chippewas in Mid-American Conference Tournament action Friday afternoon (May 14) at Firestone Stadium.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 30-28 on the season, and remain alive in the elimination bracket of the tournament. BGSU, the tourney's sixth seed, will face second-seeded Kent State University in a game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday evening.

The Chippewas' overall record falls to 32-17.

Johnson started off well, and would have gotten through the top of the first inning on four pitches, if not for a two-out throwing error that put a runner on second base. That runner, Lindsay Calme, moved to third on a passed ball, but Johnson got the next batter, Aimee Smith, on a swinging strikeout. In the inning, eight of Johnson's 10 first-inning pitches were strikes.

In the bottom of the first, the Falcons put a pair of runners on base, after sophomore Lindsay Heimrich reached on catcher's interference, and classmate Gina Rango singled to leftfield off CMU starter Amber Puchalski. But, the Chippewa senior rebounded to get an inning-ending grounder to first base.

Each pitcher had little trouble retiring the side in the second inning, but Stephanie Crews worked Johnson for a walk to lead off the Central third. Brittany Fulks advanced her to second with a sacrifice bunt, but Johnson got back-to-back soft liners to shortstop, as Jenifer Kernahan retired both leadoff hitter Karen Hohs and number-two batter Brittany Decker.

Sophomore Abby Habicht's two-out double, off the MAC Pitcher of the Year, drove in the game's first run

In the home half of the third, freshman Megan McPherson led off with a single through the left side of the Central infield, and was sacrificed to second base by freshman Jeanine Baca. Still another frosh, Emmy Ramsey, laid down a bunt to move McPherson to third base with two outs, but Heimrich's liner was grabbed by Chippewa leftfielder Fulks for the third out.

Johnson retired the first two Central hitters in the fourth inning, before Christin Sobeck, the team's batting leader, singled up the middle after fouling off four pitches during her at-bat. That was the first hit of the game off Johnson.

The Falcon senior then walked Christan Dhondt to put a pair of Chippewas aboard, before Jacque Benedict hit a liner to left that Ramsey was able to track down.

In the bottom of that inning, Rango led off with her second single of the day, this time to right. Junior Kristen Anderson bunted Puchalski's next pitch back toward the circle, with the sacrifice advancing Rango to second.

Puchalski got a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but Abby Habicht roped the next pitch to left-center for a run-scoring double, plating Rango and breaking the scoreless deadlock.

The Falcons put the first two runners on base in the fifth, as McPherson worked Puchalski for a leadoff walk, and Baca reached on an infield single. Chippewa second baseman Hohs made a nice diving stop of Baca's grounder just behind the second-base bag, but McPherson was able to reach safely ahead of Hohs' tag attempt.

Ramsey then bunted the runners over, and Heimrich's grounder to the right side was enough to score McPherson to double the BG lead, with Baca taking third. Rango then drilled a double to the base of the wall in right, with Baca scoring easily and CMU coach Margo Jonker replacing Puchalski with Jessica Garvin. The next BG hitter, Anderson, gave the ball a ride, but Sobeck was able to track the ball down in left-center to end the inning.

In the Chippewa sixth, Calme reached on a one-out single that was just out of the reach of a leaping Kernahan. But, Johnson got Smith to swing and miss for out number two, then induced Sobeck to pop up to behind second base to end the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Johnson's 1-2 offering to Dhondt was inside and hit the Chippewa batter, giving Central a leadoff baserunner. The Falcon senior again worked the count to 1-2 against Benedict, who hit a grounder to shortstop that led to a force at second. Crews then hit a nubber to Heimrich at first base for the second out of the inning.

The next batter, Fulks, hit a lazy fly ball to left, and when it settled into Ramsey's glove, the Falcons had the win.

Johnson's two-hit effort was her fourth complete-game shutout of the season. She walked two batters and had five strikeouts in upping her record to 12-9 on the year.

Puchalski, the MAC Pitcher of the Year, took the loss to drop to 21-9. She allowed three runs and six hits before leaving with two outs in the fifth inning. Puchalski walked one batter and had one strikeout.

Garvin threw an inning and a third of one-hit shutout ball, with one strikeout.

The Falcons had a 7-2 advantage in the hits department, with Rango's 3-for-3 effort leading the way. The sophomore third baseman scored a run and drove in a run in the win.

The Falcons, as mentioned, are scheduled to return to the diamond later Friday, taking on Kent State in a 7:30 p.m. start. In the day's first elimination game, the Golden Flashes picked up a 6-5 win over Ohio University.

NOTES