Bobcats Hand Falcons First Loss of the Tourney

May 9, 2008

AKRON, Ohio - The Ohio softball team is one of three teams still in the race for the 2008 MAC Softball Championship after defeating Bowling Green, 10-4, Friday night.

The Bobcats survived another round in the double-elimination tourney, winning their last three games after losing their first one to the Falcons in the opening round on Thursday. Ohio and Bowling Green will match up again tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. for a chance to play in the championship game against Kent State at 3 p.m.

Ohio tallied 12 hits in the game with two errors, while the Falcons finished with two hits and eight errors. The Bobcats scored in each of the first five innings of the game, scratching two runs in each of the first two innings, one run in the third and fourth innings, and three in the fifth. The `Cats added another run in the seventh to reach double digits.

Sophomore Deanna Hartsough (Santa Ana, Calif.) finished the game 3-for-4 with a career-high five RBI. Hartsough's two-RBI single up the middle in the opening stanza scored sophomore Shalene Petrich (Chehalis, Wash.) and senior Courtney Waters (Eagle River, Alaska) to put Ohio first on the scoreboard. She hit another two-RBI single in the second inning to score Waters and freshman Melissa Bonner (Kings Mills, Ohio) for a 4-0 Bobcat lead. Hartsough's last RBI came on a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh to score Petrich.

Waters finished the game 2-for-3 with a game-high three runs scored with an RBI and a walk. Petrich added two runs, while senior Kristen Salvatore (Kirtland, Ohio) and freshman Jordan Paden (Walla Walla, Wash.) both went 2-for-4.

Freshman Emily Wethington (New Palestine, Ind.) earned her 12th win in the circle, pitching four innings in relief and giving up just one hit and no runs. She also struck out four batters.

Bowling Green scored all of their four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Emily Gouge hit a grand slam to put the Falcons on the scoreboard. Gouge also took the pitching loss for the Falcons, giving up six runs on seven hits and walking two. She also had two strikeouts.

With the win, the Bobcats improve to a 28-25 overall record, marking the best win record in six years. The Falcons fall to 19-23 on the season.