Bulls Split Matinee Doubleheader

With winter finally out the door, this year's Buffalo Bulls softball team is heating up, and it could not have come at a better time.

After taking two of three from Akron last weekend, Buffalo hoped to take that momentum into yesterday's doubleheader against the resurgent Bowling Green Falcons (18-21, 5-5 Mid-American Conference).

Buffalo (13-15, 4-4 MAC) took the opener 1-0 behind a solid performance by junior hurler Stacey Evans who was backed up by an impressive defense. Evans, who is now 7-6 on the season, went the distance as she capped a five hitter by striking out Bowling Green's Megan McPherson.

The Bulls did not waste any time and scored in the bottom of the first inning on Shannon Prochaska's bloop RBI single to right field.

To start off the inning, senior Marce Ross battled with Bowling Green pitcher Liz Vrabel to draw a lead off walk. After a Julie Hibner strikeout, cleanup hitter Breanne Nasti also drew a base on balls. With Ann Magur on first via a fielder's choice and Nasti on second, Prochaska hit a two out pop fly to shallow right field, which scored Nasti. Melissa Pace ended the inning with a strikeout.

While Buffalo kept the pressure on Vrabel all game, Bowling Green never got the chance to make any noise as Evans (seven strikeouts) shut down the Bowling Green offense.

Every time Bowling Green began to get something started, the calm Buffalo defense made all the right plays to end the Falcon's bid to get on the board.

Perhaps the defensive gem of the game came in the top of the third inning when Bowling Green's Lindsay Heimrich got caught with a too big of a lead on first and was gunned out by catcher Julie Hibner.

Buffalo had the opportunity to score some insurance runs as the Bulls had the bases juiced in both the fourth and fifth innings. However Buffalo could not capitalize as Ross struck out looking in the fourth and Allison Round struck out to end the fifth.

With the win, Buffalo notched their fifth shutout of the year while Evans (1.82 ERA) has now pitched 43.2 innings without yielding an earned run.

In the nightcap, Bowling Green prevailed behind the hot bat of Gina Rango and the dominant pitching of Jody Johnson by shutting out the Bulls 4-0.

In the top of the fifth, sophomore Rango ripped a three-run shot over the left center wall to put the nail in the coffin. Buffalo could not muster any sort of comeback as the Bulls went hitless in their last two at bats.

Johnson went the full seven innings for the Falcons put on a clinic that would impress Tommy Emanski as she yielded only one hit and struck out five Bulls.

Buffalo freshman Sophie Barstad (6-4) took the loss for the Bulls as she went the distance and produced the only Buffalo hit. She finished with zero walks while striking out six.

Next up for the Bulls is a three-game series against the always-competitive Ohio Bobcats that starts Saturday and ends Sunday. Game time for both days is 1 p.m.

Buffalo has beaten the Zips two out of three games within the last week, first shutting them out last Friday by 2-0, and then following with another shutout the next day, 4-0.

In the two combined wins, Evans struck out 10 and walked only two. Hibner hit a two-out single in the top of the fifth, which then allowed Mary Russell and Dominique Jones to bring in the only two runs of Fridays game.

Evans pitched her third shutout of the season and her 10th complete game. Suffering the loss for Akron was Tina McCauley, pitching all seven innings, with six allowed hits and no earned runs while obtaining eight strikeouts.