Bousquet's Big Day Leads IPFW to Sweep of Falcons

Tuesday, April 26

Bowling Green, Ohio

2:00 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

24-10-1

Bowling Green

7-28

IPFW

Bowling Green

Alex Bousquet went 5-for-6 for IPFW with seven runs driven in against Bowling Green

Bousquet's Big Day Leads IPFW to Sweep of Falcons

4/26/2011 1:46:41 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

GAME 1 BOX SCORE | GAME 2 BOX SCORE

Bowling Green, OH - Behind the strong play of freshman shortstop Alex Bousquet, who drove in seven runs over the two games, the IPFW Mastodons, playing for the first time since April 16, shook off the rust of the nine-day layoff to sweep the Falcons of Bowling Green University by scores of 12-2 and 5-4.

The Mastodons improve to 25-10-1 on the season, and are 4-1 against teams in the Mid-American Conference, having split a double header with Toledo, and had a single game victory at Miami (Ohio). The win total is the second most in a season in program history, behind only the 29 from last season's squad.

The Mastodons started quickly as a five-run opening frame started with a walk to Rachel Staschuk, who was advanced to second on a wild pitch. A batter later Swanson walked, before each were moved ahead on a wild pitch, and after a groundout for the contest's first out, each runner advanced again, Staschuk across the plate, on the third wild pitch of the inning.

Cronin had the contest's first hit a batter later, driving in Swanson with a single up the middle, before Ashleigh Bousquet walked. A Sara Hopwood single loaded the bases, before the inning's fourth walk, to Cassie Wolfe, pushed Cronin across and gave the Mastodons a 3-0 advantage. After a looking strikeout, Alex Bousquet doubled to right-center field, scoring her twin sister Ashleigh and Hopwood, staking the Mastodons to a 5-0 first-inning lead.

The advantage grew in the top of the third inning when Ashleigh Bousquet led off the inning with the single, and was chased home by Wolfe's eighth home run of the season and 23rd of her career, taking the Mastodon advantage to 7-0, and moving past Crystal Fisher into third on the school's career RBI list in the process.

IPFW added five more runs in the top of the fourth, as the 'Dons batted around in the order for the second time in the game. IPFW scored two runs on back-to-back errors by the Falcons, before Hopwood singled home Cronin setting the stage for Alex Bousquet, who hit a two-run single to chase home her twin and Hopwood, putting the IPFW advantage at 12.

The shutout attempt by Cronin came to an end in the bottom of the fourth inning when Andrea Arney drew a bases loaded walk, before Katie Yoho hit a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 10 at 12-2. Those two runs would be all that Bowling Green would muster, as the opening game ended with a 12-2 final score.

Cronin and Hopwood each had two hits on the day, Hopwood going 2-for-2 and Cronin 2-for-4, while Ashleigh Bousquet tied the single-game school record with three runs scored, as Swanson, Cronin, and Hopwood each crossed the plate twice.

Alex Bousquet drove in a game-high four runs, while Wolfe chased home three in the win. Cronin went the entire five innings in the circle, improving to 16-7 on the season, scattering three hits and allowing two earned runs while striking out five. Erin Greenwalt picked up the loss for the Falcons, falling to 1-10 on the year.

The 12 runs in the opener marks the seventh time this season that IPFW has reached double-digits in the run column, a new single-season school record, as the previous high was six set in 1991. Previously the program had seven double-figure run games over the most recent six seasons (2005-2009) combined.

Bowling Green started the scoring in game two when Rachel Proehl scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Paige Berger, giving the hosts a slim 1-0 lead through the first frame. The Mastodons threatened in both the top half of both the second and third innings, putting a runner at third base, but each time the baserunner was left stranded, and the early Falcon run stood as the game's only score through the first three innings of the game.

IPFW got the one run back - and some more - in the fourth inning, when pinch-runner Sara Jacobson scored on an illegal pitch with the bases loaded, before Alex Bousquet hit a three-ball, two-strike pitch over the fence for her first collegiate home run, driving in three and giving the Mastodons a 4-1 advantage after the top half of the fourth.

The Mastodons reached the scoreboard again in the top of the fifth inning when Wolfe singled through the right side of the infield, scoring Cronin, and taking the IPFW advantage to four at 5-1.A Proehl single in the bottom of the sixth scored Lindsay Arney, before Katie Yoho doubled to center field, scoring Proehl and Hannah Fulk, cutting the deficit to one at 5-4.

Freshman Megan Flenniken came on in relief of starting pitcher Staschuk with one out and runners at second and third, and proceeded to get the next two batters to ground out and strike out, keeping the one-run margin for the Mastodons.

IPFW made small amount of noise on the offensive side of the seventh inning with a hit and a walk and no runs scored, before Flenniken, one of the all-time strikeout leaders in Ohio High School history, struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh, allowing just a two-out single, in picking up her second save of the season.

Alex Bousquet was a perfect 3-for-3 in the nightcap, taking her day total to 5-for-6, while driving in seven runs. Cassie Wolfe went 2-for-3 in the finale, as she was 3-for-5 on the day with four RBI's. Staschuk picked up the win in the circle, improving to 6-2 on the season, striking out five and allowing four earned runs over five and two-thirds of an inning.

Jessica O'Dell picks up the loss for the Falcons, falling to 0-1 on the season, as Bowling Green had two players, Proehl and Yoho, record multiple hits in the game.

The Mastodons are next scheduled to return to action on April 29, when the squad will travel to Rochester, Michigan to take on the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland University in a Summit League battle, with first-pitch of the opener slated for 3:00 PM.

~Dons~