Falcons Pick Up a Pair of One-Run Wins on Saturday

Saturday, March 7

Clearwater, FL

9:00 AM

Bowling Green State University

9-6, 0

Army

9-9, 0

Army West Point

Bowling Green

Nikki Sorgi at Purdue Fort Wayne - March 27 2019

Nikki Sorgi drove in 2 runs in each of Saturday's wins

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

March 07, 2020 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 BGSU-Army Box Score BGSU-UTC Box Score

BGSU downs Army & Chattanooga to improve to 10-6

By: by Mike Cihon, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

The Bowling Green softball team picked up a pair of one-run wins on Saturday (March 7) at the Clearwater Spring Break Invitational. The Falcons downed Army West Point, 3-2, before topping Chattanooga, 5-4.

BG is now 10-6 on the season, and the Falcons are a perfect 4-0 on the weekend.

Freshman Payton Gottshall picked up both wins in relief on Saturday, improving to 10-5 on the year. She pitched a total of 11 innings, allowing just two runs while striking out 19.

The Falcons fell behind in the top of the first against Army, but scored three runs in the third inning to take the lead for good.

The second game of the day was a back-and-forth affair, with the lead changing hands several times before BG went ahead for good with a run in the top of the seventh.

Redshirt sophomore Sammy Dees continued her red-hot weekend at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a walk in the opener. Junior Nikki Sorgi had a total of three hits on the day, and drove in two runs in each game.

HAVE A(NOTHER) DAY, SAMMY!
• Sammy Dees has had a tremendous weekend at the plate so far. On Friday, Dees was a combined 5-for-6 with a walk in wins over Providence and Penn State.
• On Saturday, Dees reached base in all four plate appearances against Army, going 3-for-3 with a walk. She singled to begin the Chattanooga game. With that hit, she had reached base in eight-straight appearances (7-for-7 with a walk) and 11 of her first 12 trips to the plate (9-for-10 with two walks).
• Dees reached base in her next at-bat, via a throwing error, before the Mocs finally retired her in her final two trips of the day.
• On the weekend, Dees is batting .692 with an on-base percentage of .733.

ALSO OF NOTE
• Nikki Sorgi had two RBI vs. both the Black Knights and the Mocs. She has driven in five runs this weekend and nine this season.
• Payton Gottshall has earned the decision in the circle in 15 of BGSU's 16 games this season, including each of the last 14.

BGSU-ARMY – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Black Knights jumped on top early, with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Leadoff hitter Alicyn Grete was ruled safe on an infield grounder, and Jolie Duong followed with a single to center. Everyone was safe on another grounder, when the throw to third was not in time to get Grete.
• BGSU starter Madison French retired the next hitter, but Madi Gilmore followed with a two-run single to right. After a hit batter, freshman Payton Gottshall entered the game and struck out the next two hitters to retire the side.
• Army threatened in the second, loading the bases with no outs on a single and a pair of walks. But, Gottshall escaped the jam, inducing Taylor Drayton to pop up to Madi McCoy at short, then striking out Ally Snelling and Gilmore.
• Black Knights starting pitcher Macey Newbary issued three walks in the first two innings, but was able to keep the Falcons off of the scoreboard. In the third, however, the Orange and Brown broke through.
• That third inning saw Sammy Dees lead off with a single, and one out later, McCoy laced a double to left. Junior Nikki Sorgi followed with a double of her own, plating a pair of runs to tie the game.
• Junior Sarah Gonzalez singled to put runners at the corners, and Sorgi stole home for what would prove to be the winning run.
• Gottshall allowed a two-out single in the fourth, but got a fly ball to retire the side. She allowed a leadoff hit in the fifth, but a pinch-runner was caught stealing to quell that threat.
• Junior Payton Hamm walked and Dees singled in the bottom of the fourth, and a McCoy walk loaded the bases with one down, but relief pitcher Emily Iannotti averted damage by striking out the next two batters.
• Gottshall retired the Black Knights in order in the sixth, with two more strikeouts, then set down the first two hitters in the seventh. Brooke Tuttle singled to center, however, and Gilmore's base hit put runners at the corners. But, Gottshall struck out Megan Muffett to nail down the win.
• Dees had half of BGSU's hits, going 3-for-3 with a walk and a run. Three other Falcons had one hit apiece, including Sorgi, who had the two-run double in the third.
• McCoy had a hit and a walk, while senior Evelyn Loyola walked twice.
• Gilmore was 3-of-4 for the Black Knights, driving in both Army runs.
• Gottshall picked up the win with 6.2 innings of five-hit shutout relief. She walked two hitters and struck out 11.
• Newbary took the loss, allowing three runs and four hits in three innings. She walked four and struck out one. Iannotti had three innings of shutout relief, allowing two hits, walking two and whiffing four.

BGSU-CHATTANOOGA – HOW IT HAPPENED
• French drew the start in the Falcons' second game of the day as well, and worked out of a jam in the first. Emily Coltharp led off the inning with a single through the left side, and after Aly Walker drew a base on balls, the Mocs had runners at the corners with one down. But, Coltharp was forced to hold at third on a grounder back to the circle, and French struck out Kendall Andrews to end the inning.
• BG got another Dees hit in the first inning, and Gonzalez and Loyola each walked in the second, but UTC starter Celie Hudson kept BG off the board.
• In the top of the third, though, the Falcons broke on top. Freshman Greta L'Esperance led off with a bunt single, and Dees reached on an error. Back-to-back grounders resulted in outs, but Sorgi's two-out hit to right-center plated both Dees and senior Taylor Blevins.
• Chattanooga answered in the bottom of the inning. Coltharp singled, and on a hit by Hayleigh Weissenbach, a throwing error allowed Coltharp to come all the way around to score. With two down, Andrews singled to score Weissenbach and tie the game. Gottshall entered the game and after issuing a walk, she struck out Natalie Luna for the third out.
• The Mocs took the lead in the fourth when Walker singled up the middle to plate Coltharp with two down. Coltharp had walked and stolen second.
• Meanwhile, Hudson set the Falcons down in order in both the fourth and fifth, but BG rallied in the sixth. McCoy walked, and a bunt single by Sorgi put two runners aboard. Gonzalez bunted to move the runners along, and senior Logan Everett singled to score McCoy.
• Hudson got a strikeout for the second out, but walked freshman Sophie Weber to load the bases. Then, L'Esperance's grounder to the second baseman resulted in all BG runners advancing safely, with Sorgi crossing the plate.
• The Mocs responded quickly, as Weissenbach singled with one down in the bottom of the inning, and Walker followed with a run-scoring double, tying the game at 4-4.
• But, in the seventh, Blevins reached on an infield single and took second on McCoy's sac bunt. Hudson got the second out on a fly ball to left, but Gonzalez came through with a two-out single that scored Blevins.
• In the bottom of the inning, Gottshall got Reagan Armour to fly out to L'Esperance in right, then struck out both Luna and Amy Lewis to end the game.
• Sorgi had two of the Falcons' seven hits, driving in two runs for the second-straight game, while Gonzalez had a hit and a walk. Blevins scored two of BG's five runs.
• The top-three hitters in the UTC order – Coltharp, Weissenbach and Walker – each had two hits, as did Andrews. Both Coltharp and Weissenbach scored twice.
• French allowed two runs (both unearned) and five hits before leaving with two outs in the third. She walked one hitter and struck out three.
• Gottshall gave up two runs and five hits in her 4.1 innings of relief. The freshman walked three and fanned eight.
• Hudson took the loss, allowing five runs (three earned) and seven hits. She had four walks and four strikeouts.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons wrap up weekend action on Sunday morning (March 8), facing Seton Hall at 9:00 a.m.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
For more information on all things BGSU softball, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUSoftball) and Instagram (@bgsu_softball) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.