Friday, March 5
Huntington, W.Va.
11:30 AM
Bowling Green State University
7-5
6
vs
1
Valparaiso
2-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Bowling Green
2
0
0
0
2
0
2
6
11
0
Valparaiso
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
1
Madi McCoy's three hits vs. Valpo included a triple and a homer
Photo by: Chris Kohley/WKU Athletics
Gottshall, McCoy Lead Falcons Past Valpo, 6-1
March 05, 2021 | Softball
Marshall holds off BG's seventh-inning comeback bid in Friday's nightcap
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Payton Gottshall fired a complete-game one-hitter, and Madi McCoy and Evelyn Loyola combined for six hits as the Bowling Green State University softball team downed Valparaiso University, 6-1, on Friday (March 5). The game, the opening contest at the Thundering Herd Round Robin, was held at Dot Hicks Field.
In the day's second game, host Marshall University held off a BGSU comeback bid, hanging on to down the Falcons by a 7-6 count.
BGSU's 17 hits in the two games included a total of six extra-base hits – one double, a pair of triples and three homers. McCoy had a triple and a homer among her three hits vs. Valpo, and Sammy Dees and Maycee Godbolt went yard against the Herd.
Godbolt's homer, a two-run pinch-hit blast in the seventh inning, was the first of her collegiate career.
McCoy scored three runs and drove in three in the day's opening game, while Loyola had three hits and two RBI in the win.
BGSU-VALPARAISO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons got to Valpo starting pitcher Caitlyn Kowalski for a pair of runs in the top of the first. With one out, five-straight BG batters reached base. Sammy Dees singled, and Madi McCoy followed with a triple to right-center, giving the Falcons the lead for good. Evelyn Loyola singled to plate McCoy.
• After pinch-runner Marlie McNulty stole second, walks to Payton Hamm and Reagan Williamson loaded the bases, but Kowalski struck out the next two batters to keep the game from getting away early.
• BGSU had a hit in six of the game's seven innings, including in each of the first five. Greta L'Esperance singled and stole second in the second inning, and Loyola had a leadoff single in the third. Sarah Gonzalez singled with one down in the fourth, but BG could not add to the 2-0 lead.
• But, in the fifth, Sammy Dees reached on an error, and McCoy followed with a two-run homer to center. Taylor Knight replaced Kowalski in the circle and retired the next six Falcons, but the damage had been done.
• Meanwhile, BGSU starter Payton Gottshall was perfect through five innings, striking out 10 of those 15 batters, including six-straight at one point.
• But, Ryan Milkowski broke up the perfect game, the no-hitter and the shutout bid with a homer to lead off the bottom of the sixth. Gottshall responded by striking out the next four batters.
• In the seventh, L'Esperance singled and stole second, and a one-out single by McCoy put runners at the corners. Loyola followed with a single of her own to score L'Esperance, and Hamm's base hit plated McCoy to give the Falcons a 6-1 lead.
• After striking out the first hitter in the seventh, Gottshall got a fly ball to Nikki Sorgi in left and a popup to Gonzalez at third to seal the win.
• Gottshall faced just 22 batters, one over the minimum, in improving to 7-1. She struck out 14 and did not walk a batter. Gottshall threw 64 of her 94 pitches for strikes.
• At the plate, McCoy was 3-for-4 with a triple, a homer, three runs scored and three RBI. Loyola also went 3-for-4, driving in two runs.
• L'Esperance had two hits and a stolen base in the victory.
• Kowalski took the loss for Valpo, allowing four runs (three earned) and seven hits in four innings. Knight gave up two runs and four hits in three frames. The duo combined to walk two and strike out three.
BGSU-MARSHALL – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Marshall contest was a back-and-forth affair. After a scoreless first inning, the teams combined for seven runs in the second.
• BGSU struck first, with three runs against MU starter Ashley Blessin. Loyola led off the second inning with a single, and Hamm's sacrifice bunt sent pinch-runner McNulty to second. Logan Everett followed with a triple to right-center, and McNulty, who had to wait to see if the ball would be caught, scored from second, sliding in headfirst with the game's first run.
• Sophie Weber followed by lining a ball off of the very top of the wall in straightaway center for a double, with Everett scoring easily. Brianna McCown replaced Blessin, and her first pitch was a wild pitch that sent Weber to third. Three pitches later, Gonzalez drew a walk, and Sorgi's grounder scored Weber with the Falcons' third run.
• But, the Thundering Herd responded against BG starter Madison French in the bottom of the inning. Marshall was aided by a pair of errors. Sierra Huerta was hit by a pitch, and Grace Chelemen followed with a line drive off of French for an infield single.
• French was able to stay in the game, but back-to-back BG errors allowed a run to score, and Paige Halliwill doubled to score three runs and give the Herd the lead. Gottshall entered the circle and retired the next three hitters.
• And, one batter into the third, BGSU had tied the game, as Sammy Dees homered to left. After Gottshall retired the side in order, it was a 4-4 game after four.
• The Herd, however, took the lead with a solo homer by Aly Harrell in the fifth, and round-trippers by Huerta and Blakely Burch gave the hosts a three-run lead in the sixth. West Virginia native Harlie Vannatter entered the game and got the final two outs of the inning.
• BG mounted a seventh-inning rally, and the Falcons nearly came all the way back. With one out, pinch-hitter Williamson drew a walk, and Maycee Godbolt followed with a pinch-hit, two-run homer to left-center.
• The Falcons were within a single run, and L'Esperance greeted new pitcher Laney Jones with a single to left. McCoy walked with two outs, putting the tying run at second base, but Jones was able to get a popup to shallow left to end the game.
• Six different Falcons had one hit apiece. Four of those six hits went for extra bases, as Dees and Godbolt homered, Everett tripled and Weber doubled. Weber reached base twice with a walk in addition to the two-base hit.
• For the Herd, Harrell was 2-for-4, while Halliwill drove in three runs with the bases-loaded double.
• In the circle, McCown, the second of three MU pitchers, picked up the win with five innings of relief. She allowed only two hits, but three runs, as she walked three and struck out seven. Jones earned the save, despite walking a batter and allowing a hit while getting the final two outs.
• Gottshall suffered the loss in relief to drop to 7-2 on the year. She gave up just three hits, but all three were solo homers. The redshirt freshman struck out eight and did not issue a walk in four and a third innings.
NOTES
• Greta L'Esperance has hit safely in all 13 games this season to date, and has a 15-game hitting streak dating to last season.
• L'Esperance is batting .408 this year, with 20 hits in 49 at-bats, and is a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen-base attempts in 2021.
• Gottshall had 14 strikeouts vs. Valparaiso on Friday, marking the eighth time in as many games – including one relief appearance – that she had hit double digits in strikeouts. Gottshall had eight more strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings of relief against Marshall in Friday's second contest.
• On the season, Gottshall has an ERA of 0.91, and has walked just seven batters while striking out 130 in 61 2/3 innings.
• In her BGSU career, Gottshall has struck out 258 batters in 148 2/3 innings. She has moved into 10th place on the BGSU list for career strikeouts.
• The school record for strikeouts per seven innings (minimum 200 innings pitched) is 7.12, by BGSU Hall-of-Famer Liz Vrabel (2003-06). In her career to date, Gottshall has struck out 12.15 batters per seven innings.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons will complete weekend action at the Thundering Herd Round Robin on Saturday morning (March 6), as BGSU takes on Saint Francis in a 9:30 a.m. start
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.
HASHTAG
#AyZiggy
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In the day's second game, host Marshall University held off a BGSU comeback bid, hanging on to down the Falcons by a 7-6 count.
BGSU's 17 hits in the two games included a total of six extra-base hits – one double, a pair of triples and three homers. McCoy had a triple and a homer among her three hits vs. Valpo, and Sammy Dees and Maycee Godbolt went yard against the Herd.
Godbolt's homer, a two-run pinch-hit blast in the seventh inning, was the first of her collegiate career.
McCoy scored three runs and drove in three in the day's opening game, while Loyola had three hits and two RBI in the win.
BGSU-VALPARAISO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons got to Valpo starting pitcher Caitlyn Kowalski for a pair of runs in the top of the first. With one out, five-straight BG batters reached base. Sammy Dees singled, and Madi McCoy followed with a triple to right-center, giving the Falcons the lead for good. Evelyn Loyola singled to plate McCoy.
• After pinch-runner Marlie McNulty stole second, walks to Payton Hamm and Reagan Williamson loaded the bases, but Kowalski struck out the next two batters to keep the game from getting away early.
• BGSU had a hit in six of the game's seven innings, including in each of the first five. Greta L'Esperance singled and stole second in the second inning, and Loyola had a leadoff single in the third. Sarah Gonzalez singled with one down in the fourth, but BG could not add to the 2-0 lead.
• But, in the fifth, Sammy Dees reached on an error, and McCoy followed with a two-run homer to center. Taylor Knight replaced Kowalski in the circle and retired the next six Falcons, but the damage had been done.
• Meanwhile, BGSU starter Payton Gottshall was perfect through five innings, striking out 10 of those 15 batters, including six-straight at one point.
• But, Ryan Milkowski broke up the perfect game, the no-hitter and the shutout bid with a homer to lead off the bottom of the sixth. Gottshall responded by striking out the next four batters.
• In the seventh, L'Esperance singled and stole second, and a one-out single by McCoy put runners at the corners. Loyola followed with a single of her own to score L'Esperance, and Hamm's base hit plated McCoy to give the Falcons a 6-1 lead.
• After striking out the first hitter in the seventh, Gottshall got a fly ball to Nikki Sorgi in left and a popup to Gonzalez at third to seal the win.
• Gottshall faced just 22 batters, one over the minimum, in improving to 7-1. She struck out 14 and did not walk a batter. Gottshall threw 64 of her 94 pitches for strikes.
• At the plate, McCoy was 3-for-4 with a triple, a homer, three runs scored and three RBI. Loyola also went 3-for-4, driving in two runs.
• L'Esperance had two hits and a stolen base in the victory.
• Kowalski took the loss for Valpo, allowing four runs (three earned) and seven hits in four innings. Knight gave up two runs and four hits in three frames. The duo combined to walk two and strike out three.
BGSU-MARSHALL – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Marshall contest was a back-and-forth affair. After a scoreless first inning, the teams combined for seven runs in the second.
• BGSU struck first, with three runs against MU starter Ashley Blessin. Loyola led off the second inning with a single, and Hamm's sacrifice bunt sent pinch-runner McNulty to second. Logan Everett followed with a triple to right-center, and McNulty, who had to wait to see if the ball would be caught, scored from second, sliding in headfirst with the game's first run.
• Sophie Weber followed by lining a ball off of the very top of the wall in straightaway center for a double, with Everett scoring easily. Brianna McCown replaced Blessin, and her first pitch was a wild pitch that sent Weber to third. Three pitches later, Gonzalez drew a walk, and Sorgi's grounder scored Weber with the Falcons' third run.
• But, the Thundering Herd responded against BG starter Madison French in the bottom of the inning. Marshall was aided by a pair of errors. Sierra Huerta was hit by a pitch, and Grace Chelemen followed with a line drive off of French for an infield single.
• French was able to stay in the game, but back-to-back BG errors allowed a run to score, and Paige Halliwill doubled to score three runs and give the Herd the lead. Gottshall entered the circle and retired the next three hitters.
• And, one batter into the third, BGSU had tied the game, as Sammy Dees homered to left. After Gottshall retired the side in order, it was a 4-4 game after four.
• The Herd, however, took the lead with a solo homer by Aly Harrell in the fifth, and round-trippers by Huerta and Blakely Burch gave the hosts a three-run lead in the sixth. West Virginia native Harlie Vannatter entered the game and got the final two outs of the inning.
• BG mounted a seventh-inning rally, and the Falcons nearly came all the way back. With one out, pinch-hitter Williamson drew a walk, and Maycee Godbolt followed with a pinch-hit, two-run homer to left-center.
• The Falcons were within a single run, and L'Esperance greeted new pitcher Laney Jones with a single to left. McCoy walked with two outs, putting the tying run at second base, but Jones was able to get a popup to shallow left to end the game.
• Six different Falcons had one hit apiece. Four of those six hits went for extra bases, as Dees and Godbolt homered, Everett tripled and Weber doubled. Weber reached base twice with a walk in addition to the two-base hit.
• For the Herd, Harrell was 2-for-4, while Halliwill drove in three runs with the bases-loaded double.
• In the circle, McCown, the second of three MU pitchers, picked up the win with five innings of relief. She allowed only two hits, but three runs, as she walked three and struck out seven. Jones earned the save, despite walking a batter and allowing a hit while getting the final two outs.
• Gottshall suffered the loss in relief to drop to 7-2 on the year. She gave up just three hits, but all three were solo homers. The redshirt freshman struck out eight and did not issue a walk in four and a third innings.
NOTES
• Greta L'Esperance has hit safely in all 13 games this season to date, and has a 15-game hitting streak dating to last season.
• L'Esperance is batting .408 this year, with 20 hits in 49 at-bats, and is a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen-base attempts in 2021.
• Gottshall had 14 strikeouts vs. Valparaiso on Friday, marking the eighth time in as many games – including one relief appearance – that she had hit double digits in strikeouts. Gottshall had eight more strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings of relief against Marshall in Friday's second contest.
• On the season, Gottshall has an ERA of 0.91, and has walked just seven batters while striking out 130 in 61 2/3 innings.
• In her BGSU career, Gottshall has struck out 258 batters in 148 2/3 innings. She has moved into 10th place on the BGSU list for career strikeouts.
• The school record for strikeouts per seven innings (minimum 200 innings pitched) is 7.12, by BGSU Hall-of-Famer Liz Vrabel (2003-06). In her career to date, Gottshall has struck out 12.15 batters per seven innings.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons will complete weekend action at the Thundering Herd Round Robin on Saturday morning (March 6), as BGSU takes on Saint Francis in a 9:30 a.m. start
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.
HASHTAG
#AyZiggy
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: MCCOWN (1-0)
L: Gottshall, Payton (7-2)
S: JONES (1)
Batting:
2B: Weber, Sophie 1
3B: Everett, Logan 1
HR: Dees, Sammy 1 ; Godbolt, Maycee 1
RBI: Dees, Sammy 1 ; Everett, Logan 1 ; Weber, Sophie 1 ; Sorgi, Nikki 1 ; Godbolt, Maycee 2
SH: Hamm, Payton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dees, Sammy 1 ; McNulty, Marlie 1 ; Everett, Logan 1 ; Weber, Sophie 1 ; Gonzalez, Sarah 1 ; Godbolt, Maycee 1
SB: Gonzalez, Sarah 1
Batting:
2B: HALLIWILL 1
HR: HARRELL 1 ; HUERTA 1 ; BURCH 1
RBI: HALLIWILL 3 ; HARRELL 1 ; HUERTA 1 ; BURCH 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HARRELL 1 ; HUERTA 2 ; CHELEMEN 1 ; BURCH 2 ; WHITAKER 1
CS: BROWN 1
HBP: PYE 1 ; HUERTA 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
SS/2B
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
SS
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
C/IF
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