Sunday, April 25
Bowling Green, Ohio
1:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
18-21, 10-14
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vs
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Kent State
16-18, 12-8
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2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Kent State
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
4
0
Bowling Green
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
6
1
Payton Gottshall threw 14 innings -- 254 total pitches! -- without allowing an earned run on Sunday
Photo by: Larry Clapper
Gottshall + Greta = Goose Egg: Falcons top KSU, 1-0
April 25, 2021 | Softball
BGSU pitcher throws 14 innings, 254 pitches without allowing an earned run on Sunday
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Payton Gottshall threw her seventh shutout of the season and Greta L'Esperance played key roles on both offense and defense as the Bowling Green State University softball team downed Kent State University, 1-0, in Mid-American Conference action on Sunday (April 25) at Meserve Field.
L'Esperance had two hits in each game of Sunday's doubleheader for the Falcons (19-21, 11-14 MAC), scoring the lone run in game two.
The Golden Flashes (16-19, 12-9 MAC) picked up a 2-1 victory in the opening game of the day, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the third inning.
Gottshall pitched a pair of complete games for the Falcons, throwing 172 of her 254 total pitches for strikes. She did not allow an earned run in 14 innings of work on Sunday.
L'Esperance led off the third inning of the nightcap with a single, and the Falcon centerfielder wound up tagging and scoring easily on a fly ball to right by Sammy Dees. That proved to be the lone run of the contest.
With two outs in the seventh, Brooklyn Whitt singled up the middle, but BG centerfielder L'Esperance charged the ball and threw a strike to catcher Evelyn Loyola to cut down KSU's Kennadie Goth attempting to score from second. The throw was in plenty of time to beat Goth, and Loyola applied the game-ending tag.
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NOTEWORTHY
• Payton Gottshall's complete-game shutout in Sunday's second game was her seventh of the season. That is the highest total by a Falcon pitcher in 15 years, since BGSU Hall-of-Famer Liz Vrabel had eight complete-game shutouts in 2006.
JUST AS NOTEWORTHY
• Payton Gottshall had 14 strikeouts in Sunday's two games. Gottshall – despite missing nearly a month of the season – now has 211 strikeouts on the year, good for second place on the school single-season list. She is just 26 strikeouts away from tying Vrabel's BGSU record (237 strikeouts in 2005).
BGSU-KSU GAME ONE – HOW IT HAPPENED
• As was the case in Friday's series opener, BGSU's Payton Gottshall and KSU's Jessica LeBeau each pitched a complete game – and each pitched well – in Sunday's first game.
• Gottshall allowed just four hits in the game. Two were bunt singles, one was a bouncer to the left side and one was a single up the middle.
• Brooklyn Whitt bunted for a one-out hit in the first inning, but with Whitt on second after a stolen base, Gottshall won a 1-pitch battle with KSU cleanup hitter Megan Turner. Turner fouled off six pitches before the BG hurler got her to lift a popup to shallow right that was caught by second baseman Peyton Dolejs.
• BG got a runner to second in the bottom of the inning, as Greta L'Esperance led off with an infield hit and moved to second on Marlie McNulty's sacrifice bunt. But, after a foul pop produced the second out, Nikki Sorgi's line drive held up just long enough for rightfielder Kennadie Goth to make the catch in right-center.
• After issuing a leadoff walk in the second, Gottshall struck out the next three batters. In the third, KSU put two runners aboard via 'small ball.' Julia Mazanic led off with a bunt single, and Goth laid down a sac bunt, but both runners reached safely when the BG throw to first hit Goth.
• With runners at the corners, third baseman Sarah Gonzalez fielded a ball off Whitt's bat and threw home to cut down Mazanec attempting to score. Gottshall struck out Alexis Taube for the second out, but Turner followed with a bouncer to the left side that, at the last instant, did not bounce. The ball rolled into the outfield and Goth scored ahead of the throw home. And, as the Falcons threw down to second to attempt to get Turner taking an extra base, Whitt crossed the plate as well.
• Sabrina Kerschner singled up the middle to lead off the fourth inning, but Gottshall then proceeded to retire 12-straight KSU batters to end the game.
• The Falcons, meanwhile, had managed just two hits through the first three innings, but in the fourth, Sammy Dees drove a ball over Taube's head and to the wall in left for a leadoff double. Sorgi bunted Dees to third, and Evelyn Loyola also drove a ball over Taube's head in left. Loyola was out attempting to take second, but the hit – her second of the game – scored Dees easily.
• LeBeau allowed just one baserunner over the next two innings, on a L'Esperance single in the sixth, but Peyton Dolejs crushed a ball that hit off of the wall in right for a one-out double in the seventh. But, LeBeau was able to keep Dolejs from advancing any further, getting a foul pop, then a grounder to the right side that produced the final out.Â
BGSU-KSU GAME TWO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• Gottshall started – and finished – Sunday's second game. Again, 'small ball' fueled much of the Flashes' offensive output, as KSU's nine hits included three slow rollers and a blooper to the outfield grass.
• That blooper came in the top of the first, as Kerschner's ball was just out of reach of a diving L'Esperance for a double. And, back-to-back walks loaded the bases with just one out, but Gottshall struck out Chloe Cruz, then Carlee Selle, to end the threat.
• In the home half of the first, L'Esperance reached second on a single and an error, then took third on Marlie McNulty's grounder. From there, she tagged and scored easily when a Sammy Dees fly ball was caught in foul ground by rightfielder Goth.
• Gottshall needed just five total pitches to retire the Flashes in the second, but Goth led off by hitting a ball that rolled approximately 20 feet for a single. Then, Kerschner followed with a single up the middle, putting two on with nobody out. Whitt's roller moved the runners to second and third, respectively, but each of KSU's next two plate appearances resulted in strikeouts.
• KSU starter Gabbie Sherman got out of a jam of her own in the bottom of the inning. L'Esperance singled and stole second, and McNulty bunted her to third before Sammy Dees was hit by a pitch. But, L'Esperance was forced to hold at third on a grounder to short, and another ground ball produced out number three.
• Selle singled in the fourth, but was doubled off first after Sammy Dees grabbed a popup off the bat of Taube. Olivia Sborlini followed with a hit, but was erased on a fielder's choice.
• Dolejs ripped a ball between the third baseman and the bag for a leadoff hit in the BG fourth, and Emma Miller, making her first collegiate start, bunted Dolejs to second. She would reach third on a groundout, but was stranded there.
• KSU had a hit in both the fifth and sixth frames, but each runner got only as far as second before the third out was recorded. LeBeau, the Flashes' game-one starter, entered the game to start the BG fifth and issued a one-out walk to McNulty, but a nice play by shortstop Mazanec resulted in a force at second, before a popup ended that half-inning.
• In the seventh, Goth reached on another infield hit that went approximately 30 feet, and Kerschner, who was 3-for-3 in the game, came to the plate with one out. Gottshall and Kerschner battled through a nine-pitch at-bat, with Kerschner fouling off six of the first eight pitches before hitting a grounder to Gonzalez on the ninth. Goth took second on the groundout.
• Then, Gottshall and Whitt faced off in another lengthy at-bat, and after seven pitches, the count was full. Whitt lined a single up the middle, but L'Esperance charged the ball and fired home as Goth rounded third. The throw was in plenty of time, and Loyola tagged Goth out to end the game.
STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• LeBeau earned the win in game one, allowing one run on six hits. She struck out six batters and did not issue a walk.
• Gottshall took the loss despite pitching more than well enough to win. She allowed two runs – both unearned – and four hits, walking one and striking out 10. Gottshall threw 82 of her 113 pitches for strikes.
• In the second game, Gottshall scattered nine hits en route to the shutout. She walked two batters and struck out four, and the redshirt freshman threw 90 strikes among her 141 pitches.
• Sherman took the loss, allowing one run on five hits in four innings. LeBeau pitched two hitless innings of relief, walking one and striking out two.
• At the plate, L'Esperance was 2-for-3 in each game, with a stolen base in the nightcap. She scored the lone run of the second contest.
• Loyola went 2-for-3 in the opener, driving in BG's lone run, and she had a hit in the second game as well.
• Dolejs had a base hit in each game, while Dees had a hit in game one and a sacrifice fly and HBP in game two. The sacrifice fly, her school-record eighth of the season, drove in the game's only run.
• Sorgi had a hit in the second game, while McNulty had a sac bunt in both of Sunday's games.
• For the Flashes, Kerschner each had a hit in the opener, and went 3-for-4 in game two. Goth had two hits in the second game, while Whitt had a hit in each contest.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons' 12-game homestand continues with a midweek doubleheader vs. Toledo. BGSU and the Rockets will meet on Wednesday (April 28), with first pitch of game one set for 1:00 p.m.
• Then, league-leading Miami comes to town for a four-game series next weekend, with single games Friday (April 30) and Sunday (May 2) and a Saturday (May 1) DH in between. Sunday's game will be Senior Day for the Falcons, with ceremonies prior to the contest.
ÂGallery: (4-25-2021) Softball v Kent State - April 25 2021
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
Â
L'Esperance had two hits in each game of Sunday's doubleheader for the Falcons (19-21, 11-14 MAC), scoring the lone run in game two.
The Golden Flashes (16-19, 12-9 MAC) picked up a 2-1 victory in the opening game of the day, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the third inning.
Gottshall pitched a pair of complete games for the Falcons, throwing 172 of her 254 total pitches for strikes. She did not allow an earned run in 14 innings of work on Sunday.
L'Esperance led off the third inning of the nightcap with a single, and the Falcon centerfielder wound up tagging and scoring easily on a fly ball to right by Sammy Dees. That proved to be the lone run of the contest.
With two outs in the seventh, Brooklyn Whitt singled up the middle, but BG centerfielder L'Esperance charged the ball and threw a strike to catcher Evelyn Loyola to cut down KSU's Kennadie Goth attempting to score from second. The throw was in plenty of time to beat Goth, and Loyola applied the game-ending tag.
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NOTEWORTHY
• Payton Gottshall's complete-game shutout in Sunday's second game was her seventh of the season. That is the highest total by a Falcon pitcher in 15 years, since BGSU Hall-of-Famer Liz Vrabel had eight complete-game shutouts in 2006.
JUST AS NOTEWORTHY
• Payton Gottshall had 14 strikeouts in Sunday's two games. Gottshall – despite missing nearly a month of the season – now has 211 strikeouts on the year, good for second place on the school single-season list. She is just 26 strikeouts away from tying Vrabel's BGSU record (237 strikeouts in 2005).
BGSU-KSU GAME ONE – HOW IT HAPPENED
• As was the case in Friday's series opener, BGSU's Payton Gottshall and KSU's Jessica LeBeau each pitched a complete game – and each pitched well – in Sunday's first game.
• Gottshall allowed just four hits in the game. Two were bunt singles, one was a bouncer to the left side and one was a single up the middle.
• Brooklyn Whitt bunted for a one-out hit in the first inning, but with Whitt on second after a stolen base, Gottshall won a 1-pitch battle with KSU cleanup hitter Megan Turner. Turner fouled off six pitches before the BG hurler got her to lift a popup to shallow right that was caught by second baseman Peyton Dolejs.
• BG got a runner to second in the bottom of the inning, as Greta L'Esperance led off with an infield hit and moved to second on Marlie McNulty's sacrifice bunt. But, after a foul pop produced the second out, Nikki Sorgi's line drive held up just long enough for rightfielder Kennadie Goth to make the catch in right-center.
• After issuing a leadoff walk in the second, Gottshall struck out the next three batters. In the third, KSU put two runners aboard via 'small ball.' Julia Mazanic led off with a bunt single, and Goth laid down a sac bunt, but both runners reached safely when the BG throw to first hit Goth.
• With runners at the corners, third baseman Sarah Gonzalez fielded a ball off Whitt's bat and threw home to cut down Mazanec attempting to score. Gottshall struck out Alexis Taube for the second out, but Turner followed with a bouncer to the left side that, at the last instant, did not bounce. The ball rolled into the outfield and Goth scored ahead of the throw home. And, as the Falcons threw down to second to attempt to get Turner taking an extra base, Whitt crossed the plate as well.
• Sabrina Kerschner singled up the middle to lead off the fourth inning, but Gottshall then proceeded to retire 12-straight KSU batters to end the game.
• The Falcons, meanwhile, had managed just two hits through the first three innings, but in the fourth, Sammy Dees drove a ball over Taube's head and to the wall in left for a leadoff double. Sorgi bunted Dees to third, and Evelyn Loyola also drove a ball over Taube's head in left. Loyola was out attempting to take second, but the hit – her second of the game – scored Dees easily.
• LeBeau allowed just one baserunner over the next two innings, on a L'Esperance single in the sixth, but Peyton Dolejs crushed a ball that hit off of the wall in right for a one-out double in the seventh. But, LeBeau was able to keep Dolejs from advancing any further, getting a foul pop, then a grounder to the right side that produced the final out.Â
BGSU-KSU GAME TWO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• Gottshall started – and finished – Sunday's second game. Again, 'small ball' fueled much of the Flashes' offensive output, as KSU's nine hits included three slow rollers and a blooper to the outfield grass.
• That blooper came in the top of the first, as Kerschner's ball was just out of reach of a diving L'Esperance for a double. And, back-to-back walks loaded the bases with just one out, but Gottshall struck out Chloe Cruz, then Carlee Selle, to end the threat.
• In the home half of the first, L'Esperance reached second on a single and an error, then took third on Marlie McNulty's grounder. From there, she tagged and scored easily when a Sammy Dees fly ball was caught in foul ground by rightfielder Goth.
• Gottshall needed just five total pitches to retire the Flashes in the second, but Goth led off by hitting a ball that rolled approximately 20 feet for a single. Then, Kerschner followed with a single up the middle, putting two on with nobody out. Whitt's roller moved the runners to second and third, respectively, but each of KSU's next two plate appearances resulted in strikeouts.
• KSU starter Gabbie Sherman got out of a jam of her own in the bottom of the inning. L'Esperance singled and stole second, and McNulty bunted her to third before Sammy Dees was hit by a pitch. But, L'Esperance was forced to hold at third on a grounder to short, and another ground ball produced out number three.
• Selle singled in the fourth, but was doubled off first after Sammy Dees grabbed a popup off the bat of Taube. Olivia Sborlini followed with a hit, but was erased on a fielder's choice.
• Dolejs ripped a ball between the third baseman and the bag for a leadoff hit in the BG fourth, and Emma Miller, making her first collegiate start, bunted Dolejs to second. She would reach third on a groundout, but was stranded there.
• KSU had a hit in both the fifth and sixth frames, but each runner got only as far as second before the third out was recorded. LeBeau, the Flashes' game-one starter, entered the game to start the BG fifth and issued a one-out walk to McNulty, but a nice play by shortstop Mazanec resulted in a force at second, before a popup ended that half-inning.
• In the seventh, Goth reached on another infield hit that went approximately 30 feet, and Kerschner, who was 3-for-3 in the game, came to the plate with one out. Gottshall and Kerschner battled through a nine-pitch at-bat, with Kerschner fouling off six of the first eight pitches before hitting a grounder to Gonzalez on the ninth. Goth took second on the groundout.
• Then, Gottshall and Whitt faced off in another lengthy at-bat, and after seven pitches, the count was full. Whitt lined a single up the middle, but L'Esperance charged the ball and fired home as Goth rounded third. The throw was in plenty of time, and Loyola tagged Goth out to end the game.
STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• LeBeau earned the win in game one, allowing one run on six hits. She struck out six batters and did not issue a walk.
• Gottshall took the loss despite pitching more than well enough to win. She allowed two runs – both unearned – and four hits, walking one and striking out 10. Gottshall threw 82 of her 113 pitches for strikes.
• In the second game, Gottshall scattered nine hits en route to the shutout. She walked two batters and struck out four, and the redshirt freshman threw 90 strikes among her 141 pitches.
• Sherman took the loss, allowing one run on five hits in four innings. LeBeau pitched two hitless innings of relief, walking one and striking out two.
• At the plate, L'Esperance was 2-for-3 in each game, with a stolen base in the nightcap. She scored the lone run of the second contest.
• Loyola went 2-for-3 in the opener, driving in BG's lone run, and she had a hit in the second game as well.
• Dolejs had a base hit in each game, while Dees had a hit in game one and a sacrifice fly and HBP in game two. The sacrifice fly, her school-record eighth of the season, drove in the game's only run.
• Sorgi had a hit in the second game, while McNulty had a sac bunt in both of Sunday's games.
• For the Flashes, Kerschner each had a hit in the opener, and went 3-for-4 in game two. Goth had two hits in the second game, while Whitt had a hit in each contest.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons' 12-game homestand continues with a midweek doubleheader vs. Toledo. BGSU and the Rockets will meet on Wednesday (April 28), with first pitch of game one set for 1:00 p.m.
• Then, league-leading Miami comes to town for a four-game series next weekend, with single games Friday (April 30) and Sunday (May 2) and a Saturday (May 1) DH in between. Sunday's game will be Senior Day for the Falcons, with ceremonies prior to the contest.
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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
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: LEBEAU, Jessica (10-9)
L: Gottshall, Payton (12-8)
Batting:
RBI: TURNER, Megan 1
SH: GOTH, Kennadie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GOTH, Kennadie 1 ; WHITT, Brooklyn 1
SB: WHITT, Brooklyn 1
Batting:
2B: Dees, Sammy 1 ; Dolejs, Peyton 1
RBI: Loyola, Evelyn 1
SH: McNulty, Marlie 1 ; Sorgi, Nikki 1 ; Dolejs, Peyton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dees, Sammy 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
SS/2B
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
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