Falcons Solid in the Circle En Route to Saturday Sweep

Saturday, April 3

Bowling Green, Ohio

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

12-13, 4-6

Akron

3-17, 2-4

Akron

Bowling Green

Hannah Davies spun a complete-game four-hit shutout in Saturday's opener

Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics

April 03, 2021 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 BGSU-Akron Game 1 Stats BGSU-Akron Game 2 Stats Photo Gallery

Davies, Vannatter each earn complete-game wins

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Athletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University softball team got a pair of complete-game pitching performances on Saturday afternoon (April 3), rolling along to a sweep of the University of Akron. The Falcons downed the Zips by scores of 1-0 and 4-1 in Mid-American Conference action at Meserve Field.

Hannah Davies fired a four-hit shutout for the Falcons (13-13, 5-6 MAC) in game one, and BGSU broke a scoreless tie with a sixth-inning run. Madi McCoy's two-out double scored pinch-runner Makailah Dees with what would prove to be the game's only run.

In the nightcap, Harlie Vannatter allowed just three hits in her complete-game effort, and the Falcons scored once in the first inning and twice in the third to take control. BGSU banged out 11 hits in the win, with Sammy Dees, Greta L'Esperance and Evelyn Loyola collecting two apiece.

For her part, Olivia Stefanoni allowed just three hits in game one for the Zips (3-18, 2-5 MAC). She struck out 12 Falcons in her complete-game performance, but suffered the loss.

NOTEWORTHY
• Less than 24 hours after picking up her first collegiate win, Hannah Davies threw her first complete game – and her first complete-game shutout – as a Falcon. Davies earned the win in relief in Friday's series opener, getting the final four outs without allowing a hit in BG's 5-4, come-from-behind victory.
• Then, in Saturday's second game, Harlie Vannatter earned her first win as a Falcon, surrendering just three hits.

QUOTING COACH WILLIS
"In the first game it was great to see strong leadership in the circle from Hannah Davies. She did a great job stepping up in the circle and defense played well behind her. Akron's pitcher, Stefanoni, threw a tremendous game against our lineup throughout the seven innings. It was great to see Payton Hamm lead off with the base hit we needed to get something going, and Madi McCoy stepped up in a big way to score the run we needed. It was a good win for the program to start off the day.

"In game two, the offense came to life with 11 hits. We got a lot more aggressive on pitches in our zone and several players stepped up with key hits. Harlie Vannatter threw well and found her pace out in the circle. We have grown a lot as a pitching staff over the last two weeks, and the work is starting to show."

BGSU-AKRON GAME ONE – HOW IT HAPPENED
• Starting pitchers Hannah Davies and Olivia Stefanoni each pitched well enough to win in Friday's opener. The duo allowed a combined seven hits, walking four and striking out 20 between them.
• Two of Akron's four hits in the game came in the top of the first inning. Tiffany Stevens hit a ball to the wall in center for a one-out double – the Zips' only extra-base hit in the DH – before Davies struck out the next hitter. But, after a walk, Macky Mitchiner singled to center.
• Stevens was off and running on the two-out hit, but BGSU centerfielder Greta L'Esperance charged the ball, came up throwing and fired a strike to catcher Evelyn Loyola on the fly. Loyola applied the tag to end the inning.
• Then, L'Esperance led off the bottom of the first inning by drawing a walk, and she promptly stole second base, then third. Stefanoni, however, struck out the next two batters, and L'Esperance was out at the plate after an apparent wild pitch hit the backstop and caromed back to catcher Katelyn Reynolds, who tagged the leaping L'Esperance. For the second consecutive half-inning, the final out was made at the plate.
• The teams combined for just one more baserunner, a Reynolds single in the third, over the next two-and-a-half innings. After that Reynolds hit, Davies would retire the next seven batters.
• Meanwhile, Stefanoni did not allow a hit until Loyola's single up the middle with two outs in the fourth. That hit came after Madi McCoy had walked, but the UA pitcher then got an inning-ending strikeout.
• Akron's Samantha Malik drew a one-out walk in the fifth, but neither team had another baserunner until the BG sixth. Payton Hamm led off with a single to left, but Stefanoni responded with a pair of strikeouts. But, a wild pitch sent pinch-runner Makailah Dees to second base, and McCoy followed with a line-drive double to the gap in right-center. Dees rounded third and scored easily with what would prove to be the winning run.
• In the seventh, first baseman Sophie Weber grabbed a Mitchiner grounder and tagged the base for the first out, but Madison Dudek followed with a single to center. Davies struck out Jaiden Bryant for out number two, but pinch-runner Madison Carter stole second to put the tying run in scoring position.
• But, Davies proceeded to throw a third strike past Malik to close out the victory.

BGSU-AKRON GAME TWO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• Both teams had two baserunners in the first inning of game two, but only the Falcons saw one of those runners cross the plate. BGSU starter Harlie Vannatter issued a pair of walks, but after the second base on balls, she got Teagan Rice to hit a fly ball that resulted in the third out.
• In the bottom of the inning, Sammy Dees singled with one out, and McCoy hit a grounder up the middle. Dees was out at second, but an attempt to get McCoy at first base resulted in a throw into the Akron dugout, sending McCoy to second. Then, Loyola lined a ball just over the head of leaping second baseman Anna Aquino and into right field for a run-scoring single.
• The Zips threatened in the third, loading the bases. Reynolds led off with a walk, and Molly McChesney beat out a slow roller to put a pair of runners aboard. Vannatter got each of the next two hitters to lift harmless fly balls to left, but then walked Laurel DeVoe to load the bases. On the next pitch, however, the BG hurler got Rice to lift a ball to left, where Marlie McNulty made her third putout of the inning.
• In the bottom of the third, BG quickly added to the lead. L'Esperance lined a ball through the left side of the infield on the first pitch of the inning, and Sammy Dees hit a double to right-center on the very next pitch, with L'Esperance coming all the way around to score.
• The Zips made a pitching chance, with Sheridon Wilber replacing Alexa Difeo, but Dees took third on a wild pitch, and Loyola's fly ball to right gave BG another run. McChesney made the catch in foul ground, but Dees was able to tag and score to give BG a 3-0 lead.
• Vannatter allowed two baserunners in the fourth and another in the fifth, but ended the half-inning with a strikeout in each case. And, BG added to the lead in the bottom of the fifth.
• After the first two batters were retired, three-straight Falcons singled to give the Brown and Orange another run. McCoy hit a ball that bounced over the shortstop's head for a single, and Loyola followed with a single up the middle. Then, Logan Everett lined a ball up the middle as well, with McCoy scoring from second on the base hit.
• Vannatter retired the Zips in order in the sixth, striking out two of the three hitters, and Sarah Gonzalez and L'Esperance each singled in the bottom of the inning. But, Lexie Petrof, UA's third pitcher of the game, escaped damage when a Sammy Dees liner was caught in center.
• In the seventh, the Zips finally broke through, but it was too little, too late. Reynolds led off with a walk and stole second. With one out, Carter singled to give the Zips their first run of the game.
• Vannatter, however, induced Dudek to hit a popup to McCoy at short, then got DeVoe to pop up to the other side of second base, with Sammy Dees gloving the latter ball for the game-ending out.

STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• In the opener, Davies allowed just four hits in her complete-game shutout win. She walked two batters and struck out six.
• Stefanoni gave up just three hits and walked one, while striking out 12.
• McCoy reached base twice in the opener, with a walk and a double, and that two-base hit drove in the game's only run.
• After allowing a leadoff single in the third inning, Davies would retire seven-straight batters and 13 of the next 14 Zips. She allowed only two runners to reach base after that third-inning hit.
• After getting just three hits in the first game, the Falcons banged out 11 in the second. Each of the Falcons' top-eight hitters in the batting order had at least one hit.
• Loyola was 2-for-2 with two RBI, while Sammy Dees and L'Esperance each went 2-for-4. Both Dees and L'Esperance scored a run, with Dees driving in a run as well.
• McCoy had a hit and scored two of BG's four runs. In the process, she extended her hitting streak to 12 games.
• Vannatter picked up the first win of her young collegiate career. She allowed only three hits, and did walk seven batters while striking out six.
• For Vannatter, the complete game was her second this season. She also had a complete game in her collegiate debut, at Cleveland State on Feb. 12.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons and Zips will conclude their four-game weekend series on Sunday (April 4), with a single game beginning at 12:00 p.m.doubleheader at Meserve Field First pitch of the first game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
• Then, BGSU will prepare for a four-game series at Buffalo next weekend (April 9-11).

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.

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