Friday, April 30
Bowling Green, Ohio
3:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
20-23, 12-16
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Miami
34-7, 24-1
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Miami
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Bowling Green
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Photo by: Haley Boehm, UT Athletics
League-Leading Miami Squeaks Past Falcons, 1-0
April 30, 2021 | Softball
Falcons go toe-to-toe with high-scoring league leaders
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University softball team went toe-to-toe with league-leading Miami University for seven innings, but an unearned run allowed the RedHawks to leave Meserve Field with a 1-0 victory Friday afternoon (April 30).
Miami, now 24-1 in the Mid-American Conference, had not been held to fewer than two runs in league play this season, and the RedHawks had scored at least eight runs in 20 of the first 24 conference contests.
But, Payton Gottshall and the Falcons (20-23, 12-16 MAC) matched Miami's Courtney Vierstra inning for inning as the teams went to the seventh frame locked in a scoreless tie.Â
In that final inning, though, the RedHawks (34-7 overall) scratched a run across the plate as after a single and an error, Allie Cummins singled to score pinch-runner Taylor Rathe from second.
The Falcons got a runner as far as third base in the bottom of the seventh, but Vierstra and the RedHawks got a groundout to close out the game.
Vierstra allowed just two BGSU hits, walking two batters and striking out six. Gottshall surrendered five hits, all singles, and struck out 12. As mentioned, neither pitcher allowed an earned run.
NOTEWORTHY FRIDAY FACTS
• Miami entered Friday's game hitting .350 as a team, and the RedHawks were second in the nation in scoring, averaging 8.10 runs per game.
• In MAC play, the RedHawks were hitting .390 and averaging a whopping 9.38 runs per contest. But, Payton Gottshall and the Falcons allowed MU to no earned runs and five hits in seven innings of action at Meserve Field.
• The game was scoreless for six innings. Miami had not been held scoreless through as many as three innings in any of the RedHawks' first 24 MAC games.
• Miami had scored at least one run in the first three innings in 28 consecutive games, and the RedHawks had scored before the end of the fourth inning in 31-straight contests.
• Only one team – Kennesaw State on Feb. 28 – had held MU scoreless through as many as four innings this season, prior to Gottshall blanking the 'Hawks into the seventh.
BGSU-MIAMI – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The RedHawks threatened early, with a two-out rally in the top of the first. Allie Cummins walked, and Adriana Barlow singled through the left side of the BG infield. Mackenzie Moore drew a walk to load the bases, but Payton Gottshall got Holly Blaska to hit a foul pop that was grabbed by BG third baseman Sarah Gonzalez.
• Gottshall struck out the side in the second inning, but Miami advanced a runner as far as third base in each of the next two frames. In the third inning, Karli Spaid singled and stole second with one out. A ground ball back to the circle advanced Spaid to third, but Gottshall struck out the next MU hitter to end the threat.
• In the fourth, Blaska also singled and stole second with one down. Again, a ground ball advanced the MU runner to third, but again, Gottshall struck out the next batter for out number three.
• Meanwhile, though, Courtney Vierstra allowed only two BGSU baserunners through five innings. Sammy Dees was hit by a pitch with one out in the first, and Madi McCoy walked to begin the Falcon fourth. In that fourth frame, Nikki Sorgi bunted pinch-runner Makailah Dees to second, and Dees took third on a wild pitch. But, she was stranded there as the inning ended on a foul pop to the right side.
• Gottshall issued a pair of two-out walks, to Spaid in the fifth and Blaska in the sixth, but retired the next batter in each case.
• Greta L'Esperance led off the BG half of the sixth inning with a single through the left side of the infield, and she stole second well ahead of the MU throw. Sammy Dees bunted her to third, but Vierstra responded by getting a pair of infield popups to get out of the inning unscathed.
• Then, in the seventh, the RedHawks broke through with a two-out rally. Karlee Juarez singled, and an infield error put runners on first and second. Then, Allie Cummins singled to center, and pinch-runner Taylor Rathe scored ahead of the throw home. Gottshall struck out the next hitter, but the visitors had an unearned run and a 1-0 lead.
• And, Vierstra and the RedHawk defense would make that lead stand up, although the Falcons would not go down without a fight.
• Evelyn Loyola led off with an infield single, as her blooper landed behind the circle and the BG catcher beat the throw to first. Peyton Dolejs bunted pinch-runner Sophie Bosket to second, and a groundout moved Bosket to third. But, Vierstra was able to induce a grounder to the left side for the final out.
STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• Seven different players had one hit apiece on Friday. For the Falcons, L'Esperance reached base twice on a single and a walk.
• Spaid, Cummins and Blaska each walked and singled for the RedHawks.
• Vierstra threw 69 of her 111 pitches for strikes, while Gottshall had 86 strikes among her 142 pitches.
• With 12 strikeouts on Friday, Gottshall now has 230 strikeouts on the season. She is just seven shy of tying the BGSU single-season record of 237, currently owned by Falcon Hall-of-Famer Liz Vrabel.
• Friday's game marked Gottshall's 13th double-digit strikeout total of the season.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons and RedHawks continue their weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday (May 1). First pitch of game one is set for 1:00 p.m. at Meserve Field.
• Then, the teams tangle in a Sunday (May 2) single game, beginning at 12:00 p.m. Sunday will be Senior Day for the Falcons, with ceremonies prior to the contest.
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
Miami, now 24-1 in the Mid-American Conference, had not been held to fewer than two runs in league play this season, and the RedHawks had scored at least eight runs in 20 of the first 24 conference contests.
But, Payton Gottshall and the Falcons (20-23, 12-16 MAC) matched Miami's Courtney Vierstra inning for inning as the teams went to the seventh frame locked in a scoreless tie.Â
In that final inning, though, the RedHawks (34-7 overall) scratched a run across the plate as after a single and an error, Allie Cummins singled to score pinch-runner Taylor Rathe from second.
The Falcons got a runner as far as third base in the bottom of the seventh, but Vierstra and the RedHawks got a groundout to close out the game.
Vierstra allowed just two BGSU hits, walking two batters and striking out six. Gottshall surrendered five hits, all singles, and struck out 12. As mentioned, neither pitcher allowed an earned run.
NOTEWORTHY FRIDAY FACTS
• Miami entered Friday's game hitting .350 as a team, and the RedHawks were second in the nation in scoring, averaging 8.10 runs per game.
• In MAC play, the RedHawks were hitting .390 and averaging a whopping 9.38 runs per contest. But, Payton Gottshall and the Falcons allowed MU to no earned runs and five hits in seven innings of action at Meserve Field.
• The game was scoreless for six innings. Miami had not been held scoreless through as many as three innings in any of the RedHawks' first 24 MAC games.
• Miami had scored at least one run in the first three innings in 28 consecutive games, and the RedHawks had scored before the end of the fourth inning in 31-straight contests.
• Only one team – Kennesaw State on Feb. 28 – had held MU scoreless through as many as four innings this season, prior to Gottshall blanking the 'Hawks into the seventh.
BGSU-MIAMI – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The RedHawks threatened early, with a two-out rally in the top of the first. Allie Cummins walked, and Adriana Barlow singled through the left side of the BG infield. Mackenzie Moore drew a walk to load the bases, but Payton Gottshall got Holly Blaska to hit a foul pop that was grabbed by BG third baseman Sarah Gonzalez.
• Gottshall struck out the side in the second inning, but Miami advanced a runner as far as third base in each of the next two frames. In the third inning, Karli Spaid singled and stole second with one out. A ground ball back to the circle advanced Spaid to third, but Gottshall struck out the next MU hitter to end the threat.
• In the fourth, Blaska also singled and stole second with one down. Again, a ground ball advanced the MU runner to third, but again, Gottshall struck out the next batter for out number three.
• Meanwhile, though, Courtney Vierstra allowed only two BGSU baserunners through five innings. Sammy Dees was hit by a pitch with one out in the first, and Madi McCoy walked to begin the Falcon fourth. In that fourth frame, Nikki Sorgi bunted pinch-runner Makailah Dees to second, and Dees took third on a wild pitch. But, she was stranded there as the inning ended on a foul pop to the right side.
• Gottshall issued a pair of two-out walks, to Spaid in the fifth and Blaska in the sixth, but retired the next batter in each case.
• Greta L'Esperance led off the BG half of the sixth inning with a single through the left side of the infield, and she stole second well ahead of the MU throw. Sammy Dees bunted her to third, but Vierstra responded by getting a pair of infield popups to get out of the inning unscathed.
• Then, in the seventh, the RedHawks broke through with a two-out rally. Karlee Juarez singled, and an infield error put runners on first and second. Then, Allie Cummins singled to center, and pinch-runner Taylor Rathe scored ahead of the throw home. Gottshall struck out the next hitter, but the visitors had an unearned run and a 1-0 lead.
• And, Vierstra and the RedHawk defense would make that lead stand up, although the Falcons would not go down without a fight.
• Evelyn Loyola led off with an infield single, as her blooper landed behind the circle and the BG catcher beat the throw to first. Peyton Dolejs bunted pinch-runner Sophie Bosket to second, and a groundout moved Bosket to third. But, Vierstra was able to induce a grounder to the left side for the final out.
STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• Seven different players had one hit apiece on Friday. For the Falcons, L'Esperance reached base twice on a single and a walk.
• Spaid, Cummins and Blaska each walked and singled for the RedHawks.
• Vierstra threw 69 of her 111 pitches for strikes, while Gottshall had 86 strikes among her 142 pitches.
• With 12 strikeouts on Friday, Gottshall now has 230 strikeouts on the season. She is just seven shy of tying the BGSU single-season record of 237, currently owned by Falcon Hall-of-Famer Liz Vrabel.
• Friday's game marked Gottshall's 13th double-digit strikeout total of the season.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons and RedHawks continue their weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday (May 1). First pitch of game one is set for 1:00 p.m. at Meserve Field.
• Then, the teams tangle in a Sunday (May 2) single game, beginning at 12:00 p.m. Sunday will be Senior Day for the Falcons, with ceremonies prior to the contest.
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: VIERSTRA, C. (19-3)
L: Gottshall, Payton (13-9)
Batting:
RBI: CUMMINS, A. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: RATHE, Taylo 1
SB: SPAID, Karli 1 ; BLASKA, H. 1
Batting:
SH: Dees, Sammy 1 ; Sorgi, Nikki 1 ; Dolejs, Peyton 1
Base Running:
SB: L'Esperance, Greta 1
HBP: Dees, Sammy 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
1
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballSS/2B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ SoftballC
/ SoftballSS
/ Softball
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