Falcons Post a Pair of Come-From-Behind Wins to Close Out Home Schedule

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University softball team closed out the home portion of the 2021 with a pair of come-from-behind wins on Tuesday afternoon (May 4). The Falcons downed Western Michigan University by scores of 3-1 and 4-3 at Meserve Field.

Payton Gottshall picked up the complete-game win in the opener, and earned her first collegiate save in the nightcap. Hannah Davies went six innings in game two to earn the victory for the Falcons (23-25, 15-18 Mid-American Conference).

Peyton Dolejs had a tremendous day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a walk. She had two hits in each game, and scored what proved to be the winning run in both contests.

The Broncos (11-27, 7-17 MAC) took the lead in each game, scoring a fourth-inning run in the opener and crossing the plate three times in the first two innings of game two. But, the Falcons got a three-run fifth inning in the first contest, then scored three times in the second inning of the second game to knot that game at 3-3. BG pushed what proved to be the winning run across the plate in the sixth inning of the nightcap.

Payton Hamm had a hit and an RBI in each game, while Sarah Gonzalez drove in a run in both ends of the twinbill as well.

BGSU-WMU GAME ONE – HOW IT HAPPENED
• Both teams got solid starting pitching in the opener, as BGSU's Payton Gottshall and WMU's Autumn Godwin allowed a combined total of six hits in the game.
• Gottshall worked out of a first-inning jam, as the Broncos put runners at the corners with no outs. Mackenzie Swinehart led off the game with a single to left, and a BG throwing error on Kaylen Glenfield's bunt sent Swinehart to third. But, Gottshall set down the next three hitters, and would allow only three baserunners the rest of the way.
• Godwin, meanwhile, allowed a leadoff single to Greta L'Esperance to begin the first, then walked Evelyn Loyola with one out in the second. But, those were BGSU's only baserunners through four innings.
• Logan Carter led off the WMU fourth inning with a line-drive homer to right-center, giving the Broncos a 1-0 lead. But, after that hit, Gottshal retired the next 12 batters to close out the game. She struck out eight of those 12 hitters, with two strikeouts per inning the rest of the way.
• Godwin took a one-hit shutout into the fifth inning, but the Falcons sent nine batters to the plate in that fifth frame. Loyola led off with a walk, her second of the game, and Peyton Dolejs singled through the left side of the WMU infield.
• Logan Everett's sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, and Sarah Gonzalez followed with a line drive down the right-field line. Western's Taylor Garey made an impressive diving catch near the line to rob Gonzalez of a hit, but Loyola tagged and scored from third on the play, tying the game.
• Then, Payton Hamm singled to score Dolejs, and after a L'Esperance walk, Sammy Dees greeted Bronco relief pitcher Sydney Stefanick with a base hit. WMU shortstop Alyssa Kramer made a diving stop of the Dees grounder deep in the hole, but had no play at any base. Then, Madi McCoy drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Hamm and give the Falcons a two-run lead.
• And, that two-run advantage proved to be more than enough for Gottshall. She struck out the first two batters of the sixth inning before getting a popup to Dees at second. Then, in the seventh, she induced the first batter to hit a fly ball to Hamm in right, then got each of the next two hitters to strike out swinging.

BGSU-WMU GAME TWO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• After seeing the final 12 hitters retired in game one, WMU was hot at the plate early in game two. The Broncos scored two runs against BGSU starter Hannah Davies in the first inning, then added another run in the second.
• The Broncos took the lead just three batters in, as Mackenzie Swinehart walked and Glenfield and Courtney Farrish each singled, with Swinehart scoring from second on the latter hit. One out later, Carter's single scored Glenfield.
• WMU got back-to-back doubles from Glenfield and Farrish in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead. But, Rissa Bajusz, who had sailed through the first inning, ran into trouble in the second.
• Bajusz needed just seven pitches to get through the first inning, allowed a leadoff single to Nikki Sorgi in the second. Sorgi took second on an infield grounder, and Dolejs singled through the left side to put runners at the corners with one out.
• Dolejs stole second, and a walk to Everett loaded the bases. Gonzalez then drew a base on balls as well, with Sorgi trotting home, and Reily Galloway replaced Bajusz in the circle.
• Galloway was greeted by Hamm, who placed a ball just inside the left-field line on the grass behind third base, allowing Dolejs to score. The bases remained loaded, and a walk to L'Esperance plated Everett. Galloway was able to escape further damage, but the game was tied, 3-3.
• Both pitchers settled in, each allowing just one walk in the third inning before retiring the side in order in the fourth. Davies threw just five pitches (all strikes) to get three outs in the latter inning.
• In the fifth, Davies again set down the Broncos in order, with the third out coming on a nifty play by McCoy. The shortstop ranged far to her left to grab a Carter grounder behind the second-base bag before firing to Sorgi at first for the out.
• McCoy singled with one out in the Falcon fifth, but Galloway then got a fly ball to right and a soft liner back to the circle.
• Davies worked around a one-out single in the sixth, before a Dolejs double began the bottom half of the inning. Dolejs drove a ball beyond the reach of rapidly retreating leftfielder Glenfield. Then, Everett laid down a bunt and was safe when the throw to first was off line. Dolejs, on her way to third on the sac bunt, continued home with what would prove to be the game-winning run.
• Gonzalez reached on a perfectly-placed bunt, crossing first base without drawing a throw, and Hamm became the third-straight BG batter to bunt, with her sacrifice putting runners at second and third. But, Galloway escaped the jam by inducing first a popup to third, then a fly ball to right.
• Gottshall entered the game to begin the seventh. She issued a leadoff walk to Mackenzie Swinehart, but then retired the two, three and four hitters in the Bronco batting order.
• Glenfield laid down a sac bunt to move Swinehart to second, and Farrish hit a fly ball to right, with Swinehart tagging and taking third. With the tying run just 60 feet from home plate, Gottshall grabbed Stefanick's roller to the right side and fired to Sammy Dees just in time to beat Stefanick to the bag.

STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• Gottshall picked up the complete-game win in the opener, allowing just one run and three hits. She walked one batter and struck out 12. Gottshall threw 72 of her 103 total pitches for strikes.
• In the nightcap, Davies allowed three runs and seven hits in her six innings of work. She walked two batters and struck out six.
• Davies allowed just two baserunners over her final four innings, on a third-inning walk and a sixth-inning single. Between those two plays, she retired nine-straight batters.
• Gottshall picked up the first save by a Falcon this season, and the first save of her BGSU career, with a scoreless seventh inning. She walked the first batter she faced before retiring the next three.
• Gottshall is now 16-10 (with one save) on the year, while Davies improved to 5-4 on the season.
• Dolejs was 4-for-5 with a walk and three runs scored in the doubleheader. In the opener, she had a pair of singles and scored what proved to be the winning run.
• In game two, Dolejs had a single, a double, a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored. And, for the second-straight game, she scored the winning run.
• Hamm was 1-for-2 with an RBI in each game, scoring a run in the opener, and Gonzalez drove in a run in both ends of the DH as well. She had a sac fly in game one, and singled and walked in game two.
• For the Broncos, Godwin took the loss in the circle in the opener, allowing three runs in four-and-two-thirds innings. She gave up three hits, walking three and striking out three. Stefanick got the final four outs, allowing two hits and walking a batter.
• Galloway allowed just a run and four hits in four-and-two-thirds innings of relief in game two, with two walks and two strikeouts. Bajusz gave up three runs on two walks and two hits before leaving with one out in the second.
• At the plate, Mackenzie Swinehart had two hits in the opener before walking twice in the second game. Glenfield had two hits and two runs in the nightcap, while Farris had two hits and two RBI in that second contest.
• Carter had a hit and an RBI in each game, including a homer in the opener.

Gallery: (5-4-2021) Softball v Western Mich. - May 4 2021

UP NEXT
• The Falcons hit the road for the remainder of the 2021 season. BGSU will travel to DeKalb for a four-game weekend series against Northern Illinois. Friday's (May 7) opener will begin at 3:00 p.m. local time (4:00 p.m. ET) at Mary M. Bell Field.
• The Falcons and Huskies are slated to play a Saturday doubleheader and a Sunday single game, before BGSU heads to Kalamazoo for a twinbill vs. the Broncos on Wednesday, May 12.

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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