Falcons Take Two at DePaul Dome Tourney

Friday, February 11

Rosemont, Ill.

10:30 AM

Bowling Green State University

1-0

Western Illinois

0-1

Bowling Green

Western Illinois

Peyton Dolejs spent a lot of time on base Friday, going 4-for-6 & walking twice

Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics

February 11, 2022 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 BGSU-WIU Stats BGSU-BU Stats DePaul Dome Tourney Info.

Gottshall fires a two-hit shutout; BG bats pound out 18 hits in wins over WIU & Butler

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Bowling Green State University softball team got the 2022 season off to a successful start, picking up a pair of wins at the DePaul Dome Tournament on Friday (Feb. 11). The Falcons blanked Western Illinois, 6-0, before topping Butler by an 8-4 outcome.

Payton Gottshall picked up right where she left off last spring, firing a complete-game, two-hit shutout against the Leathernecks. She struck out 14 batters, whiffing WIU's number four and five hitters three times each, and took a perfect game into the fifth inning.

Meanwhile, the Falcons scored two runs in the third, fifth and sixth frames to slowly take control of Friday's opener.

The nightcap saw BGSU get off to a quick start, as Reagan Williamson blasted a three-run homer – the first of her collegiate career – in the first inning. Kiara Hurley picked up the win in relief in her BGSU debut.

Peyton Dolejs went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and four batted in on Friday. Bailey Sample was 3-for-5 on the day, and both Dolejs and Sample walked twice as well. Each player had an on-base percentage of .750 in the two games.

Greta L'Esperance had three hits, stole a base in each game, and scored four runs, including a career-high three in the win over Butler.

Williamson, Sarah Gonzalez and Payton Hamm all had two hits on Friday, with Gonzalez walking twice and Williamson once.

In all, BGSU batters pounded out 18 hits and drew 10 walks on the day.

NOTEWORTHY
• How has Payton Gottshall fared on opening day since coming to BGSU? Not bad. Not bad at all.
• In her collegiate debut two years ago (Feb. 14, 2020), Gottshall threw a complete-game one-hitter, striking out 17 batters in a 3-1 win over Tennessee Tech.
• Last year, Gottshall threw a one-hit shutout at Cleveland State (Feb. 12, 2021), striking out a school-record 20 batters. In addition to the hit (a single to left field to lead off the fifth inning), she allowed only one other batter to put the ball in play, and that resulted in a popup back to the circle.
• (The next day, by the way, she threw a perfect game against the Vikings.)
• On Friday, Gottshall struck out the first five batters she faced, and retired 14 in a row before allowing a two-out single to left in the fifth. She surrendered a triple in the sixth before setting down the final four batters of the game.
• In her three opening-day starts, Gottshall is 3-0 with an ERA of just 0.33. She has faced 68 batters, and has allowed just five to reach base, on four hits and one walk. Gottshall has struck out 51 of those 68 batters.

BGSU-WIU – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons got runners on base in each of the first two innings, via a pair of newcomers. Lexi Carver drew a two-out walk in the first inning, and Bailey Sample was hit by an Abby Carlin pitch in the second, but the Orange and Brown could not bring those runners around.
• That changed in the third, as Payton Hamm led off the inning with a single and came all the way around to score on a one-out double by Peyton Dolejs. Dolejs took third on an error and trotted home on a Reagan Williamson single, giving the Falcons a 2-0 lead.
• BG had at least one baserunner in all seven innings, as Sarah Gonzalez had a one-out single in the fourth. And, the Falcons doubled the lead in the fifth. Greta L'Esperance led off with a single and promptly stole second. Dolejs walked, prompting a pitching change for the Leathernecks.
• Maddy Anderson entered the circle and got a pair of outs, but Sample came through with a two-out single to center that plated both runners, giving the Falcons a 4-0 lead.
• Meanwhile, Payton Gottshall had not allowed a baserunner. She struck out the first five batters she faced, and fanned two more Leathernecks in the third and one in the fourth. Gottshall struck out the first two batters in the fifth before Piper Foote broke up her bid for a perfect game with a single to left. The next batter, Georgia Rea, attempted to bunt, but popped the ball back to the circle where Gottshall grabbed it for out number three.
• In the sixth, Anderson retired the first batter, but Ally Bezjak and Payton Hamm singled. A groundout moved the runners to second and third, respectively, before Dolejs singled to center to score both pinch-runner Kerrigan Williams and Hamm, giving BG a six-run advantage.
• Sample doubled in the seventh, but Anderson was able to keep her there. Gottshall had allowed a two-out triple to Kayla Zamora in the home half of the sixth, but responded by getting an inning-ending grounder to Sample at short. Then, Gottshall got an infield popup before striking out back-to-back batters in the seventh, locking down the shutout win.

You know who's a pretty good pitcher? Payton Gottshall. Here are the numbers from her 3 career opening-day starts...

🔸 3-0 record
🔸 0.33 ERA
🔸 21 innings pitched
🔸 68 batters faced
🔸 4 hits allowed
🔸 1 walk
🔸 5️⃣1️⃣ strikeouts#AyZiggy | 🥎🧡🥎🧡🥎 pic.twitter.com/UodT7ZdrOf
— BGSU Softball (@BGSUSoftball) February 11, 2022

BGSU-BU – HOW IT HAPPENED
• BGSU got on the board quickly against Alyssa Graves, the first of three Butler pitchers. L'Esperance reached second base on an error to begin the game, then took third on a sacrifice bunt by Dolejs. Carver walked, and pinch-runner Williams stole second before Williamson mashed a three-run homer to give BGSU the lead for good.
• BGSU starter Hannah Davies worked around a walk in each of the first two innings, but Bri Avery led off the Butler third with a bunt single, then stole second. She took third on a groundout and scored on an Ellie Boyer double. Then, Boyer came home on an Ella White base hit. Kiara Hurley entered the circle and got a fly ball to center and a grounder to short to end the inning.
• The Falcons got those two runs right back. Gonzalez led off the fourth inning with a walk, and after Graves retired the next two hitters, Gonzalez stole second before L'Esperance drew a walk and a wild pitch put both runners in scoring position.
• Mackenzie Griman replaced Graves in the circle, but Gonzalez scored on a passed ball, and Dolejs singled to plate another run for a 5-2 Falcon lead.
• Hurley worked three consecutive scoreless innings, retiring seven-straight batters during that stretch. Meanwhile, BGSU plated three more runs in the sixth, on singles by L'Esperance and Dolejs and a pair of Bulldog errors. After all three runs were in, Sample walked and Sophie Weber singled as the Falcons loaded the basees, but BU hurler Madison Seigworth got out of the jam without further damage.
• Trailing by six, the Bulldogs mounted a seven-inning rally, as a Boyer single drove in a run and a hit by Kinley Longest plated another. but, L'Esperance threw Boyer out at the plate on the later single, and Hurley got the next hitter to ground out to first, ending the game.
• For the second-straight game, the Falcons had at least one baserunner in all seven innings.

STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• Peyton Dolejs, as mentioned, went 4-for-6 on the day, with a double, two walks, three runs and four RBI. She also had a sac bunt.
• Bailey Sample went 3-for-5 with a pair of walks, a double and two RBI. She was also hit by a pitch. Both Dolejs and Sample had an on-base percentage of .750 on the day.
• Greta L'Esperance had three hits, stole a base in each game and scored four runs. She had a career-high three runs scored in the Butler game. Her previous career best had been two runs, achieved on 11 separate occasions.
• Four first-year Falcons were in the lineup in the season opener vs. WIU. That group consisted of transfers Ally Bezjak, Lexi Carver and Bre Cooper and freshman Sample.
• Kerrigan Williams also made her BG debut in Friday's opener, appearing as a pinch-runner.
• The Butler game saw Wynnie Reid make a pinch-running appearance for her collegiate debut, while Kiara Hurley came on in relief for her Falcon debut as well.
• Reagan Williamson hit her first collegiate homer on Friday. Williamson had totals of two hits and two RBI last season, but picked up a pair of hits and drove in four runs in Friday's two wins.
• Dolejs drove in a total of 10 runs last season, but had four RBI on Friday.
• Payton Gottshall's complete-game shutout was the 11th of her career. Her 14 strikeouts increase her career total to 424. In her 41st career start, Gottshall recorded her 35th complete game.
• With two stolen bases on Friday, L'Esperance now has 31 in her Falcon career.

UP NEXT
• BGSU plays two more games in the DePaul Dome Tournament on Saturday (Feb. 12). The Falcons will meet Eastern Illinois in a game slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET, then face Seattle in a 6:00 p.m. (ET) start.
• The Falcons wrap up weekend action with a Sunday rematch vs. Butler, with first pitch set for 10:00 a.m. ET.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
For more information on 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.