BGSU Blanks Bisons, 5-0

Friday, March 11

Nashville, Tenn.

10:00 AM

Bowling Green State University

9-5

Pittsburgh

10-7

Bowling Green

Pitt

Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics

March 11, 2022 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 BGSU-Pitt Stats BGSU-Lipscomb Stats

Gottshall fires a two-hit shutout after Falcons fall in extras in Friday's opener

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Payton Gottshall fired a two-hit shutout as the Bowling Green State University softball team downed Lipscomb University, 5-0, Friday afternoon (March 11). The game, part of day-one action at the Lady Bison Classic, was held at Draper Diamond.

In the first game of the day, BG battled back from an early four-run deficit, but the University of Pittsburgh pushed a run across the plate in the ninth inning for a 5-4 victory over the Falcons.

Gottshall took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the host Bisons, striking out 15 batters to earn her fourth shutout of the young season.

Greta L'Esperance had a pair of multiple-hit games, and was 4-for-7 with two walks, three stolen bases and three runs scored in Friday's two games.

Wynnie Reid, Sophie Weber and Peyton Dolejs each had one or more hits in both Friday contests. Weber had a pinch-hit two-run single in the opener, then went 1-for-2 with a walk and a double vs. Lipscomb.

Reid was 3-for-6 with two sacrifice bunts, a walk, an RBI double and two runs scored in the two games, while Dolejs had a walk and a hit vs. the Panthers and a stolen base, a sac fly and a pair of RBI against the Bisons.

In her last 18 innings of work (including four innings of a game at Evansville that was halted due to rain and lightning), Gottshall has allowed just three hits.

NOTEWORTHY
• BGSU's Payton Gottshall now has five games with 10 or more strikeouts this season and 23 in her career.
• With a total of 19 strikeouts in Friday's two games, she now has 506 career strikeouts to rank fourth in BGSU history. Gottshall moved past Jennifer Wolf (505 strikeouts from 1993-97) with her final strikeout of the win over Lipscomb. She is just six strikeouts behind third-place Jamie Kertes (512 from 2012-15).

BGSU-PITTSBURGH – HOW IT HAPPENED
• Pittsburgh starting pitcher Dani Drogemuller had defeated No. 3 Florida State in her most recent outing. But, Drogemuller allowed a bevy of BG baserunners on Friday, surrendering four hits and walking nine batters in six innings of work.
• Drogemuller worked out of nearly-continuous danger in each of the first four frames. In the first, Greta L'Esperance walked, then advanced all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt by Peyton Dolejs. Walks to Reagan Williamson and Lexi Carver loaded the bases with two outs, but Drogemuller was able to strike out the next batter to escape that jam.
• Each team loaded the bases in both the first and second innings, but the Panthers were the only team to take advantage. In the first inning, Yvonne Whaley led off with a single against BG starter Hannah Davies, and after EC Taylor's sac bunt, both Haylie Brunson and Cami Compson walked to load the bases. And, Sarah Seamans homered to left, giving the Panthers a 4-0 lead.
• Kiara Hurley entered the circle one batter later, and picked up the final two outs of the frame.
• In the second, BGSU looked to put together a two-out rally, as Wynnie Reid walked, L'Esperance reached on an infield single and Dolejs drew a base on balls. But, Drogemuller was able to induce an infield popup to end the inning.
• Hurley allowed a pair of singles and a walk with two down in the bottom of the first, but then got Katlyn Pavlick to fly out to L'Esperance in center.
• Beginning with that fly ball, Hurley would retire 12-straight Pitt batters.
• In the fifth, BGSU loaded the bases for a third time in the game. This time, the Falcons would break through. With one out, Drogemuller walked three-straight hitters, with Williamson, Carver and Payton Hamm all reaching base.
• Sarah Gonzalez lifted a fly ball to right that scored Williamson from third, and everyone was safe on an error by the Panthers' rightfielder. Then, Sophie Weber came through with a pinch-hit single up the middle that plated both pinch-runner Marlie McNulty and Hamm, making it a one-run game.
• After Hurley worked her third consecutive one-two-three inning in the bottom of the fifth, L'Esperance led off the sixth with an infield hit and promptly stole second. Dolejs reached on a fielder's choice when the Pitt shortstop attempted to get L'Esperance in a rundown. Then, Bailey Sample's scorcher was grabbed by diving third baseman Kayla Lane. Lane's only play was at third, but L'Esperance avoided her lunging tag effort, and the bases were loaded on the Sample single.
• Drogemuller retired the next two hitters on a strikeout and an infield popup, but Hamm came through with a sharp single to center that scored L'Esperance and tied the game.
• In the seventh, Ally Bezjak greeted Pitt reliever Ally Muraskin with a leadoff walk, then stole second and took third on Reid's sac bunt. Pinch-runner Makailah Dees was tagged out after a rundown on a L'Esperance grounder, but L'Esperance made it all the way to third on the play. But, Muraskin was able to get another grounder that ended the inning.
• After an error allowed the leadoff hitter to reach base in the bottom of the inning, Payton Gottshall entered the circle for the Falcons. Brunson bunted the runner, Bailey Drapola, to second base, and Compson drew a walk, but Gottshall struck out Seamans and got Pavlick to hit an inning-ending fly ball to center.
• With Dolejs placed on second to begin the eighth, the Falcons were able to get another baserunner in the form of Carver's two-out walk, but the runners were stranded at first and second. In the bottom of the frame, though, Gottshall proceeded to strike out all three hitters she faced.
• Gonzalez led off the ninth by bunting Hamm to third, but a strikeout and a liner back to the circle ended the threat. Then, the Panthers walked it off on a pair of bunts.
• A sac bunt by Whaley moved Kylie Griggs to third base, and she would score on Drapola's bunt back toward the circle, giving the Panthers the extra-inning victory.

BGSU-LIPSCOMB – HOW IT HAPPENED
• BGSU scored a first-inning run against Lipscomb starter Laine Barefoot. Greta L'Esperance walked, stole second, took third on a sac bunt by Wynnie Reid and came home on a two-out single by Reagan Williamson.
• BGSU got a baserunner in the second inning on a Sophie Weber walk, and L'Esperance got to third base in the third after a single, another stolen base and a grounder. But, the Falcons could not add to the lead.
• Weber doubled with two outs in the fourth, but was stranded at second. In the fifth, though, BGSU added to the lead.
• Madison Hendrix roped a leadooff single up the middle, and Reid's one-out hit moved pinch-runner Bre Cooper all the way to third, with Reid taking second on the throw. Then, Peyton Dolejs rapped a single through the left side of the infield to place Cooper, and a sac fly by Williamson plated Reid for a three-run Falcon lead.
• Barefoot then retired five-straight hitters before L'Esperance singled with one down in the seventh. Reid followed with a line drive to the wall in center. L'Esperance came all the way around to score standing up on the double, with Reid taking third when the throw to the plate was off the mark. Reid would tag and score the game's final run on a sac fly off the bat of Dolejs.
• Meanwhile, Gottshall was cruising. She retired the first seven hitters she faced before walking Kaitlynn Hunt. Then, Gottshall struck out three-straight batters before Maci Cunconan drew a walk with one down in the fourth.
• Gottshall then retired seven in a row before Presley Leebrick picked up the Bisons' first hit with two away in the sixth. Leebrick hit a slow bouncer to short and beat the throw. Gottshall responded with another strikeout.
• In the bottom of the seventh, pinch-hitter Jessie Brown reached when her blooper landed on the grass just beyond third base and just inside the left-field line. Gottshall then got a strikeout, a foul pop to Sarah Gonzalez at third and another strikeout to close out the victory.

STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• BGSU outhit Pittsburgh, 6-5, in Friday's opener, and Falcon batters drew 11 walks in the game. L'Esperance was 2-for-4 with a walk, and both Williamson and Carver walked three times each.
• Sample, Hamm and Weber picked up hits, with Weber driving in a pair of runs and Hamm one. Gonzalez also had an RBI.
• Gottshall took the loss in relief, allowing an unearned run and one hit (a bunt single) in 2 1/3 innings of work. She struck out four and walked one.
• Hurley, the second of three BG pitchers, gave up just two hits in 5 2/3 shutout innings. Hurley walked two batters and struck out a pair.
• Pitt pitchers threw a combined 194 pitches in the game, compared to 136 for BG hurlers. Drogemuller was forced to throw a whopping 160 pitches in six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) and six hits. She walked nine batters and struck out 10.
• Muraskin picked up the win in relief. She did not allow a hit in her three innings, while walking two Falcons and whiffing three.
• At the plate, Seamans had the big blow with the first-inning grand slam, while Whaley had two of the Panthers' five hits.
• In the second game, Gottshall allowed just two hits, walking two and striking out 15 in her complete-game win. She threw 70 of her 101 pitches for strikes.
• L'Esperance was 2-of-3 with a balk, two steals and two runs scored, while Reid also went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs. Reid also had a double, a sac bunt and an RBI.
• Weber was 1-for-2 with a walk and a double, while Dolejs, Hendrix and Williamson all went 1-of-3. Both Dolejs and Williamson had a sac fly and a pair of RBI, with Dolejs adding a stolen base.
• Barefoot allowed five runs and eight hits for the hosts, walking two and striking out four.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons continue play in the Lady Bison Classic on Saturday (March 12). BGSU is scheduled to meet Pittsburgh in a game slated to start at 2:00 p.m. ET.
• Then, on Sunday (March 13), the Orange and Brown will meet Houston Baptist, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.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.