Huskies Take Friday Twinbill at Meserve

Friday, March 18

Bowling Green, Ohio

11:00 AM

Bowling Green State University

Northern Illinois

Willis, Gonzalez, Sample, Reid, Bezjak, Carver, Gottshall

Photo by: Larry Clapper

March 18, 2022 | Softball

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NIU captures a pair of closely-contested games in MAC-opening DH

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Northern Illinois University spoiled the Bowling Green State University softball team's home opener, capturing a pair of close contests at Meserve Field on Friday (March 18). The Huskies topped the Falcons by scores of 1-0 and 5-3 in a Mid-American Conference twinbill.

In the opener, NIU played 'small ball' to scratch a fourth-inning run across the plate, and the Huskies made that narrow lead stand up.

Northern scored five times in the first three innings of game two, and after the Falcons (12-7, 0-2 MAC) put three runs on the board in the home half of the third, BGSU could draw no closer.

Payton Gottshall allowed just six hits in the opener, but NIU cobbled together a run on a single, a stolen base and a pair of bunts in the fourth. That was all Emily Dato needed, as the NIU starter surrendered just four hits on the day.

In the nightcap, BGSU had an 8-7 lead in the hits department, but despite lights-out relief pitching by Sydney Stepp, could not narrow the two-run deficit in the final four innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons had a pair of first-inning baserunners in the opening game, as Peyton Dolejs singled with one out and Reagan Williamson drew a two-out walk, but Emily Dato escaped the jam as Lexi Carver's line drive was hit directly at shortstop Avery Carnahan.
• NIU's first baserunner came on a Sam Mallinder single with two outs in the second, and Amberly Rodriguez followed with a hit of her own, but Payton Gottshall struck out Maddie Mackey to retire the side.
• Dolejs singled for the second-straight at-bat to give BGSU a two-out, third-inning baserunner, but she was stranded there.
• NIU would take the lead in the fourth as Katie Keller led off with a single, then stole second. Kelly Walinski bunted Keller to third, and Bianca Barone laid down a bunt as well, with Keller scoring on the play. That would prove to be the lone run of the game.
• Over the next two innings, the Huskies had only one hit, but Dato retired the Falcons in order. Greta L'Esperance snapped a streak of seven in a row retired by the Huskie hurler with a bunt single in the sixth. But, Dato escaped the inning unscathed.
• Gottshall retired the side in order in the top of the seventh, and Williamson singled up the middle to begin the bottom of the inning. Carver's sacrifice bunt sent pinth-runner Marlie McNulty to second, but after Sophie Weber hit a fly ball to center, McNulty was out attempting to advance to third.
• NIU scored in each of the first three innings in game two. With one out in the first, three-straight singles gave the Huskies the lead, as Walinski's hit plated Keller. Then, in the second, Rodriguez led off with a single and scored on a Courtney James triple.
• Hannah Davies replaced Kiara Hurley in the circle, and got Kara Apato to ground out to Sarah Gonzalez at third, with James forced to hold. Carnahan drew a walk, and immediately rounded first in an attempt to get in a rundown. She was tagged out, but the home-plate umpire ruled that James reached home plate before the out occurred, giving the visitors a 3-0 lead.
• In the third, Keller drew a leadoff walk, and the Huskies had two runners aboard after an error, as a throw toward first hit the runner, Walinski.
• Ellis Erickson then doubled to plate Keller, and a Barone single allowed Walinski to score an unearned run. BGSU reliever Sydney Stepp then worked out of the jam with an infield popup and some aid from her infielders. After the popup, an attempted double steal by the Huskies resulted in both runners being tagged out – Barone on her way back to first base, then Erickson at the plate.
• Meanwhile, NIU starter Claire Norred had allowed three baserunners, but no hits, through two innings. Dolejs walked and Bailey Sample was hit by a pitch in the first frame, with Payton Hamm drawing a base on balls in the second. But, a grounder to short ended the first inning, and a Gonzalez liner was hit directly at the center fielder in the second.
• In the third, though, BGSU broke through. L'Esperance hit a ball that rolled to the wall in left-center, just beating the throw to third for a one-out triple. Then, Dolejs turned on a Norred pitch and hit a line drive that landed on top of the BG bullpen beyond the left-field fence for a two-run homer.
• With two outs, Williamson singled, and came all the way around to score when Carver's scorcher just eluded the leaping effort of the rightfielder for an RBI double.
• After allowing two hits in the third, Stepp did not allow another hit the rest of the way. Over the last four innings, the only NIU baserunners came via walks in the fourth and sixth, and an error in the seventh. All three of those baserunners came via the leadoff hitter, but Stepp retired the next three batters in each case.
• BG had two hits in the fourth, including Hamm's leadoff double. But, Norred retired the next two hitters on a popup and a grounder, and although L'Esperance reached on an infield single, Hamm was forced to hold on the play. She wound up being stranded at second.
• In the fifth, Sample's leadoff single ended Norred's day, and with two outs, Weber singled off of reliever Delaney Ostrowski. But, a fly ball down the left-field line was caught in foul ground to retire the side.
• Then, Ostrowski set down the Falcons in order in both the sixth and seventh frames.

STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• Dolejs led the Falcons at the plate on Friday, going 3-for-6 and driving in two of BGSU's three runs. She had two hits in the opener and a two-run homer and a walk in the nightcap.
• L'Esperance also had three hits on the day, with a single in game one and two hits, including a triple, in game two.
• Williamson had a single in each game and scored a run in the second contest, while Sample, Carver, Hamm and Weber each had a hit in game two. Hamm added a walk, while Carver's hit was an RBI double.
• For the Huskies, Mallinder and Rodriguez each went 2-for-3 in the opener. Seven different players had one hit apiece in the nightcap.
• Dato got the win in game one, firing a four-hit shutout. She walked one batter and struck out four. Gottshall took the loss despite giving up just one run and six hits. Gottshall struck out nine and did not walk a batter, and she threw 80 strikes among her 110 total pitches.
• Norred picked up the win in game two, allowing three runs and seven hits before leaving the game one batter into the fifth. She walked two and struck out two. Ostrowski earned the save with three innings of one-hit shutout relief, facing just one batter over the minimum.
• Stepp, the third of BGSU's three pitchers, had one of the finest outings of her young career, allowing just one run – an unearned run –in five innings of work. She gave up just two hits, walking two and striking out one. Stepp threw 37 of her 54 pitches for strikes.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons and Huskies will look to close their three-game weekend series on Saturday (March 19), with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 a.m., weather permitting.

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.