Hendrix Homer Hinders Huskies' Hopes

Sunday, March 20

Bowling Green, OH

11:00 AM

Bowling Green State University

13-7, 1-2

Northern Illinois

8-10, 2-1

Northern Illinois

Bowling Green

Madison Hendrix (5) is greeted at home plate by Reagan Williamson (33) & Lexi Carver

Photo by: Chad Huffman, BGSU Athletics

March 20, 2022 | Softball

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Two-out, three-run dinger caps 5-run fifth, lifts Falcons to 7-3 win

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Madison Hendrix homered to cap a five-run fifth inning, lifting the Bowling Green State University softball team to a 7-3 win over Northern Illinois University on Sunday (March 20) at Meserve Field.

Reagan Williamson was 3-for-3 with a walk for the Falcons (13-7, 1-2 MAC), with five of her teammates contributing with one hit apiece.

In the circle, Payton Gottshall allowed more traffic than usual on the basepaths, but surrendered just one earned run en route to the complete-game win. She struck out nine Huskies and did not walk a batter.

Kelly Walinski led the Huskies (8-10, 2-1 MAC) with a 4-for-4 performance at the plate, while Kara Apato went 3-for-4.

The Mid-American Conference game began on Saturday (March 19), but was halted after just one inning of play due to rain. After a 27-minute delay, the game was postponed until Sunday.

Exactly 25 hours and 57 minutes after delivering the first pitch of the game, Gottshall fired her final pitch, inducing a popup to first baseman Sophie Weber to retire the side in the seventh.

Gallery: (3-20-2022) Softball v NIU - March 20 2022

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The game began on Saturday morning (March 19), with each team scoring a first-inning run before the game was postponed.
• The Huskies took the lead when Kara Apato reached on a bunt single, then stole second and continued to third on an error. With one out, Katie Keller's fly ball to center allowed Apato to tag and score.
• But, BGSU responded immediately. Greta L'Esperance reached on a bunt single and stole second. NIU starting pitcher Emily Dato retired the next two hitters, but L'Esperance tagged and took third on a fly ball to left-center, and Reagan Williamson came through with a single up the middle that plated L'Esperance.
• Following Williamson's hit, Lexi Carver drew a walk, and Sophie Weber hit a hot shot toward the right side. NIU first baseman Keller was able to knock the ball down, then pick it up and tag Weber for our numer three.
• The teams then were called off the field as the game entered a weather delay at 11:16 a.m., and just under a half-hour later (approx. 11:43 a.m.), the game was postponed to Sunday.
• On Sunday, Payton Gottshall worked a one-two-three second inning, with two strikeouts sandwiched around a nice running catch from L'Esperance, and BG took the lead in the bottom of the inning.
• Payton Hamm led off with a single, and Sarah Gonzalez drew a one-out, four-pitch walk. A fielder's choice retired Hamm at third, but with runners at first and third, L'Esperance stole second, and Gonzalez trotted home from third when the throw sailed into shallow center.
• Both teams had two hits in the third inning, but neither side would score. Williamson and Carver singled for the Orange and Brown, but a two-out liner off the bat of Hamm was caught by diving centerfielder Apato.
• The Huskies tied the score in the fourth, then took the lead in the fifth. In the fourth, Kelly Walinski led off with a double, and an Amberly Rodriguez single plated pinch-runner Caitlyn Shumaker.
• The fifth frame saw Walinski double to plate Avery Carnahan, who had reached on a BG error. Walinski's hit came one batter after BG leftfielder Peyton Dolejs made a nifty running catch in left-center to rob Keller of extra bases. And, that inning ended when L'Esperance threw out Walinski at the plate after a Sam Mallinder single.
• BGSU, however, erupted for a five-run fifth. The first four batters reached base, as Dolejs walked and Bailey Sample singled to chase Dato from the game. Williamson's sharp single off of reliever Delaney Ostrowski loaded the bases, and Carver was hit by a pitch to allow Dolejs to trot home.
• Weber lifted a fly ball to right-center, and Sample tagged and scored what proved to be the winning run on the sac fly.
• The next batter, Madison Hendrix, fell behind 0-2 in the count, took a ball, then turned on an Ostrowski offering and deposited it onto the roof of the BGSU bullpen for a three-run homer, her second of the season.
• The Huskies threatened in the sixth via one-out singles from Bianca Barone and Ellis Erickson, and a two-out hit from Apato loaded the bases, but Gottshall struck out Carnahan to end that threat.
• BG loaded the bases in the home half of the inning as L'Esperance reached on an error before stealing yet another base. A Dolejs drive was caught at the wall, but after a pitching change, Claire Norred hit Sample with her first pitch, then walked Williamson. But, Norred escaped the jam, benefitting when Carver's liner was hit directly at second baseman Mallinder, then getting a grouner to third.
• In the bottom of the seventh, Keller doubled and a Walinski hit put runners at the corners. But, Gottshall struck out Mallinder, and a Rodriguez grounder was grabbed by third baseman Gonzalez, who threw her out while keeping Keller at third. Gottshall fired two pitches past Barone before getting her to pop up to Weber at first.

STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• Williamson led the Falcons at the plate, reaching base in all four appearances. She was 3-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI.
• Hendrix, one of five Falcons with one hit each, had the big blow with her three-run homer in the fifth frame.
• Carver had a hit and a walk, while Sample and Hamm each had a base hit in the win. Carver and Sample each were hit by a pitch as well.
• L'Esperance singled, stole three bases, scored a run and threw out a pair of Huskies on the basepaths.
• Gonzalez walked, stole a base and scored a run on Sunday.
• The Huskies had 14 hits in the game, with Walinski going 4-for-4 and Apato 3-for-4. Erickson had two hits in three at-bats.
• Gottshall picked up the complete-game win, firing 91 of her 121 pitches for strikes. She allowed just one earned run and did not walk a batter, striking out nine.
• Dato, the first of three Huskie hurlers, took the loss. She allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits in four innings of work. Dato walked three and struck out four.
• Ostrowski gave up three runs on two hits, including the Hendrix homer) in one-and-a-third innings, while Norred got the final two outs for the visitors.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons head to Athens next weekend, taking on Ohio University in a three-game series. The teams are scheduled to play a Friday (March 25) single game and a Saturday (March 26) doubleheader.
• Then, after a non-conference game at Michigan on Tuesday, March 29, the Orange and Brown will host Toledo on Friday, April 1. BGSU will meet the Rockets in a single game that afternoon and a doubleheader the following day (April 2).

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.