Gottshall No-Hits UB as BGSU Clinches Series Win

Sunday, April 10

Bowling Green, Ohio

12:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

19-11, 7-5

Buffalo

15-12, 6-3

Buffalo

Bowling Green

Payton Gottshall v Toledo - April 2 2022

Photo by: Morgan Holscher, BGSU Athletics

April 10, 2022 | Softball

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Bulls earn come-from-behind win in Sunday's opener, before Falcon phenom fires fourth career no-no

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Payton Gottshall added another chapter to her storied Bowling Green State University softball history on Sunday (April 10). Gottshall threw a no-hitter as the Falcons downed the University at Buffalo, 4-0, to clinch a series win at Meserve Field.

With the win, the Falcons (20-11, 8-5 Mid-American Conference) captured the weekend series, taking two of the three games.

The Bulls (15-13, 6-4 MAC) picked up a come-from-behind win in the opening contest of Sunday's doubleheader, capturing a 7-6 win over the Falcons in eight innings.

One day after striking out a school-record 23 batters in a 14-inning win over the Bulls in the series opener, Gottshall faced just one batter over the minimum on Sunday. She hit the game's first batter with a pitch, but that hitter, Anna Aguon, was caught stealing to end the inning.

UB's only other baserunner came via another HBP, as Alexis Lucyshyn was also hit by a pitch to begin the fifth. Then, however, Gottshall set down the final nine Buffalo batters, with five strikeouts and four infield popups during that span.

For the game, Gottshall struck out nine batters en route to her sixth complete-game shutout and her second no-hitter of the year.

Peyton Dolejs led the way for the Falcons at the plate, going 3-for-4 and scoring a pair of runs in the win.

In the opener, Reagan Williamson homered and drove in three runs, but a sixth-inning grand slam by the Bulls' Olivia Kincanon tied the game at 6-6, and UB scratched a run across in the eighth inning to capture the win.

NOTEWORTHY
• Payton Gottshall's no-hitter was her second of the season and the fourth of her BGSU career. She had a perfect game at Cleveland State last season (Feb. 13, 2021) and a no-hitter vs. Central Michigan at Meserve Field just over a month later (March 19, 2021).
• This season, Gottshall fired a five-inning perfect game vs. Green Bay – striking out all 15 batters she faced – at the Evansville Invitational on March 5, before throwing her no-hitter vs. the Bulls on Sunday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• After scoring just one run in 14 innings on Saturday, the Bulls scored a pair of runs in the opening frame on Sunday. After Anna Aguon walked and stole second, Rachel Steffan homered to left-center to give UB a 2-0 lead.
• That lead was short-lived, as BGSU bounced back with three runs in the bottom of the inning. With one out, BG got back-to-back singles from Peyton Dolejs and Bailey Sample to put runners at the corners. The two then executed a perfect double steal, with Dolejs crossing the plate as Sample was safe ahead of a throw to second.
• Then, Reagan Williamson unloaded on a Julia Tarantino pitch, crushing a ball to left. That drive landed on top of the BGSU bullpen for a two-run homer and a 3-2 Falcon lead.
• The Falcons added to the lead in the third, when Greta L'Esperance singled up the middle, took second on a grounder and scored on a two-out base hit by Williamson.
• BG scored again in the fourth. Ally Bezjak led off with a single, and a perfect sacrifice bunt by Sarah Gonzalez sent pinch-runner Marlie McNulty to second. Then, pinch-hitter Sophie Weber lined a ball off of the top of the wall in center for a double that plated McNulty.
• The next hitter, L'Esperance, beat out a bunt for a hit, and Wynnie Reid (who had re-entered the game for Weber) came around to score when the throw toward first was off the mark.
• But, the Bulls would rally against Sydney Stepp in the sixth. Steffan was hit by a pitch, and Alexis Lucyshyn drew a walk. An Alexis Matheney single loaded the bases with no outs. Stepp struck out Madison Fernimen for the first out of the inning, but Olivia Kincanon hit an opposite-field drive that just cleared the fence in right-center for a grand slam that tied the game at 6-all. UB put two more runners aboard before Stepp struck out Brianna Castro to end the inning.
• BGSU put a pair of runners on base in the sixth, on a Bezjak single and a walk to L'Esperance, but could not break the tie.
• Stepp worked around Steffan's leadoff single in the seventh, but UB rightfielder Sara Kelly robbed Sample of a hit with a diving catch of a sinking liner to begin the bottom of the frame. The next hitter, Williamson, reached base on an error, but Tarantino retired the next two Falcons to send the game to extra innings.
• UB scratched a run across in the eighth. Kincanon walked, and a softly-hit pool-cue shot off the bat of Tarantino hit the ground and spun away from the BG fielders for an infield single. Then, Ally Sobaszek's base hit plated the go-ahead run.
• Kiara Hurley entered the game with runners at second and third and nobody out. She proceeded to get Aguon to hit a fly ball to shallow left, then struck out Castro before inducing Steffan to pop up to third base.
• But, Tarantino retired the Falcons in order in the bottom of the eighth to seal the win.
• In the nightcap, BGSU got on the board in the first inning as three-straight runners reached base. Dolejs and Sample each singled, and Williamson reached on an error as Dolejs came around to score on the play.
• Dolejs would score the game's second run as well. L'Esperance hit a ball past a drawn-in infield to begin the third, and as the ball rolled into shallow right-center, she continued on to second for a leadoff double.
• Dolejs laid down a bunt and beat it out for an infield hit, but L'Esperance was cut down after rounding third for the first out of the inning. Sample was hit by a pitch, and Williamson lofted a ball just over the outstretched glove of the second baseman for a single that loaded the bases. Tarantino retired the next batter on a fly ball to shallow center, but a wild pitch allowed all three runners to advance, with Dolejs scoring to make it a 2-0 game.
• In the fourth, Lucyshyn came on to pitch for the Bulls, but Bezjak drew a walk and Gonzalez bunted pinch-runner McNulty to second. Then, a Makailah Dees single through the right side of the infield scored McNulty with the game's third run.
• Dees took second on a wild pitch, and she would come around to score on a Dolejs base hit up the middle.
• Lucyshyn allowed just one BG hit over her final two innings of work, but BGSU had already scored more than enough runs.
• BGSU starter Payton Gottshall had hit Aguon with a pitch to open the game, but then retired 12 Bulls in a row, including three batters on just four total pitches in the fourth inning.
• In the fifth, Gottshall hit Lucyshyn with a pitch, but set down the next three hitters. She retired the side in the sixth inning, and headed to the seventh looking for her second no-hitter of the season and the fourth of her career.
• In that seventh frame, she struck out both Castro and Steffan, then got Lucyshyn to pop up on a 1-0 pitch. First baseman Bezjak fielded that foul pop near the UB dugout, and Gottshall had her no-no.

STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• BGSU had a narrow 10-9 advantage in hits in the opener. L'Esperance was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run, while Williamson went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI.
• Bezjak also went 2-for-4 in game one.
• Lucyshyn, Sobaszek and Steffan each had two hits for UB, with Lucyshyn and Sobaszek each drawing a walk as well. Steffan homered, scoring twice and driving in two, while Kincanon had the game-tying grand slam.
• Tarantino picked up the win, allowing five earned runs and 10 hits in eight innings. She walked one batter and struck out six.
• Stepp surrendered seven runs and nine hits in seven innings, striking out five. Hurley retired all three batters she faced, fanning one.
• In game two, Dolejs led BGSU's eight-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Dolejs and Dees each drove in a run in the victory.
• Gottshall threw 53 of her 75 pitches for strikes, with nine strikeouts. UB's other 12 outs came on 11 fly balls/popups and one caught stealing.
• Tarantino took the loss, allowing two runs (one earned) and five hits in three innings of work. Lucyshyn also threw three innings, giving up two runs and three hits. Lucyshyn issued one walk and had five strikeouts.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons step outside of MAC play to meet Detroit Mercy on Tuesday evening (April 12). The teams will play a single game at Meserve Field, with first pitch set for 5:00 p.m.

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.