GONE-ZO! Back-to-Back Blasts by Gonzalez Lift Falcons to Sweep of Detroit Mercy DH

Tuesday, April 12

Bowling Green, Ohio

5:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

21-11

Detroit Mercy

1-28

Detroit Mercy

Bowling Green

Photo by: Morgan Holscher, BGSU Athletics

GONE-ZO! Back-to-Back Blasts by Gonzalez Lift Falcons to Sweep of Detroit Mercy DH

April 12, 2022 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 BGSU-Detroit Mercy Game 1 Stats BGSU-Detroit Mercy Game 2 Stats

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Sarah Gonzalez homered in back-to-back at-bats, lifting the Bowling Green State University softball team to a 6-4 win over the University of Detroit Mercy on Tuesday night (April 12) at Meserve Field.

The win gave the Falcons (22-11) a sweep of the teams' non-conference doubleheader. BGSU picked up a 3-0 win in the opening contest.

The Titans (1-29) took a pair of leads in the nightcap, including a 4-1 advantage on a Taryn Peru three-run homer in the third inning. But, Reagan Williamson answered with a two-run round-tripper in the bottom of the inning to tie the score.

Then, in the fourth inning, Gonzalez crushed a ball to left to give the Falcons the lead. That proved to be the game-winning RBI, but Gonzalez added some insurance with another homer in the sixth.

The latter round-tripper sailed over the fence, between the flagpole in dead center and the Meserve Field scoreboard in left-center.

BGSU scored a third-inning run in the opener on a Williamson base hit, then added two more runs on Sophie Weber's pinch-hit single in the fifth.

Payton Gottshall picked up the victory in game one, with six innings of four-hit shutout ball. She struck out 12 and did not walk a batter.

Freshman Madi Young, making her second career appearance, earned the save in the opening game, retiring the side in the seventh.

Sydney Stepp earned the win in the nightcap with three-and-two-thirds innings of stellar relief work. After allowing a homer to the first hitter she faced, Stepp proceeded to retire 11-straight hitters.

Kiara Hurley worked the seventh inning, picking up her fourth save of the season.

Greta L'Esperance had six hits in the twinbill, going 4-for-4 in game two. Both Williamson and Peyton Dolejs had three hits on Tuesday, while Makailah Dees had a hit in each game.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• On a glorious April day in Northwest Ohio, both starters pitched well in game one. UDM hurler Liz Murphy worked around a pair of errors and a Peyton Dolejs single in the first inning to keep the Falcons off of the scoreboard, and she set BGSU down in order in the second.
• In the third inning, though, the Falcons took the lead. Greta L'Esperance singled with one down, and advanced to second on Dolejs's second hit of the game. A grounder to the left side resulted in a force at third, but Reagan Williamson's fly ball dropped in shallow right for a single that plated Dolejs with the game's first run. Lexi Carver walked to load the bases, but Murphy escaped the jam without allowing any further damage.
• BG got back-to-back singles from Makailah Dees and L'Esperance with two down in the fourth, but a grounder ended that threat. But, the Falcons added to the lead in the fifth.
• After Bailey Sample's rocket was caught in center to begin the inning, Williamson singled, and Carver doubled to right-center to send pinch-runner Wynnie Reid to third. With two outs, Sophie Weber came through with a pinch-hit single that plated both runners.
• Meanwhile, BGSU starter Payton Gottshall allowed one hit in each of her first five innings of work, but struck out two batters in all six innings. Detroit Mercy got a one-out McKenna Tanguay double in the first, as the blooper landed just inside the line in shallow left, then caromed toward the fence in foul ground. But, Gottshall whiffed the next two Titans.
• The visitors got a bunt single from Piper Roth in the second inning, an infield hit by Tanguay in the third and a line-drive single from Roth in the fourth, but Gottshall ended each of those innings just as she had finished the opening frame – with a strikeout. Her punchout of Liz Paver in the fourth began a stretch of seven-straight batters retired, including five by strikeout.
• Madi Young made her Meserve Field debut in the seventh, and after allowing a leadoff single to Leena Mortensen, she needed just seven pitches to get the game's final three outs.
• Game two saw the Titans take an early lead. Taylor Gauthier opened the game by drawing a walk against BGSU starter Hannah Davies, and Gauthier took second on a sac bunt and third on a grounder to the right side. Then, Taryn Peru's two-out single to left allowed Gauthier to cross the plate.
• BGSU answered quickly, as L'Esperance and Dolejs had back-to-back singles before a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. Williamson's sacrifice fly allowed L'Esperance to tag and score.
• Mortensen singled with one out in the third, and Roth's single put two runners aboard. Sydney Stepp replaced Davies in the circle, but was greeted by Peru's three-run homer to left-center, giving the Titans a 4-1 lead.
• Stepp responded to that homer by getting a popup to second and a fly ball to center, before retiring the side in order in each of the next three innings.
• BG responded to Detroit Mercy's three-run inning with a three-spot in the bottom of the frame. L'Esperance singled but was out trying to take second. But, Dolejs walked and came all the way around to score on Sample's double down the left-field line. Then, Williamson crushed a ball to left for a two-run, game-tying homer.
• In the fourth, Sarah Gonzalez gave BGSU the lead for good with a one-out homer that sailed toward the left-field fence and disappeared into the night.
• After a L'Esperance single later in the inning, Olivia Warrington entered the game for the Titans and proceeded to set down the first six Falcons she faced. That streak was broken by Gonzalez, who launched a ball that cleared the wall just left of centerfield. BG threatened to add to the two-run lead when Makailah Dees singled and L'Esperance doubled, but Warrington got the third out.
• But, that two-run cushion was more than enough for Kiara Hurley, who allowed only a two-out single to Gauthier. The Falcon hurler responded by getting Tanguay to ground out to Gonzalez at third.

STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• Gottshall picked up the victory in the opener, improving to 16-7 on the season. She pitched six innings of four-hit shutout ball, striking out 12 without walking a batter. Gottshall threw 74 of her 95 pitches for strikes.
• Young earned her first collegiate save in her second appearance as a Falcon. In her Meserve Field debut, she threw six strikes among her nine pitches, allowing one hit in a scoreless seventh.
• Dolejs, L'Esperance and Williamson each had two hits in the opener, with Dolejs scoring a run and Williamson driving in a run. Carver had a walk, a double and a run scored.
• Makailah Dees had a hit in the opener, while Weber had a pinch-hit, two-run single.
• For the Titans, Roth and Tanguay each went 2-for-3 in game one. Murphy allowed three runs and nine hits in the circle, walking one and striking out one.
• Stepp earned the win in the nightcap with 3 2/3 innings of one-run, one-hit relief. After allowing a homer to the first batter she faced, Stepp retired 11 in a row. She threw 33 strikes among her 48 total pitches and struck out two without walking a batter.
• For Stepp, the win was her first of the season and the second of her BGSU career.
• Hurley picked up her fourth save of the year, allowing just one hit in the seventh. She struck out one batter and threw nine of her 13 pitches for strikes.
• Hurley is the first Falcon to record four saves in a season since 2013.
• Davies allowed three runs and four hits before leaving the game in the third. She walked two and struck out one.
• Chloe Spitzer took the loss for the Titans, giving up five runs (four earned) and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Spitzer walked one and struck out one. Warrington got the final seven outs, allowing one run and three hits.
• At the plate, L'Esperance was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
• Gonzalez was 2-for-3 with the two solo homers.
• Williamson went 1-for-2 and drove in three runs, while Dolejs walked, singled and scored a run.
• Sample had a double, a run and an RBI, and Dees had a pinch-hit single.
• Roth had her second-straight 2-for-3 game for the Titans, while Peru also went 2-for-3 in the nightcap, with a three-run homer.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons are idle for a week before beginning a three-game series at Mid-American Conference-leading Miami. BGSU will face the RedHawks in Oxford next Tuesday evening (April 19) in a single game, before the teams play a doubleheader the next day.
• Then, BGSU will return home for the next five games, beginning with a three-game series vs. Akron on Friday and Saturday, April 23-24.

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.