Never-Say-Die Falcons Rally Past RedHawks, 4-2

Tuesday, April 19

Oxford, Ohio

5:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

23-11, 9-5

Miami (OH)

24-13, 15-3

Bowling Green

Miami

Photo by: Chad Huffman, BGSU Athletics

April 19, 2022 | Softball

Box Score BGSU-MU Stats Support Our Student-Athletes

BGSU, down to its last out, scores four times in the seventh to down MAC leaders on the road

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

OXFORD, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University softball team put together an improbable seventh-inning rally on Tuesday evening (April 19), scoring four runs with two outs in the seventh inning en route to a 4-2 win over Miami University. The Mid-American Conference thriller was held at Miami Softball Stadium.

A Peyton Dolejs grand slam was the difference in the comeback win for the Falcons (23-11, 9-5 MAC). Dolejs reached base three times in four plate appearances, with two hits and a walk in the win over the conference-leading RedHawks (24-13, 15-3 MAC).

(WARNING: Borderline plagiarism alert)
The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Falcon nine that day.
The score stood two to zero, with but one inning more to play.
And then when one player died at first, and another did the same,
A pall-like silence (probably) fell upon the patrons of the game – the ones rooting for BG, at least.
(End borderline plagiarism alert, and apologies to Ernest Lawrence Thayer & his descendants)

Down to their final out, the Falcons got three-straight singles from Sarah Gonzalez, Maycee Godbolt and Greta L'Esperance. With the bases loaded, Dolejs turned on a 1-0 pitch from MU's Courtney Vierstra and homered down the left-field line.

In the home half of the inning, BGSU's Payton Gottshall struck out both Karlee Juarez and Chloe Parks before getting Allie Cummins to hit a foul pop that was grabbed by first baseman Ally Bezjak for the final out.

Dolejs, as mentioned, led the way at the plate, with two of BGSU's six hits. Both Gonzalez and Bailey Sample had a single and a walk in the win.

Gottshall allowed two runs and five hits, walking one batter and striking out 12 in the complete-game win.

NOTEWORTHY
• The homer by Peyton Dolejs was her third of the season and the fourth of her career. It was her first career grand slam as a Falcon.
• The sophomore, who had 10 RBI last year, now has driven in 26 runs this spring to date.
• The Dolejs dinger was BGSU's second grand slam of the season, and both have come in the seventh inning. Payton Hamm's slam on March 13 gave the Falcons an 8-5, walk-off win over Pitt at the NC State Invitational in Raleigh, N.C.

ALSO NOTEWORTHY
• With 12 strikeouts on Tuesday, Payton Gottshall has moved into second place on the BGSU single-season strikeouts list. Gottshall now has 247 K's this spring, and is just 35 shy of matching her own record of 282, set last year.
• Gottshall is also second on the BG career list in that category. She has 657 career strikeouts as a Falcon, and trails only BGSU Hall-of-Famer Liz Vrabel (768 strikeouts from 2003-06).

QUOTING COACH SARAH WILLIS
"Our program showed a lot of grit and persistence today. Miami is a tough team, and our offense stayed diligent in their purpose at the plate. The bottom of the order stepped up to keep us going, with (Sarah) Gonzalez starting our rally by topping a hard shot down the third-base line. (Maycee) Godbolt did an amazing job to come off the bench and come through in a pinch-hit opportunity, and (Greta) L'Esperance followed with a bunt single to keep the rally going."

"Peyton Dolejs, obviously, came up bit and got her pitch! A lot of little things happened to create a big inning, and that is something we have been working on offensively."

"Defensively, the team played great behind (Payton) Gottshall, and she gave us a great performance against the toughest offensive competition we have seen all year! Again, persistence and grit won us that ball game!"

Tuesday Recap | Never-Say-Die Falcons Rally Past RedHawks...#AyZiggy | 🥎🧡🥎🧡🥎
🥎📰⬇️⬇️https://t.co/6fpQltkQB1
— BGSU Softball (@BGSUSoftball) April 20, 2022

HOW IT HAPPENED
• In a matchup of two of the top pitchers in the MAC, both Miami's Courtney Vierstra and BGSU's Payton Gottshall were lights-out in the early going. Each starter had two strikeouts in the first inning.
• The lone baserunner of the second frame was Lexi Carver, who was hit by a pitch with one out. Vierstra struck out the next two Falcons, but Gottshall proceeded to strike out the side in the bottom of the inning.
• But, Vierstra set down the Orange and Brown in order in the third, and Lily Wilmot led off the home half of that third frame with a homer to right center.
• Vierstra issued back-to-back walks to Peyton Dolejs and Bailey Sample to begin the fourth, and after Dolejs took third on a fly-ball out, Sample stole second. But, a foul pop and a strikeout ended the threat.
• MU looked to post a two-out rally when Maggie Murphy singled and Shelby Kunkel walked, but Gottshall got Wilmot to hit a popup that second baseman Wynnie Reid grabbed on the outfield grass.
• Sarah Gonzalez walked with one out in the fifth, but was stranded at first. The bottom of the inning saw Chloe Parks double with one down, and she took third on an Allie Cummins groundout. But, Gottshall struck out Karli Spaid on three pitches to retire the side.
• Dolejs singled on the first pitch of the sixth inning, breaking up Vierstra's no-hit bid. And, a Sample sacrifice bunt sent Dolejs to second. But, a popup produced the second out, and Sophie Weber's pinch-hit line drive was caught in left field to end the threat.
• In the bottom of the sixth, Holly Blaska homered with one out to double the MU lead. Murphy followed with a double, before Gottshall struck out both Kunkel and Wilmot to end the inning. Still, the Falcons trailed by two runs as the game headed to the seventh.
• And, Vierstra struck out the leadoff hitter, then got a popup to third base. BGSU was one out away from a shutout loss. Gonzalez, however, singled, and pinch-hitter Maycee Godbolt singled as well. A hit by L'Esperance loaded the bases and set the stage for the Dolejs dramatics.
• With BG now leading by two, Gottshall struck out Karlee Juarez and Parks, before getting Cummins to hit the game-ending foul pop to the right side of the infield.

STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• Gottshall picked up the win in the circle to improve to 17-7 on the year. She allowed two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out 12.
• Gottshall threw 75 of her 112 total pitches for strikes in the win.
• Vierstra allowed four runs on six hits, with five of those hits coming in the seventh inning. She walked three Falcons and struck out 10, and had 85 strikes among her 124 total pitches.
• Dolejs, as mentioned, reached base three times in four trips, with a walk, a single and the grand slam. Both Sample and Gonzalez had a hit and a walk.
• Murphy had two of Miami's five hits.
• The win was BGSU's first in Oxford since 2014. Miami had won four-straight games vs. the Falcons at Miami Softball Stadium.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons and RedHawks wrap up their three-game series with a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon (April 20). First pitch of game one is set for 1:00 p.m.
• Then, BGSU will return home for the next five games, beginning with a three-game series vs. Akron on Saturday and Sunday, 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.