Bowling Green State University Athletics
Sunday, April 24
Bowling Green, Ohio
12:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
25-14, 11-8
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Akron
17-26, 12-10
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Akron
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Bowling Green
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Payton Gottshall fires one of her 53 pitches in Sunday's perfect game
Photo by: Larry Clapper
Gottshall Makes Sure BGSU's Senior Day is Perfect
April 24, 2022 | Softball
Falcon phenom fires a five-inning perfecto in BGSU's 9-0 win
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University softball team celebrated Senior Day in style on Sunday (April 24). Seniors Sarah Gonzalez and Payton Hamm combined for three hits and three RBI as the Falcons drubbed the University of Akron, 9-0, in five innings in Mid-American Conference action at Meserve Field.
BGSU had six hits and took advantage of eight walks to score those nine runs, and the run total was eight more than Payton Gottshall needed. Gottshall threw a perfect game, retiring all 15 Akron batters that she faced.
The Falcons (25-14, 11-8 MAC) put two runners on base in each of the first two innings, but the Zips (17-26, 12-10 MAC) kept the game scoreless until the third.
In that third frame, though, Maycee Godbolt walked with the bases loaded before Sophie Weber singled to score two teammates for a 3-0 lead.
Then, in the fourth, BGSU sent 11 batters to the plate, scoring six times to break the game wide open. Bailey Sample and Reagan Williamson each drove in a run before Gonzalez doubled to plate a pair. Gonzalez would come around to score on a base hit by fellow senior Hamm.
Meanwhile, Gottshall struck out the side in both the second and third frames, en route to seven strikeouts in her five-inning perfecto.
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NOTEWORTHY
• There have been four perfect games thrown by BGSU pitchers in program history. Payton Gottshall has thrown three of them.
• Gottshall, who had a perfect game vs. Green Bay earlier this year, is the first pitcher in school history with two perfect games in a season.
• Gottshall now has three no-hitters this season and five in her career. In addition to the five-inning perfect games vs. Green Bay and Akron this year, she threw a perfect game at Cleveland State last year (Feb. 13, 2021), and had a no-hitter vs. Central Michigan just over a month later (March 19, 2021). She also fired a no-hitter vs. Buffalo two Sundays ago (April 10, 2022).
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons threatened to score against UA starter Elizabeth Frederick in each of the first two innings. Peyton Dolejs and Reagan Williamson each walked in the first, but Frederick struck out each of the other three batters she faced in the frame.
• In the second, Payton Hamm singled and took second on a wild pitch, and Wynnie Reid drew a two-out walk, but a popup got Frederick out of that jam.
• Frederick ran out of luck in the third, however. Dolejs was hit by a 3-2 pitch, and Bailey Sample followed by laying down a sacrifice bunt. First baseman Kalli Macintosh-Holder fielded the ball and threw wide of first, allowing Dolejs to take third and Sample to move to second.
• Williamson walked to load the bases, and after a pitching change, Emily Farlin walked Maycee Godbolt on four pitches to plate Dolejs with what would prove to be the game-winning run.
• Sophie Weber singled up the middle to score Sample and pinch-runner Marlie McNulty. Farlin was able to get a popup for the first out, and then the UA reliever was the beneficiary of a well-placed (from an Akron perspective) ball, as Hamm's line drive was caught by lunging third baseman Lexi Campbell, who was able to double up a runner off of third for an inning-ending double play.
• That double play, however, only postponed the inevitable, as BGSU continued the offensive barrage in the fourth. Madison Hendrix led off with a walk, and Greta L'Esperance followed with a bunt single.
• A Dolejs walk loaded the bases, and Sample was hit by a Sheridon Wilbur pitch to earn an RBI the hard way. Williamson greeted new pitcher Alexa DiFeo with a single just out of the reach of lunging second baseman Carley Auten, with L'Esperance crossing the plate.
• A ground ball resulted in a force play at the plate, but a passed ball allowed Sample to score before Sarah Gonzalez roped a two-run double to right-center. Hamm followed with a single up the middle that scored Gonzalez with the Falcons' ninth run of the game.
• Meanwhile, Payton Gottshall was cruising. She needed just 10 pitches (including nine strikes) to get through the first inning, then struck out the side in each of the next two frames.
• Gottshall retired the side on just seven pitches in the fourth, and after BGSU staked her to a nine-run lead, she got Laurel DeVoe to fly out to Dolejs in left-center to begin the fifth, then struck out Macintosh-Holder on a 3-2 pitch. When Gonzalez grabbed a ball off the bat of Shelby Fortune and fired to first, Gottshall had her perfect game and the Falcons had taken two games in the three-game weekend series.
THANKS, SENIORS!
• Sunday was Senior Day at Meserve Field, with Sammy Dees, Sarah Gonzalez, Payton Hamm and Kiara Hurley recognized in ceremonies prior to the contest.
STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• Gottshall threw just 53 total pitches in Sunday's win. She threw 39 of those 53 pitches for strikes.
• By contrast, five Akron pitchers threw a total of 119 pitches in just four innings.
• Gonzalez and Hamm combined for three of BG's six hits, and each player was robbed of an additional hit, as Gonzalez saw her second-inning scorcher grabbed by second baseman Auten, and Hamm's liner in the third was caught near the third-base bag.
• On Senior Day, Hamm was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Gonzalez doubled, scored a run and drove in two.
• Williamson was 1-for-1 with two walks, while Weber had a two-run single and L'Esperance singled and scored a run.
• Dolejs, like Williamson, reached base in all three of her plate appearances on Sunday. Dolejs walked twice, was hit by a pitch and scored a run.
• Sample drove in a run and scored twice, and Godbolt had a walk, a run and an RBI. Reid walked twice and scored a run for the hosts.
• Gottshall now has 281 strikeouts this season, and needs just one more to tie the school record she set last season. Gottshall whiffed 282 batters in 2021.
• Gottshall now has 691 career strikeouts, and ranks second on that BGSU list as well. She trails only Liz Vrabel (2003-06), who struck out 768 batters during her Hall-of-Fame career.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons head to Muncie next weekend, for a three-game series vs. Ball State. BGSU battles the Cardinals in a Friday (April 29) single game, beginning at 3:00 p.m., followed by a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader the following day.
• Then, BGSU closes the home portion of the 2022 schedule with a three-game series vs. Central Michigan on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 3-4.
ÂGallery: (4-24-2022) Softball v Akron - April 24 2022
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.
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BGSU had six hits and took advantage of eight walks to score those nine runs, and the run total was eight more than Payton Gottshall needed. Gottshall threw a perfect game, retiring all 15 Akron batters that she faced.
The Falcons (25-14, 11-8 MAC) put two runners on base in each of the first two innings, but the Zips (17-26, 12-10 MAC) kept the game scoreless until the third.
In that third frame, though, Maycee Godbolt walked with the bases loaded before Sophie Weber singled to score two teammates for a 3-0 lead.
Then, in the fourth, BGSU sent 11 batters to the plate, scoring six times to break the game wide open. Bailey Sample and Reagan Williamson each drove in a run before Gonzalez doubled to plate a pair. Gonzalez would come around to score on a base hit by fellow senior Hamm.
Meanwhile, Gottshall struck out the side in both the second and third frames, en route to seven strikeouts in her five-inning perfecto.
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NOTEWORTHY
• There have been four perfect games thrown by BGSU pitchers in program history. Payton Gottshall has thrown three of them.
• Gottshall, who had a perfect game vs. Green Bay earlier this year, is the first pitcher in school history with two perfect games in a season.
• Gottshall now has three no-hitters this season and five in her career. In addition to the five-inning perfect games vs. Green Bay and Akron this year, she threw a perfect game at Cleveland State last year (Feb. 13, 2021), and had a no-hitter vs. Central Michigan just over a month later (March 19, 2021). She also fired a no-hitter vs. Buffalo two Sundays ago (April 10, 2022).
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons threatened to score against UA starter Elizabeth Frederick in each of the first two innings. Peyton Dolejs and Reagan Williamson each walked in the first, but Frederick struck out each of the other three batters she faced in the frame.
• In the second, Payton Hamm singled and took second on a wild pitch, and Wynnie Reid drew a two-out walk, but a popup got Frederick out of that jam.
• Frederick ran out of luck in the third, however. Dolejs was hit by a 3-2 pitch, and Bailey Sample followed by laying down a sacrifice bunt. First baseman Kalli Macintosh-Holder fielded the ball and threw wide of first, allowing Dolejs to take third and Sample to move to second.
• Williamson walked to load the bases, and after a pitching change, Emily Farlin walked Maycee Godbolt on four pitches to plate Dolejs with what would prove to be the game-winning run.
• Sophie Weber singled up the middle to score Sample and pinch-runner Marlie McNulty. Farlin was able to get a popup for the first out, and then the UA reliever was the beneficiary of a well-placed (from an Akron perspective) ball, as Hamm's line drive was caught by lunging third baseman Lexi Campbell, who was able to double up a runner off of third for an inning-ending double play.
• That double play, however, only postponed the inevitable, as BGSU continued the offensive barrage in the fourth. Madison Hendrix led off with a walk, and Greta L'Esperance followed with a bunt single.
• A Dolejs walk loaded the bases, and Sample was hit by a Sheridon Wilbur pitch to earn an RBI the hard way. Williamson greeted new pitcher Alexa DiFeo with a single just out of the reach of lunging second baseman Carley Auten, with L'Esperance crossing the plate.
• A ground ball resulted in a force play at the plate, but a passed ball allowed Sample to score before Sarah Gonzalez roped a two-run double to right-center. Hamm followed with a single up the middle that scored Gonzalez with the Falcons' ninth run of the game.
• Meanwhile, Payton Gottshall was cruising. She needed just 10 pitches (including nine strikes) to get through the first inning, then struck out the side in each of the next two frames.
• Gottshall retired the side on just seven pitches in the fourth, and after BGSU staked her to a nine-run lead, she got Laurel DeVoe to fly out to Dolejs in left-center to begin the fifth, then struck out Macintosh-Holder on a 3-2 pitch. When Gonzalez grabbed a ball off the bat of Shelby Fortune and fired to first, Gottshall had her perfect game and the Falcons had taken two games in the three-game weekend series.
THANKS, SENIORS!
• Sunday was Senior Day at Meserve Field, with Sammy Dees, Sarah Gonzalez, Payton Hamm and Kiara Hurley recognized in ceremonies prior to the contest.
STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• Gottshall threw just 53 total pitches in Sunday's win. She threw 39 of those 53 pitches for strikes.
• By contrast, five Akron pitchers threw a total of 119 pitches in just four innings.
• Gonzalez and Hamm combined for three of BG's six hits, and each player was robbed of an additional hit, as Gonzalez saw her second-inning scorcher grabbed by second baseman Auten, and Hamm's liner in the third was caught near the third-base bag.
• On Senior Day, Hamm was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Gonzalez doubled, scored a run and drove in two.
• Williamson was 1-for-1 with two walks, while Weber had a two-run single and L'Esperance singled and scored a run.
• Dolejs, like Williamson, reached base in all three of her plate appearances on Sunday. Dolejs walked twice, was hit by a pitch and scored a run.
• Sample drove in a run and scored twice, and Godbolt had a walk, a run and an RBI. Reid walked twice and scored a run for the hosts.
• Gottshall now has 281 strikeouts this season, and needs just one more to tie the school record she set last season. Gottshall whiffed 282 batters in 2021.
• Gottshall now has 691 career strikeouts, and ranks second on that BGSU list as well. She trails only Liz Vrabel (2003-06), who struck out 768 batters during her Hall-of-Fame career.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons head to Muncie next weekend, for a three-game series vs. Ball State. BGSU battles the Cardinals in a Friday (April 29) single game, beginning at 3:00 p.m., followed by a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader the following day.
• Then, BGSU closes the home portion of the 2022 schedule with a three-game series vs. Central Michigan on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 3-4.
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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.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gottshall, Payton (19-9)
L: Frederick, Elizabeth (1-3)
Batting:
2B: Gonzalez, Sarah 1
RBI: Sample, Bailey 1 ; Williamson, Reagan 1 ; Godbolt, Maycee 1 ; Weber, Sophie 2 ; Gonzalez, Sarah 2 ; Hamm, Payton 1
SH: Sample, Bailey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: L'Esperance, Greta 1 ; Dolejs, Peyton 1 ; Sample, Bailey 2 ; Williamson, Reagan 1 ; McNulty, Marlie 1 ; Godbolt, Maycee 1 ; Gonzalez, Sarah 1 ; Reid, Wynnie 1
SB: L'Esperance, Greta 1 ; Reid, Wynnie 1
HBP: Dolejs, Peyton 1 ; Sample, Bailey 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
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0
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2
RBI
1
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4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
1
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
SS/2B
/ Softball
Util.
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
3B
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
MI
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
Util.
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballIF/C
/ SoftballC
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