BG Battles Ball State to Friday Split in Muncie

Friday, April 29

Muncie, Ind.

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

26-14, 12-8

Ball State

19-26, 12-9

Bowling Green

Ball State

Photo by: Morgan Holscher, BGSU Athletics

April 29, 2022 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 BGSU-BSU Game 1 Stats BGSU-BSU Game 2 Stats support our student-athletes

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

MUNCIE, Ind. – Sarah Gonzalez singled home the go-ahead run with two outs in the ninth inning, lifting the Bowling Green State University softball team to a 2-1 victory over Ball State University on Friday afternoon (April 29). The game, the first half of a Mid-American Conference doubleheader, was held at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.

Game two saw Ball State break on top early, as the Cardinals salvaged the split with a 7-2 victory.

Payton Gottshall struck out 11 batters to earn the complete-game win in the opener, in the process breaking her own BGSU single-season strikeout record.

Gottshall now has 292 strikeouts this season to date, breaking the mark of 282 that she set just last season.

The Falcons (26-15, 12-9 MAC) broke on top in the first inning of the opener, but the Cardinals (20-26, 13-9 MAC) tied the score in the fifth inning and the game wound up going to extra innings. After Lexi Carver doubled with two outs in the top of the ninth, Gonzalez singled to plate pinch-runner Marlie McNulty with what would prove to be the game-winning run.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• In the opener, Payton Gottshall – coming off a five-inning perfect game vs. Akron in her last appearance – retired the first 10 Cardinals in order, striking out the first seven BSU batters of the day.
• Meanwhile, BGSU took an early lead. Greta L'Esperance and Peyton Dolejs began the game with back-to-back singles. An out on the basepaths and a strikeout followed, but Dolejs took third on a passed ball, then scored on a Reagan Williamson single.
• After getting three hits off of Deborah Jones in the first inning, however, BGSU picked up just one hit over the next seven frames.
• Gottshall began the fourth inning by striking out BSU's top hitter, Faith Hensley, for the second-straight at-bat. But, Haley Wynn reached on an error to snap Gottshall's streak of 25 consecutive hitters retired (dating to Sunday's UA contest), and Amaia Daniel followed with an infield single.
• A walk to Emma Richards loaded the bases with just one out, but Gottshall got Samantha-Jo Mata to pop up before striking out Kaitlyn Mathews.
• Sarah Gonzalez singled in the fifth inning and L'Esperance drew a two-out walk, but Jones escaped the jam with a strikeout. Then, BSU would tie the game.
• Delanie Johnson singled to begin the home half of the fifth, and she continued to second on a BG error. Pinch-runner Kaitlyn Gibson would come around to score on a one-out single by Hensley. BSU had runners at the corners with one down, but Gottshall got Wynn to foul out to catcher Williamson, before inducing Daniel to hit a fly ball to center.
• BSU threatened in both the sixth and the seventh frames, but could not take the lead. Mathews singled and stole second with two down in the sixth, and Jazmyne Armendariz was hit by a pitch before Hensley singled with one out in the seventh. But, both times, Gottshall and the Falcons stranded the potential go-ahead run at second.
• BG got a pair of runners in the eighth, as L'Esperance walked, then took second when BSU third baseman Richards fielded a Dolejs grounder and threw wildly to second in an attempt to retire L'Esperance. Bailey Sample moved the runners along with a sacrifice bunt, but a grounder ended the threat.
• Gottshall worked a one-two-three eighth inning, and the Falcons took the lead in the ninth. Jones retired the first two hitters before Lexi Carver doubled down the left-field line, and Gonzalez followed with a single that plated pinch-runner Marlie McNulty.
• In the bottom of the inning, Gottshall retired the Cards in order to pick up her 20th win of the season.
• In the second game, BSU jumped on top with five first-inning runs. Back-to-back walked to Hensley and Wynn set the table before Richards doubled with one out to bring home the game's first run.
• Mata followed with a run-scoring single, and Johnson provided the big blow with a two-out, three run homer.
• The hosts added to the lead with a third-inning run, as Armindariz singled to score the Cards' sixth run of the game.
• BGSU cut into the deficit in the fourth frame. Sample led off with a walk, and Maycee Godbolt and Sophie Weber each had one-out singles. Weber's hit plated Sample before Godbolt scored on a throwing error moments later.
• BSU tacked on another run in the fifth, as a Hensley double scored pinch-runner Gibson after Johnson had led off with a base hit.
• BGSU got back-to-back-to-back walks in the sixth, with Godbolt, Weber and pinch-hitter Madison Hendrix all reaching base. But, after a fly ball to right, Godbolt was ruled out at the plate as she attempted to tag and score from third, ending the BG threat.
• The Falcons put two runners on base in the seventh. Makailah Dees reached on an error, and L'Esperance bunted her to second. Dolejs got on board as her grounder was fielded by Richards, but the third baseman threw to second in an unsuccessful attempt to get Dees diving back to the bag.
• BGSU had two on with one out, but Cardinal hurler Angelina Russo struck out the next batter before getting a game-ending ground ball to the right side of the infield.

STATS, LEADERS & NOTES
• Gonzalez led the Falcons at the plate in the opening game, going 2-for-4 and driving in what proved to be the winning run.
• L'Esperance walked twice and added a single, while Dolejs and Williamson each picked up hits.
• Gottshall allowed just four hits in the complete-game win, walking three hitters while striking out 11.
• Gottshall saw a streak of 25-straight batters retired come to an end in the fourth inning on an infield error.
• Hensley had two of BSU's four hits, driving in her team's lone game-one run.
• Jones took the loss despite allowing just two runs and six hits in nine innings. She walked three batters and struck out six.
• BSU had 12 hits in the nightcap, with Johnson going 3-for-3 and Richards 3-for-4. Johnson's three hits included the three-run homer.
• For the Falcons, four different players – Godbolt, L'Esperance, Sample and Weber – each had a walk land a hit. Sample's double was BG's lone extra-base hit of the game.
• Russo picked up the complete-game win for the Cardinals, walking five batters and striking out six.
• Madi Young, making the first start of her Falcon career, took the loss. Kiara Hurley pitched well in relief, allowing just two runs in five-and-a-third innings of work.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons and Cardinals will look to wrap up their three-game weekend series on Saturday (April 30), with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
• 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).

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.