Falcons Topple the Tommies, 5-2, to Earn Friday Split in Evansville

Friday, February 24

Evansville, IN

11:00 AM

Bowling Green State University

3-7

Purdue Fort Wayne

4-8

Purdue Fort Wayne

Bowling Green

Hannah Davies v Morehead State - March 6 2022

Hannah Davies provided shutout relief in both games on Friday

Photo by: Evansville Athletics

Falcons Topple the Tommies, 5-2, to Earn Friday Split in Evansville

February 24, 2023 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BGSU is back at it with two more games on Saturday

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Bowling Green State University softball team earned a split on Friday (Feb. 24), in first-day action at the Aces Home Tournament #2. The Falcons dropped a narrow 3-2 decision to Purdue Fort Wayne, before rebounding with a 5-2 win over St. Thomas.

The three-day tourney is taking place at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James & Dorothy Cooper Stadium.

Peyton Dolejs had three hits on the day for the Falcons (4-7), going 2-for-4 in the nightcap and scoring a run in each game. Delaney Davis had a hit in each contest, walking twice and scoring a run vs. UST after driving in a run with a double against PFW.

Katie Hutter stole a total of three bases in the two games, including a steal of home in the nightcap.

Scarlet Anderson picked up the win in the circle vs. the Tommies, with four innings of two-run, three-hit work. Madi Young worked a scoreless seventh inning to earn her first save of the season and the second of her career.

Hannah Davies pitched in relief in both games, throwing a total of 3 1/3 innings and allowing no runs and just two hits. She walked one batter and struck out six on the day.

In the opener, both the Falcons and Mastodons (4-8) had four hits at the plate. BGSU had one hit in each of the first four innings, with three doubles among those four hits.

Sydney Stepp took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but the Mastodons got all four of their hits in that sixth frame, scoring three times to erase a 2-0 Falcon lead.

Stepp allowed three runs and just those four hits, walking one batter and striking out four. Davies retired all four batters she faced, striking out three, in that contest.

Game two saw the Falcons turn walked into runs in a three-run second inning, as the first two hitters of the inning earned free passes to set the table. Ally Bezjak drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Madison Lenig followed with an RBI double.

In the fourth inning, after UST had narrowed the BG lead to a single run, Katie Hutter and Davis pulled off a double steal, with Hutter scoring the Falcons' fourth run of the day. Then, Wynnie Reid's double plated Davis to give BG a 5-2 lead, and BG pitchers slammed the door on the Tommies (4-7 after the loss to the Falcons).

PURDUE FORT WAYNE GAME – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons had a hit in each of the first four innings. Sophie Weber doubled off of PFW starter Alanah Jones with two outs in the first, and Ally Bezjak singled to lead off the BG second, but the game remained scoreless.
• BGSU broke on top in the third inning. Wynnie Reid led off the inning by working a walk after an eight-pitch plate appearance, and Delaney Davis immediately doubled down the left-field line to bring Reid all the way around to score.
• Then, in the fourth, Peyton Dolejs doubled with one out, and Katie Hutter drew a walk, with Dolejs taking third as the ball-four pitch got away from the catcher. Hannah Hunt followed by lifting a fly ball to center, with Dolejs tagging and scoring on the sacrifice fly.
• Meanwhile, Sydney Stepp had allowed just one baserunner, on a leadoff walk to Taryn Jenkins in the second inning. Stepp retired the side on just six pitches in the first inning, then repeated that feat in the fifth frame.
• Stepp retired 16 of the first 17 batters she faced, and took a no-hitter into the sixth. But, with one out, Taylor Warne doubled, and a Bailey Manos single put runners at the corners. An infield hit by Grace Hollopeter plated Warne, and a ground ball to second scored Manos with the tying run.
• Then, Jenkins singled up the middle to bring Hollopeter home with the go-ahead run.
• Hannah Davies entered the circle and struck out Sonia Solis to retire the side. Davies would work a 1-2-3 seventh inning, throwing 11 of her 17 total pitches for strikes in the game.
• But, Jones was able to keep BG off of the scoreboard in the last few innings to seal the win. Reagan Williamson walked to begin the Falcon sixth, but a double-play ball emptied the basepaths, and Jones retired the side in order in the seventh.

ST. THOMAS GAME – HOW IT HAPPENED
• Walks led to runs as the Falcons took a three-run lead in the second inning of the day's second game. Both Williamson and Scarlet Anderson earned free passes to begin that second frame, and a Dolejs single loaded the bases against UST starter Keira Murphy. Bezjak's fly ball to center enabled Williamson to tag and score the game's first run.
• Then, Madison Lenig doubled to left to plate Anderson, and after a walk to Hutter reloaded the bases, a passed ball brought Dolejs home. Ella Cook replaced Murphy in the circle, and issued a walk to Davis to load the base once again. But, Cook was able to retire the next two hitters to avoid further Falcon damage.
• The third inning saw Williamson lead off with a four-pitch walk for the second-straight frame, but Cook kept the Falcons off of the scoreboard.
• Anderson blanked the Tommies for two-plus innings, but with two outs in the bottom of the third, Brooke Ellestad doubled, and Grace Bennett followed with a homer to left-center, cutting the BG lead to 3-2.
• But, the Falcons got those runs right back in the top of the fourth. Hutter singled with one out, then took second on a passed ball before stealing third. Davis drew a walk to put runners at the corners, before the two freshmen successfully executed a double steal, with Hutter scoring.
• Then, Reid's double to right enabled Davis to come around and score the Falcons' fifth run of the game.
• The Tommies had baserunners in each of the remaining four innings. Anderson worked around a one-out single in the fourth, and Davies had runners at the corners after a double and a walk in the fifth, before getting an inning-ending strikeout.
• In the sixth, Katie Goelz doubled with one out, but Davies got the next hitter to loft a fly ball to Davis in right, before striking out a pinch-hitter to retire the side.
• Madi Young came on to face the top of the order in the seventh. Leadoff hitter Avery Wukawitz singled, and after a fielder's choice erased Wukawitz at second, Ellestad singled, bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of cleanup hitter Bennett. But, Bennett – who had homered in the fourth – hit a ball to Reid at shortstop, leading to a game-ending double play.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons play two more games Saturday (Feb. 25), on day two of the Aces Home Tournament #2. BGSU will meet the host school, Evansville, in a game scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. ET. Then, BGSU meets St. Thomas in a 6:30 p.m. start.
• On Sunday (Feb. 26), the Orange and Brown will conclude weekend play with a 1:30 p.m. contest vs. UE.

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.