Falcon Foes Rally Late in Sunday Setbacks

Sunday, February 25

Conway, S.C.

9:30 a.m.

Bowling Green State University

1-2

Louisville

12-2

Bowling Green

Louisville

Peyton Dolejs had 3 hits on Sunday

Photo by: Daniel Carlson

February 25, 2024 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Eight Newcomers Make Their Respective BGSU Debuts in Weekend Tournament

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

CONWAY, S.C. – The Bowling Green State University softball team was tied in the fifth inning or later in a pair of Sunday (Feb. 25) games, but in each case, the opponent went on to a victory. The Falcons fell to the University of Louisville and Furman University, respectively, on the final day of the Battle at the Beach.

On Sunday morning at St. John Stadium, BGSU (now 1-3 on the season), was tied with Louisville, 3-3, before the Cardinals (12-2) exploded for an eight-run sixth inning to capture an 11-3 victory.

Then, the Falcons were deadlocked with Furman (9-4) before the Paladins pushed a pair of fifth-inning runs across the plate to take a 4-2 lead. BGSU cut that lead in half in the bottom of the inning, and after Furman tacked on a seventh-inning run, a BG rally fell short in a 5-3 setback.

STATS, NOTES AND NUMBERS
• Reagan Williamson had three hits and a walk on Sunday, going 1-for-3 with an RBI against Louisville and 2-for-3 with a base on balls against Furman.
• Peyton Dolejs also had three hits in the two games. Dolejs was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI vs. UofL, and she picked up a hit against the Paladins as well.
• The Falcons were the visiting team in each of the first three games this weekend. And, in all three games, freshman Peyton Steffes began the game by reaching base and eventually coming around to score the game's first run.
• The Falcons' 10-player starting lineup in the Furman game included five freshmen and three sophomores.
• On the weekend, eight Falcons – seven true freshmen and one transfer – made their respective BGSU debuts.
• Three of the frosh, including Cameron Kaufman, Aaralyn Nogay and Peyton Steffes, each had the first hit of their collegiate career over the weekend. Steffes scored a team-leading four runs on the weekend, while classmate Kaylee Cole crossed the plate twice and Kaufman, Nogay and Addie Martin once each.

BGSU-LOUISVILLE – HOW IT HAPPENED
• Louisville starting pitcher Brooke Gray entered the game with a 3-0 record and an ERA of 0.00, but the Falcons struck for three runs against Gray in the opening inning.
• Peyton Steffes opened the game by reaching base on an error, and she took second on Hannah Hunt's grounder. Reagan Williamson followed with a double to plate Steffes with the game's first run.
• Then, Lexi Carver was hit by a pitch, and Marti Henkel walked to load the bases. Peyton Dolejs then singled up the middle to score pinch-runners Kaylee Cole and Delaney Davis.
• The Cardinals answered in the second inning, when Riley Frizell had a bases-loaded single to score two runs, and Vanessa Miller followed with a run-scoring base hit that tied the game.
• BGSU left the bases loaded in the third after a Carver walk, a Henkel single and a Taylor Behrendt base on balls. But, in the bottom of the inning, Aaralyn Nogay – making her collegiate debut after entering the game in left field in the middle of the third – threw out a runner at the plate for the third out.
• BGSU had baserunners in the fourth (a Steffes single) and fifth innings (a Dolejs single and a Behrendt walk), but could not break the tie.
• Alyvia Roth made her collegiate debut in circle in the fourth, and worked around a two-out single to get an inning-ending grounder to second. Then, she retired the Cardinals in order in the fifth.
• But, UofL took the lead in the sixth, as Frizell came up with her second bases-loaded single of the day, plating a pair of runs. Then, after a BGSU pitching change, a bases-loaded walk and an infield hit each scored a run for the Cards. And, a pinch-hit grand slam by Ava Venturelli made it an eight-run game.

BGSU-FURMAN – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Paladins broke on top with a pair of runs on just one hit in the top of the first. Ainsley Yoshizumi led off the game with a walk, and advanced to third via a passed ball and a wild pitch. She scored on an Ashlee Lykins single.
• Scarlet Anderson entered the circle, making her season debut, and proceeded to get three-straight ground-ball outs. Lykins, who had stolen second, was able to score on one of those ground balls to make it a 2-0 contest.
• Williamson and Henkel drew two-out walks in the home half of the first, but Furman pitcher Sierra Tufts was able to retire the next hitter.
• Anderson worked a perfect second inning, and BGSU proceeded to tie the score in the bottom of the inning. Dolejs reached on a grounder to second, and after an Addie Martin fielder's choice, Martin stole second. From there, she scored on a single by fellow freshman Cameron Kaufman.
• Kaufman took second on the throw to the plate on that scoring play, and she moved to third on Ashley Chevalier's base hit. Then, a Steffes groundout allowed Kaufman to score BG's second run.
• Anderson retired nine-straight batters after entering the game, before giving up a leadoff walk in the fourth. She issued another base on balls with two outs, but got the next batter to hit a fly ball to left for the third out.
• The Paladins, however, took the lead in the fifth. With one out, a walk and back-to-back singles loaded the bases. Taylor Turner came on in relief, but Sylvia Burroughs singled to center to plate a pair of runs. Turner responded by striking out Kiley Perry before getting Hannah Poole to hit an inning-ending fly ball to center.
• In the bottom of the fifth, Nogay and Williamson had back-to-back singles with one down, and Katie Hutter – in her first at-bat of the season – came through with a two-out, pinch-hit RBI single to plate Nogay.
• Turner worked around a one-out walk and stolen base in the sixth, retiring the next two Paladins. But, Tufts set down the Falcons in order in the bottom of the frame.
• And, the Paladins added to the lead in the top of the seventh, with a walk, single and a Perry sac fly making it a two-run game.
• The bottom of the seventh saw a trio of errors result in the Falcons loading the bases, but Tufts and the Paladins were able to get the game-ending out.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons head to Bloomington, Ind., next weekend, for four games in the Hoosier Classic. The action begins with a Friday (March 1) matchup vs. host Indiana.

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.