Sixth Inning Proves to Be Fateful for Falcons at YSU

Wednesday, April 24

Youngstown, Ohio

3 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

5-31

Youngstown State

30-14

Bowling Green

Youngstown State

Photo by: Robert Hayes, YSU Athletics

April 24, 2024 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

Penguins score late in each game to sweep the doubleheader

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Host Youngstown State University used a pair of sixth-inning rallies to take a doubleheader from the Bowling Green State University softball team on Wednesday (April 24). The Penguins captured the non-conference contests by scores of 4-2 and 9-5 at the YSU Softball Complex.

The Penguins, the Horizon League leaders, scored three times in the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie in game one. Then, in a back-and-forth second game, the hosts once again rallied in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead for good.

Cameron Kaufman and Reagan Williamson each had at least one hit in both ends of the doubleheader. Kaufman had three hits on the day, while Williamson homered in the opener.

Scarlet Anderson had a pair of hits in the nightcap, driving in three runs, while Katie Hutter, making just her second start of the season, had a hit, a walk and scored two runs.

NOTE OF THE DAY
• Entering last weekend's Kent State series, Scarlet Anderson had one RBI this season, and two career RBI in 33 at-bats as a Falcon. Over the last five games, however, Anderson has driven in seven runs.
• She surpassed her then-career total with three RBI in Saturday's (April 20) first game at KSU, and drove in another run in the nightcap.
• On Wednesday, Anderson had her first two-hit game as a Falcon, and tied her four-day-old career best with three RBI in the second game of the YSU twinbill.

ALSO NOTEWORTHY
• Senior Reagan Williamson homered in Wednesday's opener, for her fourth round-tripper in a six-game span and her team-leading sixth of the season.
• Williamson now has 15 career homers, and has moved into sole possession of 13th place on that BGSU career list.
• Senior Peyton Dolejs had two hits in Wednesday's opening game, extending her hitting streak to a career-best 11 games. That streak came to an end in the second game at YSU.
• Dolejs hit .526 during the streak, going 20-for-38 in that time.
• Aaralyn Nogay saw her reached-base streak come to an end after 11 games, as the freshman went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's opener. Nogay started a new streak by walking twice in game two.
• Dolejs also had a reached-base streak of 11 games before seeing it come to an end in game two on Wednesday.
• Freshman Peyton Steffes had the first extra-base hit of her young career, with a double in Wednesday's opening game.
• Sophomore Katie Hutter, making just her second start of the season in the second game at YSU, had a single and a walk, scoring a pair of runs.
• Sophomore Mackenna Fry had an on-base percentage of .750 in the YSU doubleheader. She was 0-for-1 with a walk in the opener, then went 1-for-1 with an RBI single, a walk and a sac bunt in the nightcap.

Gallery: (4-24-2024) 042424 sb at YSU - Robert Hayes

BGSU-YSU GAME ONE – HOW IT HAPPENED
• Both starting pitchers, BGSU's Mackenzie Krafcik and YSU's Sophie Howell, were dealing early. Neither team had a baserunner in the first three innings.
• Howell retired the first 10 batters she faced, striking out seven Falcons in a row during that stretch, before Peyton Dolejs singled up the middle with one down in the fourth to become the game's first baserunner. Dolejs advanced as far as second, but the game remained scoreless.
• Meanwhile, Krafcik had retired nine in a row, but Sara Fessler led off the Penguin fourth with a homer to give the hosts the lead. YSU got another runner as far as third after a walk, a wild pitch and a groundout, but a fly ball to right ended the inning.
• A roller-coaster sixth inning began with a Peyton Steffes double that landed just inside the left-field line. Mackenna Fry then drew a walk against Devan Ryan, who had come on to replace Howell at the start of the inning.
• After a fielder's choice produced the first out, a sharp single by Dolejs loaded the bases. Ryan got a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but several pitches later, YSU catcher Conchetta Rinaldi's attempted pickoff throw trickled away from the first baseman, allowing pinch-runner Kaylee Cole to score from third to tie the game.
• In the bottom of the sixth, Fessler led off with a walk, and it momentarily appeared the Penguins would have runners at the corners after a Lydia Wilkerson single. But, Fessler was called out for leaving the base early, and Wilkerson wound up grounding out.
• But, Jillian Jakse and Kennedy Dean each singled, and Elyssa Imler lined a ball just over the head of leaping centerfielder Dolejs for a two-run double. The Penguins would tack on another run as Imler scored on an error.
• Reagan Williamson led off the seventh inning by crushing a Ryan pitch, depositing it over the left-field fence for her sixth homer of the season. But, Ryan was able to retire the next three Falcons to close out the win.
• The Falcons outhit the hosts, 5-4, with Dolejs going 2-for-3 to lead the way. Williamson had her fourth homer in a six-game stretch, with Steffes picking up the first extra-base hit of her young career.
• Krafcik allowed just four hits in her complete-game effort, surrendering three earned runs and walking three.
• Ryan picked up the win in relief, giving up two runs (one earned) in two innings. Howell allowed just two hits in her five innings of work.

BGSU-YSU GAME TWO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons got off to a hot start in the second game, scoring three times in the first two innings. Aaralyn Nogay led off the game with a walk, and promptly stole second. She would come around to score easily when Scarlet Anderson mashed a ball to the gap in right-center for an RBI double.
• BG put runners at the corners when Taylor Behrendt walked and Anderson went to third on a fielder's choice, before YSU starting pitcher Maci Boggess finally got the third out.
• In the second inning, Katie Hutter, making just her second start of the season, led off with a single, and Cameron Kaufman followed with a base hit of her own. Fry bunted each of the runners 60 feet closer to the plate, and Nogay's second walk in as many innings loaded the bases.
• It momentarily appeared that the Penguins might escape the inning unscathed. Dolejs hit an absolute scorcher to the right side, but the smash was hit directly at first baseman Dean. She caught the ball for the second out, but Nogay was able to beat Dean back to the first-base bag and avoid being the third out. That proved to be crucial when Anderson followed with a single to center that scored both Hutter and Kaufman.
• In the fourth, the hosts got on the board. Dean and Imler began the inning with back-to-back singles, and after a sac bunt, a walk to Autumn Behlke loaded the bases.
• Hailey Niederkohr followed with a single that plated a pair of runners, and another run scored on Taylor Truran's ground ball to the right side. Then, Fessler's RBI single put the Penguins in front, 4-3.
• BGSU responded quickly, however, with a pair of runs in the next half-inning. Behrendt reached on an infield error, and Ashley Chevalier singled with one out. A walk to Hutter loaded the bases, and Kaufman singled to score Behrendt, with Chevalier out at home on the play. Fry's single scored Hutter to give the Falcons a 5-4 advantage.
• Alyvia Roth relieved Madi Young in the circle in the fifth inning, and after an error allowed the first batter to reach base, Roth set down the next three Penguins. But, the sixth inning would not be so kind to the Falcons.
• A pair of walks, sandwiched around a fielder's choice grounder, put two YSU runners aboard in the sixth, and Wilkerson's base hit tied the game. Then, after a stolen base, Jakse's two-run single gave the Penguins the lead for good. YSU tacked on two more runs on a hit-by-pitch and an Imler double.
• Behrendt walked to begin the seventh, but BG could not get a runner past first base before the Penguins got the third out.
•YSU had a slim 9-8 lead in hits, with Fessler, Jakse and Imler all picking up two hits for the hosts.
• For the Falcons, Kaufman went 2-for-3, while Anderson was 2-for-3 with three RBI, tying her career high in the latter category. Both Nogay and Behrendt walked twice and scored a run, and Hutter had a hit, a walk and two runs scored.
• Behlke picked up the win with two innings of scoreless relief. Roth, the second of three Falcon pitchers, took the loss.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons' final home games of 2024 are this weekend, as BGSU faces Northern Illinois in a three-game series. The teams will meet in a 3:00 p.m. game on Friday (April 26), then will face off in a Saturday (April 27) doubleheader that starts at 1:00 p.m. at Meserve Field.
• Saturday will be both Senior Day and Alumnae Day.

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.