The Bowling Green softball team split their first day of the 2023 season.

The Falcons beat Detroit Mercy 3-2 and lost to DePaul 2-1 in the Depaul Dome Invitational.

This marks new Head Coach Candace Fenton-Bockbrader’s first win with BGSU.

Game one against the Titans started fast for the Falcons, scoring right out of the gate in the first inning.

BG outfielder Greta L’Esperance took advantage of throwing errors by the opposition and took the game’s first run.

In the fifth inning, Bowling Green tallied two more on the scoreboard.

L’Esperance and junior Makailah Dees showcased their hitting skills to extend the Falcons’ lead to three.

Bowling Green pitcher Sydney Stepp also showed off her skills on the field.

Stepp took a no-hitter into the fifth, but Detroit Mercy cut it short with two runs on two hits.

Additionally, Stepp escaped a big jam in the third and fourth and kept the momentum on the Falcons’ side for the rest of the game.

She finished her day with five strikeouts, two hits and two runs.

In the sixth inning, Coach Fenton turned to freshman Mackenzie Krafcik for the save.

Krafic pitched the sixth and seventh innings almost effortlessly, grabbing the win for the Falcons.

Game two against the Blue Devils was a pitcher’s duel.

Falcon senior Hannah Davies pitched six innings, only allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks.

Her strong performance kept Bowling Green toe-to-toe with Depaul.

In the sixth inning, the Falcons tried to rally behind a few hits and a walk.

Junior Sophie Weber drove in BGSU’s first run of the game, closing the gap to a one-run deficit.

Unfortunately, that was all that Bowling Green could get in game two, losing to DePaul 2-1.

The Falcons will wrap up the Depaul Dome invitational this weekend. They will face Eastern Kentucky and Valparaiso on Saturday and Western Illinois on Sunday.

For more information about the team, visit the athletics webpage.