The Bowling Green softball team fell to the Toledo Rockets in their first MAC matchup of the 2023 season.

The rivals faced off in a Battle of I-75 doubleheader, with both games going to UT.

These games take Bowling Green to a 7-15 overall record and make the Falcons 0-2 in the MAC.

Game 1: 6-1 UT

With a quiet start to BGSU offense, the only run of the game was driven in by freshman Marti Henkel.

The Rockets used a strong offense to their advantage to log ten hits and drive in six runs.

Starting with a bang, the Rockets scored half of their runs in the first inning.

The first UT at-bat brought OF Lexi Eckman to the box. To kick it off, she hit a double and managed to steal third.

Off of this momentum, the Rockets extended their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the first.

Moving forward, the scoresheet was left empty until the fourth inning where Toledo tacked on two more runs.

This was made possible by two singles hit to the outfield, allowing Rockets’ Leah Munson and Aleah Marra to score.

Going into the fifth inning, Bowling Green trailed Toledo by five runs.

After a quick 1-2-3 top of the inning, UT scored another run off a double to center field, driving in SS Jenna Kroll.

The Falcons took the sixth inning and scored their only run of the game.

With two outs, the Rockets threw a wild pitch and logged an error, allowing freshman Hannah Hunt to score off a single by Henkel.

For the rest of this first game, the score stayed at 6-1 and Toledo was able to outlast the Falcons.

Game 2: 7-3 UT

The second game of the day saw more offense from both teams; three runs from Bowling Green and four from Toledo.

UT was able to stay on top for most of the game, with the Falcons slightly closing the gap at 3-7 late in the sixth inning.

Compared to the game before, UT and BGSU evened up due to multiple errors from each team.

After a short-lived top of the first, Toledo got the bats going and added two runs to the scoresheet.

Rockets’ Anna Dixon and Jenna Kroll both hit doubles allowing themselves to eventually score.

With the Falcons down 2-0, UT doubled down and scored two more in the bottom of the second.

An error by shortstop Wynnie Reid allowed an extra Toledo player on base, allowing for two to score off a triple to center field.

Seeing no more scoring action until the fourth inning, the Rockets still held a four-run lead over Bowling Green.

In the bottom of the fourth, with runners in scoring position, Kroll hit a single to center field to clear the bases. Just like that, the Rockets were up by six.

At the top of the fifth, the Falcons fought back.

Thanks to two consecutive errors by Toledo, Reid and Henkel scored to cut Toledo’s lead to four.

In response, the Rockets added one more run to the score.

Aggressive baserunning from Lauren Erickson allowed UT to take the score to 7-2.

To start off the top of the sixth, junior Sophie Weber hit a double to the outfield to bring in another run for BGSU.

With a 7-3 final score, the rest of the game saw no other runs scored. At the end of seven innings, the Rockets took the win.

The Falcons are back on Sunday when they will close out the series with Toledo starting at 6 pm.

For more information, visit the athletics webpage.