After sweeping their doubleheader against Kent State on Friday, BGSU softball (10-18, 4-2 MAC) won their third game against the Golden Flashes on Saturday, this time by a final score of 9-7 to earn their first MAC series sweep of the season.
“I feel pretty great…first sweep of my career as a Falcon,” Addie Martin said. “We just knew what we were looking for.”
The first inning started on a positive note, with pitcher Mackenzie Krafcik getting a strikeout. The Falcons performed well defensively against the Flashes on Friday, holding them to nine combined runs across two games; they would be looking to continue that success on Saturday.
The Falcons made it out of the first inning unscathed. Up at bat, the Orange and Brown continued their early success, with Martin and Taylor Behrendt scoring on an RBI from Peyton Steffes. The next at-bat, Hannah Hunt scored another run. Steffes then proceeded to score on an RBI from Ava McKee.
Two early errors by Kent State cost them as the Falcons pulled away to a 4-0 lead after the first inning.
Efficient pitching from Krafcik and a flyout by Steffes brought the top of the 2nd to a quick end.
Kent State pitcher Delaney Nagy struggled, and the strong wind killed a few would-be homers for each team. However, at a key moment, Nagy struck out Steffes to help the Flashes finish the 2nd.
At the top of the 3rd, a Katie Hutter error led to a Carley Penner score for Kent State. Almost immediately after, another error allowed another KSU run by Brynn Libler.
After a 14-pitch at-bat, Kent State’s Delaney Robeson got a walk to first. But on the next at-bat, Krafcik made a play on a line drive to close the Kent State possession.
At the bottom of the third, a Delaney Davis single batted in McKee, moving the Falcon’s run total to five. A busted play by KSU then allowed catcher Ashley Chevalier to score.
Kent State’s biggest struggle was fielding. Multiple errors allowed for BG scores. Davis nearly scored on a Kendall Mathews bunt but was just called out by the umpire.
KSU scored two more runs at the top of the 4th to narrow BG’s lead. Morgan Beckham took over for Krafcik to pitch. She closed the half-inning for the Falcons with two Flash runners on base, preventing any further bleeding.
McKee stepped up, getting a single and scoring a run in the third inning. But on her at-bat in the fifth, Savannah Wing made an excellent fielding play to get her out at first.
As the game neared the middle innings, each team settled into a bit of a stalemate. Davis stepped up with two outs and the bases loaded.
In the biggest situation of the game, Davis hit a line drive right to center field, sending two runners home. Steffes and Behrendt scored, and Davis reached six-for-six in her last six at-bats.
Hutter stepped up to the plate with bases loaded. She left three runners on base earlier in the game. She took a pitch straight to the helmet, technically getting an RBI and bringing the score to 9-4.
Beckham pitched well; she got a strikeout on KSU’s best hitter to get the Falcons out of the top-5th.
However, the Falcons had an error-ridden game, tagging eight.
“At the end of the stay, it’s still a W,” head coach Michelle Gardner said. “As long as we go out there and compete, good things can happen.”
Addie Martin and Hanna Massaro made a high-effort play to get a runner out on first, closing the top of the sixth. Chevalier led the bottom of the sixth, hitting a fly out to Delaney Robeson.
BG did not score in the bottom of the sixth, heading into the top of the 7th with that 9-4 lead. The onus was on Beckham to finish the game strong; she entered the inning with zero earned runs.
Penner stepped up to bat for the Golden Flashes with two outs, the Falcons were one out away from securing the victory. But due to a Martin fielding error, the game continued as Kent State scored.
With a full count, Beckham needed one more out. But due to yet another error, this time by Steffes, Kent brought the score to 9-7.
Another full count and Beckham was looking to close the game. It was a pop fly and Hunt came down with it, securing the win and the series for the Orange and Brown.
“I challenged them to get in the zone,” Gardner said. “They challenged opposing hitters.”
The Falcons will look to continue their winning streaks as they host Youngstown State on Wednesday, March 26 at 2 p.m.
