BGSU softball (13-24, 5-8 MAC) concluded another week in conference play after their 4-0 loss to Northern Illinois (12-21, 7-7 MAC) on Sunday that ended a frustrating week and an especially debilitating series in DeKalb where the Falcons scored only one run across three games.
The Falcons began the week with a Tuesday doubleheader against Akron (19-18, 6-6 MAC), losing game one 10-2 in six innings before falling just short in a 7-6 loss in game two where the Zips came back in the bottom half of the sixth after an Addie Martin home run tied the game up in the top half of the inning.
Eight Falcons got on base with hits in game two, and Martin broke her season high with four RBIs on her two hits while junior left fielder Delaney Davis had her third three-hit game, each of them coming in the last seven games.
The offense came to a grinding halt on Saturday and Sunday, as the Falcons faced off against the Huskies, who boast a 4.33 team ERA despite an offense that is bottom of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in terms of team batting average.
A sacrifice foul out by shortstop Cameron Kaufman scored second baseman Hannah Hunt and gave the Falcons their lone run on the weekend and their lone victory by a score of 1-0 in game one.
The Huskies would shut out the Falcons across the next 14 innings, winning game two 2-0 and game three 4-0 thanks to complete game shutouts by pitchers Lily Cassell and Madison Carlson.
BG stands seventh in the MAC standings with their 5-8 conference record as NIU takes over the sixth and final spot in the MAC Tournament with their 7-7 record.
Pitchers’ Weekend
Junior pitcher Mackenzie Krafcik threw her first career complete shutout in game one on Saturday in the Falcons’ lone victory of the week where the Falcons achieved their first errorless game of conference play.
The defense shined throughout Krafcik’s performance, as despite the seven hits allowed, the squad let none of them round the bases and score thanks to a near-perfect defensive performance that was highlighted by the return of Kaufman to the shortstop position after her 14-game absence.
Krafcik has now thrown three complete games in a 2025 season where she has surpassed her career high in innings with 69.2.
Freshman pitcher Morgan Beckham’s Saturday outing was overshadowed by the 2-0 Falcon loss, but her six-inning start was the farthest she had gone into a game all season through 18 appearances and nine starts.
Beckham has had a game ERA under 2.5 in seven of her last eight appearances and her 32 strikeouts are the most of any Falcon.
BG will take on Notre Dame (18-21-1, 6-9 ACC) for a one-off on Wednesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. before heading back home for a weekend series against the Western Michigan Broncos (10-26, 4-7 MAC) with game one on Friday, April 11 at 3 p.m. and games two and three on Saturday, April 12 beginning at 1 p.m.
