On a cold and windy day at Meserve Field, BGSU softball (15-27, 7-11 MAC) took on the Ohio University Bobcats (28-12, 11-4 MAC) in a doubleheader, with the Bobcats earning both wins in Bowling Green.
The Falcons suffered their 10th and 11th conference losses of the season but will remain in 7th place in the MAC.
Game 1
“First game, we just didn’t come out and play,” said head coach Michelle Gardner postgame. “We just got outmanned… If you have that many errors, you’re not going to win a ball game.”
Mackenzie Krafcik started the pitching for the Falcons, walking Ohio’s Lauren Yuhas. A Falcon error then allowed Yuhas to advance to third and eventually find home plate.
The Falcon defense struggled to open the first inning, allowing two Bobcat hits. Another error, this time by Krafcik, allowed Maddie Wilcox to advance.
On offense, the Falcons loaded the bases. Taylor Behrendt got home on a hit from Scarlet Anderson.
With no outs, the Bobcats’ Shelby Westler scored on a hit from Yuhas. A great play by Addie Martin secured the first out of the inning. Westler scored.
In the bottom of the second, Hanna Massaro got out on a bunt to first. With the bases loaded and two outs, Cameron Kaufman hit a pop fly that was caught, putting the inning away and leaving all three runners on base.
The Falcons sported their all-white unis, while the Bobcats wore black alternates. Peyton Steffes caught a pop fly at the top of the third inning, securing a quick out. Izzie Wilson got a one-out double on a fly ball to left field.
With runners on the corners and two outs, the Falcons secured a third out and closed out the half-inning.
Anderson struck out to begin the bottom of the third. Kendall Mathews hit one deep into left field, but it was caught at the warning track by Izzie Wilson.
On a third-base line bunt, Martin made the play to get the runner out at first. Peyton Steffes dove and caught a fly ball, but Lauren Yuhas managed to score. Emma Hoffner then scored on a Maddie Wilcox single. A Cam Kaufman error brought the Falcons’ error count up to four.
The Falcons’ near misses on defense allowed for multiple Bobcat hits and singles. The defensive struggles continued throughout the game.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Peyton Steffes got the Falcons out of the jam by catching a fly ball to right field.
This was only Krafcik’s second time allowing double-digit hits this season. She surpassed 100 pitches in the fourth inning.
A Hannah Hunt error allowed Emma Hoffner to advance on a double. Ohio then scored on a right-field hit by Maddie Wilcox. Wilcox then scored on a hit from Abby Kennelly. Krafcik then threw a hitter out, and the Falcons secured a third out to stop the bleeding.
Mathews hit a liner along the third-base line, advancing to second. Massaro advanced her to third on the sacrifice bunt as Steffes struck out. Ohio got their third out on a pop fly to left fielder Izzie Wilson.
At the top of the seventh, Anderson stepped in for Krafcik for the Falcons, who had allowed seven runs and 13 hits. Her first at-bat pitch resulted in a flyout. Yuhas scored on a hit from Hoffner. CiCi Keidel then scored on a hit from Wilcox. The Bobcats were up to 15 hits, compared to BG’s six. Hoffner then scored on a hit from Wilson.
Addie Martin led off the bottom of the seventh; she struck out looking. Kaufman also struck out looking. Ohio pitcher Skipp Miller recorded seven strikeouts on the day, as the Bobcats defeated the Falcons 10-1 in the first game.
Game 2
The Falcons got off to a better start in game two, holding Ohio to just one hit in the top of the first. Mikie Lieving took the mound for the Bobcats, striking out Kaufman.
With the bases loaded, Katie Hutter came up to bat. She walked, allowing Hunt to score. This was the first Falcon lead of the day.
An Wilson error on a Steffes hit then allowed Martin, McKee, and Hutter to score.
Morgan Beckham took the circle for the Falcons and got her first strikeout. At the end of three innings, she had only allowed one hit.
After Ava McKee logged a single, the Bobcats subbed in Anna Wise in the circle. The two teams were locked in a scoring drought for a few innings.
The Falcons had a much more successful second game. Beckham held the Bobcats flat with her off-speed pitch, with the Falcon offense maintaining its 4-0 lead for much of the game.
But then, in the top of the fifth, things changed. On a single from Yuhas, Wilson scored. On the very same play, Martin showed signs of pain in her left hand. Fortunately, though, the injury scare was short-lived, and she continued to play.
Brenna Farmer then hit a sacrifice fly to Hanna Massaro, scoring Abby Kennelly. Ohio loaded the bases, but BG got the third out.
In the bottom of the fifth, Massaro loaded the bases on a two-out single. Delaney Davis stepped to the plate, but Wise got the best of her, striking her out and ending the BG scoring opportunity.
In the top of the sixth, Martin got the third out with two runners on base, shutting down the OU offense.
The OU defense played effectively down the stretch, limiting BG’s scoring opportunities.
In the top of the 7th, Sydney Marshall came in for Beckham. A Hutter error allowed OU to score.
Hunt caught a line drive to get the second out. One more out would seal the game.
Then Abby Kennelly hit a fly ball to the third base line, scoring Lieving and Hoffner.
In the bottom of the 7th, the Bobcats brought in Miller to relief.
With two outs, Steffes came up to bat. But a line drive out sealed the Bobcat victory, as OU won 5-4.
“We left bases loaded, and we can’t do that,” said Gardner. “We need to show up. We need to compete as a team.”
The Falcons will be in action this weekend against Central Michigan on Friday, April 18, at 3:00 p.m.
