BGSU softball (15-30, 7-14 MAC) fell short in three games against Central Michigan (23-19, 15-5 MAC) over this past weekend in a series that lowered them to ninth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) standings after one blowout and two games where the Falcons fell just two runs short.
CMU pitching held the Falcons to two runs in both games of a Saturday doubleheader, winning 4-2 and 7-0 before a 6-4 victory on Sunday completed the series sweep.
The Orange and Brown find themselves in ninth place in the MAC standings with only five conference games left in the season after going into the weekend series just outside of the playoff picture at seventh.
The Chippewa offense that generates a conference-best 5.8 runs per game stayed on brand throughout the three games, averaging 5.7 runs and scoring a series high seven in a game-one shutout of the Falcons, who weren’t able to get over the hump in two close losses.
Close, But no Cigar
Late innings plagued a Falcon team that stayed competitive in the opening innings of two close games. Still, they lost the lead thanks to big innings by the Chippewas late, including a six-run fifth inning in game three after the Falcons took a 4-0 lead before the halfway mark, and a two-run sixth inning in game one of the series that put CMU ahead after BG stayed all tied up through the first five.
A lack of power was a rare concern for a Falcon team that has the sixth most home runs despite a .266 team batting average that is the worst in the MAC. The squad had only one extra-base hit, an RBI triple by outfielder Kendall Mathews, across all three games of the series, and the Falcon hit leader going into the weekend, second baseman Hannah Hunt struggled for her standards, going 1-9 with a single in game one.
On the other hand, Central Michigan catcher Carly Sleeman came to play, hitting home runs in two of the three games and breaking the single-season record for RBIs by a Chippewa after earning her 48th of the season on Saturday.
Falcon pitching showed bright spots throughout the weekend, with Alyvia Roth impressing on Saturday after 3.1 scoreless innings of work despite the hefty Chippewa lead.
A midweek doubleheader at Meserve Field against Ohio (31-12, 14-4 MAC) was much of the same story, as after a blowout 10-1 loss, the Falcons were leading 4-2 going into the top of the seventh inning before the Bobcats took the lead courtesy of a bloop single that barely fit inside the left field foul line.
The Falcons have lost nine of their last 10 road games dating back to the Buffalo series that opened conference play, and their one win came in a 1-0 victory on Saturday, April 5.
What’s Next
The Falcons have a work week to rest before heading to Toledo for a three-game set and ending the conference playoff with a home series against Miami (OH) (26-22, 15-7 MAC).
To end the season, the Falcons will play four non-conference games starting with a trip to South Bend to take on the Fighting Irish (21-26-1, 7-14 ACC) on Thursday, May 1 at 5:30 p.m. before a quick turnaround ahead of a three-game home finale against Horizon League side Robert Morris (22-14, 14-6 Horizon) with game on Friday, May 2 and 3 p.m. and the season concluding with a doubleheader on Saturday, May 3.
