The BGSU softball team (20-26) swept the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (24-20) on Tuesday in a doubleheader, winning the first game 8-0 by run rule and winning the second game 4-3. It was the Falcons’ last non-conference action of the season, and their last home series.
Game One
In the first, junior outfielder Peyton Steffes scored on a double from junior infielder Taylor Behrendt. Behrendt then scored on a single from senior middle infielder Hannah Hunt, a hit that also sent senior catcher Ashley Chevalier to third.
Chevalier scored on a single from redshirt-sophomore third baseman Addie Martin. Hunt and Martin scored on a deep double from junior shortstop Cameron Kaufman.
BG batted through the whole order, and Steffes got another at-bat in the first; she was caught out, but BG had recorded five runs on five hits.
Senior pitcher Mackenzie Krafcik played the whole first game on the mound. She held Oakland to one hit and zero runs.
“The defense was super on-point,” Krafcik said. “I knew they had my back; they had it at UMass, and I knew they would have it again today.”
Oakland got their first and only hit in the fourth, a single by freshman outfielder Addison Caldwell, who successfully stole second on the next at-bat. She stole third as well, but failed to score as Krafcik threw a critical strikeout.
Senior outfielder Delaney Davis, pinch-running for senior utility Katie Hutter, scored on a bunt from freshman outfielder Hannah Simko. The Falcons led 6-0 after four innings.
At the bottom of the fifth, redshirt-freshman outfielder Jilliyn Gardner and Martin scored to win the game on run rule, 8-0.
“We executed. We actually executed one through nine,” head coach Michelle Gardner said. “Every one of them did something that we needed today, and that is a great feeling.”
Game Two
Junior pitcher Alyvia Roth started on the mound for the Falcons.
In the first inning, Simko got the Falcons on the board with a two-run homer to right field. It was her first-ever home run, at any level. Fast forward in In the second, Kaufman scored on a double from Hutter.
Both offenses cooled down for a few innings. BG left two runners on base in the fifth.
Krafcik came in to close out the game. She finished the day having allowed zero earned runs.
Oakland got their first run in the sixth inning, as junior outfielder Brooklyn Plitz scored on an RBI double from freshman shortstop Autumn Liebhauser. Liebhauser and Caldwell scored on a single from sophomore infielder Kayla Turmell. Chevalier later tagged out Turmell at home to end the half-inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, freshman infielder Izzy Ray scored on a triple by Steffes. Steffes went to score on a single by Simko, but was tagged out at home.
In the seventh inning, BG held Oakland scoreless and held on to win, 4-3.
“It’s so good being here at Meserve,” Chevalier said. “The pitchers did a great job today.”
The Falcons finish their season with a road series against Miami, which begins on Friday at 3:00 p.m. Coverage can be found at bgfalconmedia.com.
