BGSU Softball (20-26, 6-17) concluded a doubleheader against Oakland (24-20, 8-7), sweeping the Golden Grizzlies in two games on Tuesday, April 28. They were the final two home games and non-conference games of the 2026 regular season.
The games marked the first time this season the Orange and Brown swept their opponent, the first doubleheader with two wins and the first single-team series win of the year. The Falcons also reached the 20-win mark for the first time under head softball coach Michelle Gardner.
“Right now it’s one game at a time,” said Gardner. “At the beginning of the year, my goal was to get to 20 wins …we’re learning how to win.”
20 wins
The Falcons had 18 wins heading into the doubleheader series vs Oakland, needing to sweep the Golden Grizzlies to attain 20. Their two wins brought a milestone for the team, as well as a sign of improvement from last season.
“Super proud to get those 20 wins,” said senior catcher Ashley Chevalier. “It was a grind for the last four years.”
Chevalier and the other Falcon seniors played their first season in 2023 and are witnessing a 20-win season for the first time in their careers.
The last time Falcon Softball reached 20 was in 2022 (the year before this senior class was at BGSU), a team that reached a 34-21 record with two MAC tournament wins. BG followed that successful season with a 9-41 overall record and two conference wins in 2023. In 2024, they won just six games.
Growth was displayed in a 10-win improvement from 2024 to 2025 and a four-win improvement from 2025 to 2026, still with three games remaining this season.
“It helps us moving forward because we’re starting to establish a program culture that is going in the right direction,” said Gardner.
Series sweep
Not only did BG reach 20 wins in the two wins over Oakland, but the team completed its first series sweep, as well as the series win, of the season.
Bowling Green had not swept both games of a doubleheader since April 12 of the 2025 season, when they beat Western Michigan 8-0 and 4-0. Their last series sweep in a two or three-game series was on March 26 of the same season in which BG beat Youngstown State in both of a midweek doubleheader.
The victories against Oakland did not hinge on a single performance by a particular athlete, but on a team effort across the board.
“Knowing it was our last game (at Meserve Field), wanting to leave it all out there,” said senior pitcher Mackenzie Krafcik. “Wanted to keep it going and end everything on a high note.”
Despite an offensive and defensive one-through-nine performance, Krafcik, who has appeared in each of the last five games, was crucial for the Falcons in gaining the sweep of Oakland.
She tossed a five-inning one-hitter shutout in game one, tallying two strikeouts on 56 pitches and winning 8-0. In game two, she came in for a one-inning save, her second appearance of the day, second save of the season and final pitching performance at Meserve Field.
Doubling as one of the main leaders on the team, the efforts of BGSU fall in line with Krafcik and the leadership of the seniors on and off the field.
“I think we’re a really tight-knit class,” said Krafcik. “I think there was some really good leadership on our end.”
The Falcons end the year in Oxford, Ohio, facing the Miami (OH) Redhawks starting on Friday, May 1, at 3 p.m. Recaps of all three games can be found on bgfalconmedia.com.
