The BGSU softball team heads home this weekend, April 2 and 3, for a tilt against the archrival Toledo Rockets in the Battle of I-75. It will be a three-game series.
The Falcons split March 26 and 27 series 1-1, with a 5-3 win following a 2-1 loss to the Ohio Bobcats. On March 26, the game was rained out and was not rescheduled. When the series concluded, the Falcons record sat at 14-8 overall, and 2-3 in MAC play.
The Falcons have one game before the series, a single game on March 29 at 4 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Michigan against the Wolverines. It will be a test for the Falcons, but a chance to gauge how the Toledo series could shake out.
The Toledo Rockets come in at 8-16 overall and 1-3 in MAC play. The Rockets have been on a slide recently, dropping their last three games and four out of their last five. They saw only one game played in their Buffalo series last weekend as both games on March 26 were rained out. The Rocket’s traveled up to East Lansing, Michigan on March 30 to face the Michigan State Spartans before traveling to Bowling Green this weekend for the set against BG.
For the Falcons, everything they do is through star pitcher Payton Gotshall. The sophomore has been lights out again this year, recording a 9-5 record, 139 strikeouts in just 85.2 innings, as well as a miniscule 1.47 ERA. Expect her to command at least two of the starts over the weekend.
Offensively, the Falcons have been somewhat hit-or-miss, but at their best they are a very formidable bunch. Reagan Williamson has become the team’s top bat, with five homers and 18 RBI. Greta L’Esperance (.347, 15-16 on steals), Peyton Dolejs (.338 average, 20 RBI) and Sophie Weber (.324 average) all give the Falcons some depth down the lineup. Keep an eye on the bat of Payton Hamm as well as she has started to heat up, notching hits in each of her last four games.
A name to watch in the Rockets lineup includes Dayna Denner. The senior from Brooklyn Heights, Ohio is hitting .423 on the season with five home runs and 19 RBI. Aubrey Reed (2 homers, 10 RBI, .300 avg.) as well as Jenna Kroll (4 homers, 14 RBI, .288 avg), also present threats in the Rockets’ lineup.
However, they have really struggled to find any consistent hitting outside the trio. Toledo doesn’t have one main pitcher to shoulder the load, but Makenna Duriex, Ellie Price and Sophia Knight have all seen their fair share of work on the mound, with Duriex (3-1, 3.35 ERA) and Price (3.50 ERA) having a lot of success.
The three-game set will kick off with just one game on April 1 starting at 3 p.m. and a doubleheader that will kick off at 1 p.m. on April 2. All three games will be covered by BCSN.
