Heading into the evening of April 19, BGSU Softball had won eight of their last ten games.They also entered a pivotal three game series against the Miami Redhawks, who sit atop the MAC standings. The last time the Falcons played was April 12, when they swept the Detroit Mercy Titans at home within the confines of Meserve Field.

Both Bowling Green and Miami were picked to finish in the top four for the MAC preseason poll but Miami was picked to win far and away above anyone else. Similar to Bowling Green’s success as of late, the Redhawks entered the series with a nine game win streak.

The game was fairly dormant for Bowling Green as they only had one hit through 6 ⅔ innings, while Miami had a 2-0 lead courtesy of two solo home runs. Sarah Gonzalez kept the Falcons alive with a single to left field with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. Her single was followed by two more singles from Maycee Godbolt and Greta L’Esperance to load the bases. The bat of Peyton Dolejs proved to be the difference maker when she hit a Grand Slam in the seventh inning, giving the Falcons the 4-2 lead.

The Falcons wouldn’t look back and in the bottom of the seventh inning Payton Gottshall shut the door on the Redhawks retiring the side in order. Gottshall registered 12 strikeouts and earned her 17th win of the season.

With the win, the top of the standings remain the same but the gap has tightened. The Redhawks remain in first place followed closely by Ohio University and then Bowling Green. Central Michigan, Ball State and Akron are also in the hunt with records over .500. The Falcons and Redhawks will play again twice on April 20 as they are set for a double header that will start at 1 p.m.