Saturday’s MAC Softball Results
Bowling Green 11, Northern Illinois 3
Northern Illinois 14, Bowling Green 4
Central Michigan 5, Akron 4
Miami 13, Kent State 1
Miami 9, Kent State 1
Ohio 3, Buffalo 3
Western Michigan 3, Toledo 0
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Bowling Green 11, Northern Illinois 3 | Boxscore Game 1
Northern Illinois 14, Bowling Green 4 | Boxscore Game 2
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University softball team celebrated Senior Day prior to the opening game on Saturday (April 27), and those seniors promptly went out and led the Falcons to a run-rule victory. BGSU defeated Northern Illinois University by an 11-3 final in five innings in Saturday's opener at Meserve Field.
The teams traded run-rule decisions in the Mid-American Conference doubleheader, as the Huskies posted a 14-4, six-inning victory in the nightcap.
Each team loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning of the first game. But, while BGSU got out of the top half of the inning unscathed, the Falcons made the Huskies pay in the bottom of the frame, scoring no fewer than seven times.
Three of the Falcons' five seniors – Makailah Dees, Peyton Dolejs and Reagan Williamson – combined for eight hits and seven RBI in the opener. Dolejs and Williamson each reached base in all four plate appearances. Dolejs went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI, hitting a three-run homer.
Williamson, batting in the leadoff spot, went 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs and two RBI. She had one of the Falcons' four doubles.
Dees went 2-for-4 in the opener, with a run scored and a run driven in. Dees had multiple-hit games in both ends of the twinbill.
Another senior, Taylor Turner, picked up the victory in the opener, allowing one run and five hits in three innings of work.
The Falcons' fifth senior, Lexi Carver, made the start at first base. Carver, battling an injury, was subbed out of the game after the opening pitch.
No fewer than five Falcons had multi-hit games in the opener, as Scarlet Anderson was 2-for-2 with a walk, a run and an RBI, while Marti Henkel was 2-for-3 and knocked in a pair of runs.
Erickson hit her eighth home run of the season to lead off the top of the first inning for the Huskies, sending the ball on a 2-1 count to center field. Turner scored the second run of the game on Madison Mathews's (Yuma, Ariz./Cibola) RBI single up the middle. Stewart scored on a wild pitch as Trinity Jones Estrada (Sylmar, Calif./John F. Kennedy) was at bat. An RBI single by Jones Estrada sent Mathews across home plate for the fourth run of the game.
After an hour-long delay due to lightning, Erickson started the second inning of play with her 18th double of the season. A 2 RBI single from Powell sent Turner and Courtney James (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) across home plate as the Huskies added to their score. Mathews was the final Huskie to score in the second inning, scoring the seventh run of the game as Powell got called out for stealing second base.
Bowling Green got on the board in the bottom of the third frame, scoring four runs off three hits.
Back-to-back singles from Erickson and Turner were how the Huskies started the fourth frame. The duo scored the eighth and ninth runs of the game on a 2 RBI single by Powell. Powell crossed home plate for the tenth run of the game on the next play, as Carnahan reached on a fielding error by Bowling Green.
A pair of errors by Bowling Green sent Stewart and Turner across home plate as the Huskies scored four consecutive runs in the top of the fourth inning. Powell hit her first career triple as a Huskie as Mathews scored for the Huskies. Carnahan grounded out to the shortstop for an RBI as Powell scored the final run of the game for the Huskies.
In the pitcher's circle, Lily Cassell (LaGrange, Ohio/Keystone) went the distance for her fourth complete game this season and recorded four strikeouts and no walks.
The Huskies return home for the final week of the regular season, hosting Ball State and Miami (OH). The Huskies will take on Ball State on April 30 in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. at Mary M. Bell Field. The Huskies will host Miami for a three-game series starting on May 4 with a doubleheader at 1 p.m.
Central Michigan 5, Akron 4
Boxscore
AKRON, Ohio – Central Michigan Softball leaves Akron with a win as Grace Lehto threw her 10th complete game of the season as the Chippewas defeated Akron 5-4 in the final game of the series. CMU 14-28 on the year and 11-9 in MAC play.
Akron jumped out to a quick three-run lead in the first when an RBI single put them on the board. They would score two more in the half inning with another RBI single and a Chippewa error.
Skylar Coberley cut the lead to one when she hit a two-run shot to right-center which scored Keira Tolmie who doubled to left-center.
The Zips would score another run in the third when another Chippewa error moved the runners around the bases. That run would be the final run Akron scored on the day.
Central Michigan scored their third run in the fifth inning when Carly Sleeman got into a pickle from first to second with K. Tolmie on third. K. Tolmie reached on her second walk of the day.
Freshman Grace Koenig tied the game in the sixth with a single that just snuggled in down the right field line, Angela Petrovitch scored on the single from second after she replaced Allyssa Hollo who doubled to start the inning.
CMU scored what would be the game winning run in the seventh with an RBI single from Coberley pushing Abbey Tolmie home after she singled herself.
The Chippewas collected 11 hits on the day, their second 11 hit game of the weekend.
In the outing, Grace Lehto struck out nine Zips. Her season high is 10 in her senior campaign.
Central Michigan will be right back in northeast Ohio on Tuesday when they take on Kent State in a mid-week double header.
Miami 13, Kent State 1 | Boxscore Game 1
Miami 9, Kent State 1 | Boxscore Game 2
OXFORD, Ohio – The No. 25 Miami University softball team downed Kent State University 13-1 in game one of the doubleheader Saturday afternoon. Six RBI from Reagan Bartholomew helped the cause. The RedHawks went on to take game two 9-1, also in five innings. Miami moves to 40-7 on the season (21-1 MAC) and Kent State drops to 24-21 (9-13 MAC). The wins helped clinch Miami's fifth-straight Regular Season Championship.
GAME 1
A RBI single in the top of the first scored one for the Golden Flashes, giving them a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the first, Holly Blaska blasted a homer that also scored Karli Spaid and Allie Cummins to give the RedHawks the 3-1 lead.
A three-run homer from Bartholomew later that inning that also scored Sami Bewick and Chloe Parks to up the lead to 6-1.
Hadley Parisien followed that up with a solo homer to make it a 7-1 game.
A RBI single from Spaid in that same inning scored Cummins and pushed the score to 8-1.
In the bottom of the second Bartholomew hit another three-run homer, also scoring Parks and Bewick. Spaid hit a RBI single later that same inning to score Cummins and bring the lead to 12-1.
Another RBI single from Spaid in the bottom of the fourth scored Cummins to extend the lead to 13-1.
The RedHawks held this lead through the fifth to take the game 13-1 in five innings
GAME 2
A homer from Kate Kobayashi in the bottom of the first also scored Cummins to give the Red and White an early 2-0 lead.
In that same inning, Parks and Bartholomew hit back-to-back RBI singles to score Spaid and up the lead to 4-0.
Parisien followed that up with a three-run homer, also scoring Parks and Bartholomew to make it a 7-0 game.
Kent State got their first run of the game in the top of the third on a sac groundout to cut the difference to 7-1.
In the bottom of the third, Parisien smashed a 2-run homer that also scored Bewick to extend the RedHawk lead to 9-1.
They held this through the end of the fifth to take the 9-1 win in the five-inning game.
The RedHawks head to Toledo, Ohio on Tuesday, April 30 to face the University of Toledo for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
Ohio 3, Buffalo 3
Boxscore
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Ohio softball team (26-22, 14-8 MAC) wrapped up the weekend at Buffalo (15-28, 7-17 MAC) on Saturday afternoon (April 27), defeating the Bulls, 8-3, and securing the season sweep.
Overall, Ohio scored eight runs on seven hits and committed one error, while Buffalo scored three runs on 11 hits and committed three errors.
Individually, freshman Izzie Wilson (Delaware, Ohio) went 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored, while senior Tori O'Brien (Mason, Ohio) added a hit, home run, run scored and two RBI. Freshman Brenna Farmer (Mt. Blanchard, Ohio) recorded a hit, two RBI and scored a run, while junior Lauren Yuhas (West Mifflin, Pa.) had a hit and scored a run. Junior CiCi Keidel (Hilliard, Ohio) had a hit and RBI, while junior Sydney Grein (Mokena, Ill.) added a basehit and scored a run.
In the circle, freshman Mikie Lieving (New Haven, W. Va.) got the start, pitching 2.1 innings and allowed one run, none earned, on six hits and did not walk a batter. Redshirt sophomore Skipp Miller (Bradford, Ohio) entered the game in relief and pitched 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walked one and struck out five.
Buffalo got on the board in the bottom of the first inning, stealing home to take the early 1-0 lead.
The Bobcats took the lead in the top of the second inning. After Ohio took a 2-1 lead on a passed ball and a sacrifice fly, O'Brien hit a two-run home run down the left field line, putting Ohio up 4-1 going into the bottom of the inning. The Bobcats defense kept the Bulls from cutting into the Ohio lead over the next three innings, before the Bobcats added to their lead in the top of the fifth, with Yuhas scoring on a fielder's choice from junior Emma Hoffner (New Stanton, Pa.), putting Ohio up 5-1 after five innings.
Ohio added on in the top of the sixth, scoring on singles from Farmer and Keidel, with the help of an error form the Bulls' defense, increasing their lead to 7-1 going into the bottom of the sixth. Buffalo got one run back in the bottom of the frame, scoring one run on three hits to cut the Bobcats lead to 7-2 going into the final inning.
An RBI double fromWilson that scored senior Yasmine Logan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) in the top of the seventh got the run back for the Bobcats, increasing their lead to 8-2 going into the bottom of the inning. Buffalo would get the run back in the bottom of the inning on a lead-off home run. However, Miller and the Ohio defense kept Buffalo off the bases the rest of the way, securing the 8-3 win and the series sweep.
Up next, the Bobcats begin the final week of the regular season on Tuesday, April 30 for a doubleheader with Akron. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at the Ohio softball field and can be seen on ESPN+.
Western Michigan 3, Toledo 0
Boxscore
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan softball team clinched its first postseason berth since 2019 after a 3-0 win over Toledo on Alumnae Day at Ebert Field Saturday afternoon. Senior pitcher Rissa Bajusz limited the Rockets to three hits in the circle, while graduate student Megan Welsh, senior Haley Boxwell, and sophomore Riley Chumbley collected RBI's to lead the Brown and Gold to their three-run victory. In the win, junior Riley Dittmar led all players with two hits and two runs scored.
During the bottom of the second inning, Bajusz jump-started the WMU offense with a leadoff triple. Later with one out, Welsh singled via a bunt and scored Bajusz for the Bronco's first run of the day. After Welsh reached base, the Brown and Gold saw two straight outs to conclude the inning.
After a one-two-three inning from Bajusz in the circle, the Brown and Gold rode their wave of offensive momentum and scored a run in the bottom of the third inning. Despite WMU seeing two consecutive outs to open the third, Dittmar and Boxwell led the Broncos with back-to-back doubles, which increased the WMU lead to 2-0.
After both teams combined for 12 consecutive outs before reaching base, Toledo managed to record a single and a walk in the top of the sixth. Before the Rockets could do any damage, Bajusz forced a pop-up to end the inning. In the bottom half of the sixth, WMU added an insurance run to take a commanding 3-0 lead over Toledo. To lead off the inning, Dittmar singled and advanced to third after a flyout from Boxwell. With two outs remaining in the sixth, sophomore Riley Chumbley made a plate appearance as a pinch hitter and singled to right field, which scored Dittmar.
To close out the game, Bajusz retired all three batters that she faced in the top of the seventh to secure the series-winning victory.
By collecting three strikeouts today, Bajusz tied WMU softball alumnae Bonni Kinnie for the sixth most strikeouts in a single season with 195. Bajusz now has 493 career K's and is seven strikeouts away from becoming the third Bronco to ever reach 500 career strikeouts. Additionally, with her 15 wins on the season, the senior needs only two more victories to claim the fourth most wins in a single season by a Bronco pitcher.
After Kelly's 1-3 and Dittmar's 2-3 performances at the plate, the duo closed in on becoming the first pair of teammates since Mackenzie Swinehart (66 hits) and Kaylen Glenfield (50 hits) in the 2021 season to record at least 50 hits in a single campaign. As of Saturday, Kelly has 47 hits, while Dittmar has 45 hits through 44 games played this season.
The Broncos now with 25 wins, have tied the program's ninth most wins in a single season. The Brown and Gold last eclipsed 25 wins during the 2018 season, where they tallied a total of 29 victories.
With the Brown and Gold's win, the softball team is back in the Mid-American Conference Championship for the first time since 2019.
The WMU softball team will conclude the regular season with a "Bark in the Park" doubleheader versus Bowling Green at Ebert Field on Tuesday, April 30, starting at 1:00 PM.
