MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan University scored two late runs to break a tie game in Saturday's (April 19) opener, then rode that game-one momentum to a victory in the second game. The Chippewas posted a pair of wins, by scores of 4-2 and 7-0, over the Bowling Green State University softball team in a Mid-American Conference doubleheader at Margo Jonker Stadium.

For the Falcons (15-29, 7-13 MAC), sophomore Taylor Behrendt and freshman Ava McKee each reached base four times – twice in each game – on Saturday. Both players had a walk and a hit in the opener, and McKee again singled and walked in game two. Behrendt had a pair of hits in the nightcap.

In the opener, Behrendt and soph Cameron Kaufman had RBI singles on back-to-back pitches in the third inning to give BG a 2-1 lead, but CMU tied the game with a solo homer in the bottom of that inning, then forged ahead with a two-run sixth frame.

In the nightcap, Central put single tallies on the board in each of the first two innings, then broke it open with a five-run third.

Sophomore Alyvia Roth was stellar in relief, coming on to get the final out of that third inning and pitching the rest of the game. Roth retired 10 of the 11 batters she faced in her shutout stint of three and one-third innings.

Carly Sleeman had a solo homer in each game for the Chippewas (22-19, 14-5 MAC).

BGSU-CMU GAME ONE – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons got the leadoff batter on board in each of the first three innings. Hannah Hunt led off the game with a single, and Ava McKee drew a walk to begin the second, but in each case the runner advanced no further.
• Mackenzie Krafcik set down the Chippewas in order in the first inning, needing just eight pitches to do so. In the second, however, CMU took advantage of a pair of BG errors to score the game's first run.
• Jenna Kuzara reached base on a out-out error, and Gracse Koenig followed with a single up the middle. Kuzara advanced to third, with Koenig taking second on the throw to third.
• The next hitter, Kiera Tolmie, popped up to shallow left field, but the ball was dropped, allowing Kuzara to score. Krafcik then struck out Rachel Cairo before getting Maddison Diekman to ground out to second.
• Peyton Steffes led off the BG third with a bouncer through the left side for a single, and Hunt drew a walk to put a pair of Falcons on base. One out later, Taylor Behrendt singled up the middle, scoring Steffes as Hunt took third on the play. And, on the very next pitch, Cameron Kaufman singled through the left side to plate Hunt.
• The Chippewas tied it up on a Carly Sleeman homer with one down in the bottom of the third.
• In the fourth, Central put runners on second and third with one out after singles by Koenig and Cairo, but Krafcik proceeded to strike out Diekman, then get pinch-hitter Tori Briggs to hit an inning-ending ground ball to Kaufman at short.
• Kuzara led off the CMU sixth with a double, and took third on a groundout. Tolmie reached on a ground ball back to the circle, with Kuzara forced to hold at third, and a stolen base put runners at second and third with one down for the second time in three innings.
• Morgan Beckham entered the circle for the Falcons, but walks to Cairo and Diekman forced home a run and gave the Chippewas a 3-2 lead with still only one out. And, a base on balls to Emma Lotus put the hosts ahead by two runs before Beckham got a foul pop to third and a fly ball to center.
• Hunt and Behrendt each drew walks in the seventh, putting the potential tying run on first base with two outs, but the hosts were able to close out the game-one win.

BGSU-CMU GAME TWO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Chippewas took the lead in the bottom of the first, as for the second-straight game, Sleeman hit a solo homer to left.
• In the second, an error allowed Koenig to reach base with one out. Behrendt made a great diving stop of a line-drive by Tolmie, as the Falcon sophomore grabbed the ball near the first-base line, then tagged the bag while still on the ground. Koenig advanced to second on the play, and she would score when Cairo followed with a single to left.
• Hanna Massaro led off the third inning by reaching base on a bunt single, and she made it to third base with one out. But, CMU starting pitcher Mackenzie Langan got a strikeout and a popup to keep her team ahead by two runs.
• And, the hosts widened that lead in the bottom of the inning, batting around and scoring five times. Allyssa Hollo homered with one out, and after Kuzara singled and Koenig drew a walk, Tolmie's single plated a run and put Chippewas at the corners.
• Tolmie stole second, and each runner advanced on a throwing error, with Koenig crossing the plate. One out later, Diekman's bloop single drove home another run, and Central would cap the inning's scoring several batters later, on a London Williams bases-loaded walk. Alyvia Roth entered the game and got the next batter to line out to left, ending the inning.
• Roth worked a perfect fourth frame, setting down the Chippewas in order and ending the inning with a strikeout of Tolmie.
• The sophomore pitcher worked around a leadoff double in the fifth, stranding that runner at second, then needed only six pitches to get through the sixth inning. But, Langan retired the Falcons in order in the top of the seventh.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons and Chippewas will complete their weekend series on Sunday (April 20), with first pitch set for 12:00 p.m. at Margo Jonker Stadium.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• For more information on BGSU softball, follow the Falcons on Twitter/X (@BGAthletics and @BGSUSoftball) and Instagram (@bgsu_softball) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.