BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Three players homered in the same inning, and two freshmen combined for 12 shutout innings in the circle, as the Bowling Green State University softball team posted a Saturday sweep of Western Michigan University. The Falcons captured the Mid-American Conference doubleheader by scores of 8-0 (five innings) and 4-0, respectively, at Meserve Field.

The Falcons (15-25, 7-9 MAC) scored in every inning of the opener, hitting three homers in a four-batter span in the third inning. Cameron Kaufman and Scarlet Anderson began the inning with back-to-back bombs – the first career homer for each player – and after Ava McKee singled, Kendall Mathews hit a two-run blast to give BG a 7-0 lead.

In the second game, Addie Martin and Hannah Hunt each went 3-for-3, and that duo combined to drive in all four runs.

In the circle, freshmen Morgan Beckham and Sydney Marshall combined to blank the Broncos (11-28, 5-9 MAC). Beckham threw a complete-game shutout in the five-inning win in the opener, and Marshall allowed just three hits and no runs in game two before leaving the game two batters into the sixth inning.

Beckham came on in relief and, after issuing a walk to load the bases with no outs, proceeded to retire each of the next six hitters to lock down the shutout win.

NOTE(S) OF THE DAY
• Falcon pitchers have thrown three shutouts in the last six games, after BGSU had posted three shutouts in the previous 144 contests.
• BGSU's back-to-back shutouts on Saturday were the program's first since April 10-12, 2022, when the Falcons blanked Buffalo and Detroit Mercy, respectively. 
• The Falcons posted two shutout wins on the same day for the first time since March 6, 2020, when BG topped Providence and Penn State at the Clearwater Invitational.
• BGSU had not recorded shutouts in both ends of a doubleheader in over 11 years, since downing North Dakota, 3-0 and 8-0, at Meserve Field on April 7, 2014.
• And, the Falcons had not blanked a MAC team in both games of a twinbill in just over 12 years, since posting 3-0 and 2-0 wins over visiting Akron on April 5, 2013.

ALSO NOTEWORTHY
• Saturday was Senior Day at Meserve Field, with the Falcons' seniors – Scarlet Anderson, Ellie Price, Wynnie Reid, Madi Young and student manager Jaydon Romero – recognized in pregame ceremonies.
• Saturday's opener marked the second-straight season that the Falcons posted a run-rule win in the opening game of a Senior Day doubleheader. Last season, BGSU beat Northern Illinois, 11-3, on Senior Day (April 27, 2024).
• In that NIU game, just as in Saturday's WMU opener, a BGSU senior homered on her Senior Day. Last season, Peyton Dolejs hit a three-run shot in the third inning of that victory.
• On Saturday, Anderson also homered in the third inning. The dinger was the first of Anderson's collegiate career, and was one of three round-trippers in the inning.
• The Falcons scored in the first inning of all three games this weekend.
 

📹HIGHLIGHTS‼️📹

On Senior Day, the Falcons hit 3 homers -- in the same inning -- en route to an 8-0 victory in Saturday's opener. BG went on to sweep the DH!#ayziggy 🧡🤎 pic.twitter.com/Nwk2HWX5Nx

— BGSU Softball (@BGSUSoftball) April 12, 2025

Gallery: (4-12-2025) 041225 sb v WMU - Drake Harlett

BGSU-WMU GAME ONE – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons scored in every inning of the run-rule win in Saturday's opener. WMU starting pitcher Kailey O'Connor was not aided by her defense in the early going, as the Broncos made five errors in the first two frames.
• After BGSU starter Morgan Beckham retired the side in order in the first, Taylor Behrendt led off the bottom of the inning by reaching base on a ground ball to the left side. A line drive to right field and a force at second brought Cameron Kaufman to the plate with two outs, and she reached in an infield error, as the third baseman's throw to first was off line. Hannah Hunt, who had reached on the aforementioned fielder's choice, advanced to third as Kaufman continued to second.
• The play was seemingly over, but the WMU first baseman's throw home sailed past the catcher, allowing Hunt to score and Kaufman to advance to third. Scarlet Anderson followed by hitting a hot shot to the left side. The ball glanced off the glove of the third baseman but was quickly grabbed by shorstop Caitlin Tighe. Tighe's throw, however, pulled the first baseman off the bag, and Anderson was safe as Kaufman crossed the plate.
• The trend continued in the second. Kendall Mathews drew a leadoff walk, and took second on a wild pitch with Hanna Massaro at the plate. Massaro then reached base on an infield error, with Mathews forced to hold.
• Mathews was out after attempting to advance to third on a pitch in the dirt, but Peyton Steffes followed with a double to the wall in left, and Massaro scored easily. Yet another WMU error put runners at the corners with two outs, before O'Connor and the Broncos got a ground ball to short for the third out.
• The Falcons turned into the Bronx Bombers in the third. Kaufman led off the half-inning with a homer to left-center, her first collegiate round-tripper. Then, Anderson hit a ball over the fence just left of center field, marking the first dinger of her collegiate career.
• After the back-to-back jacks and a WMU pitching change, Ava McKee greeted Jensen Gremillion with a single to right, and on the very next pitch, Mathews hit a drive to left that landed on top of the BGSU bullpen for a two-run homer and a 7-0 lead.
• Another pitching change ensued, and Massaro – on her birthday – welcomed Casey Fazzini with a single to left. But, after five-straight Falcons had reached to begin the inning, Fazzini retired the next three hitters.
• Beckham, meanwhile, had retired nine in a row to begin the game, before the Broncos put two runners aboard in the fourth. Payton Kelly reached on a bunt back to the circle, and Tristen Head lined a ball down the left-field line for a single.
• Kelly tagged and took third on a fly ball to right, and Head took second on a pitch in the dirt, with Kelly forced to hold. Jordan Smith hit a ball relatively hard, but shortstop Kaufman caught the liner just above the ground, and another fly ball to right got Beckham and the Falcons out of the inning unscathed.
• Hunt led off the Falcon fourth with a base hit, and Kaufman walked to put two runners aboard. A popup produced the first out, but a four-pitch walk to McKee loaded the bases. Mathews followed by hitting a ball just a few feet down the first-base line, but it was enough to get a run home, as Hunt scored on the throw to first.
• Beckham issued a walk, her only free pass of the game, to begin the fifth, but then got a foul pop that was caught by Kaufman, a strikeout of Riley Chumbley and a ground ball to third that ended the game.
• Eight different Falcons had one hit apiece in the victory, with three of those players (Kaufman, Mathews and McKee) drawing a walk as well. Mathews drove in a game-high three runs, while both Hunt and Kaufman scored twice.

BGSU-WMU GAME TWO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• Sydney Marshall threw 10 pitches in the first inning, and all 10 were strikes as the freshman retired the side in order, with a pair of grounders sandwiched around a strikeout.
• BGSU took the lead in the bottom of the frame, as Addie Martin lined a one-out single up the middle, and came all the way around to score on Hunt's double to the gap in right-center.
• The Broncos got a baserunner on an infield error in the second, but on the very next pitch, a pinch-runner was called out for leaving early. Kelly's soft liner was caught by second baseman Hunt, and Marshall struck out Analeez Niles to retire the side.
• WMU starter Kaylee Salyer, who had picked up a complete-game win over the Falcons on Friday, retired the side in order in the second. Marshall worked around a Micaela Booth leadoff single and a two-out BG error in the third, before Salyer set down the first two Falcons in the bottom of the inning. Martin and Hunt followed with singles, but a strikeout ended the threat.
• The only baserunner of the fourth inning came on a Kelly single with two outs, and the game remained 1-0 in favor of the Falcons.
• Marshall retired the visitors in order in the fifth, and BGSU then extended the lead. Massaro led off with a walk, and one out later, Behrendt reached on an error by second baseman Niles, who bobbled the ball before throwing wide of first. Massaro advanced to third on the play. Then, after Behrendt stole second, Martin scorched a ball down the right-field line and into the corner. When the smoke cleared, both Massaro and Behrendt had scored and Martin was safe at third.
• The Falcons had a three-run lead, which became a four-run lead when Hunt greeted relief pitcher Fazzini with an RBI single up the middle. Fazzini retired the next two Falcons, aided by a nifty catch in right, but the damage was done.
• Western threatened to get right back in the game in the top of the sixth. Riley Dittmar led off by reaching on a hot shot to the right side, and Head followed with a double to left-center.
• With runners at second and third, Beckham replaced Marshall in the circle. Beckham walked Jordan Smith to load the bases with no outs, bringing the tying run to the plate. But, the Falcon freshman struck out Jadeyn Merrill on four pitches, then got Kelly to hit a grounder to Martin at third. Martin fired home to catcher McKee for a force play and out number two.
• And, Beckham then induced Niles to pop up, and Hunt made the catch for the third out.
• BG looked to increase the lead in the bottom of the sixth, as Massaro singled up the middle with two outs, then advanced to third on a pinch-hit double to left-center by Katie Hutter. But, Fazzini got the third out on a ground ball back to the circle.
• In the seventh, Booth reached on an error, but Beckham got Chumbley to hit a foul pop that was caught by catcher McKee, before pinch-hitter O'Connor popped up to Kaufman at short. Two pitches later, right fielder Steffes settled under Dittmar's fly ball, and the Falcons had a second-straight shutout, a doubleheader sweep and a series win.
• Both Martin and Hunt went 3-for-3 with two RBI in the win. Martin had a triple among her three hits, scoring a pair of runs, while Hunt had a double in the victory.
• Massaro had a walk, a single and a run on her birthday.
• Marshall earned the win with five innings of three-hit shutout ball. She struck out three Broncos and did not walk a batter. Beckham pitched two innings, walking one, striking out one and allowing zero hits.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons wrap up a five-game homestand on Tuesday afternoon (April 15) against the MAC's preseason favorite. BGSU will meet Ohio in a doubleheader at Meserve Field, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will head to Mount Pleasant for a three-game series with Central Michigan next weekend. The teams are slated to play a Friday (April 18) single game and a Saturday (April 19) twinbill 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.