BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Bowling Green State University softball team broke open a close game with a five-run fifth inning, and the Falcons went on to defeat the University at Buffalo, 11-3, in six innings Friday afternoon (March 14). The game, the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams, took place at Nan Harvey Field.

Junior Kendall Mathews had a two-run homer to give the Falcons (6-15, 1-0 MAC) a 3-2 lead in the second inning, and the score remained 3-2 until BG put those five runs on the board in the fifth. Junior Ashley Chevalier had the big blow in that inning, with a bases-loaded, bases-clearing triple that gave the Falcons an 8-2 advantage.

The Falcons have matched the win total for all of last season. BGSU, as mentioned, is 6-15 in 2025 after going 6-38 during '24. BG has won the MAC opener for the first time since 2021.

Senior Scarlet Anderson pitched 4 1/3 innings of relief, allowing just one unearned run and four hits. She retired 11 batters in a row until the Bulls (3-17, 0-1 MAC) got a leadoff single in the sixth.

Taylor Behrendt went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Peyton Steffes was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs batted in. Mathews also went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI. As a team, BG had nine hits and drew five walks.

Trailing by an 11-2 score, the Bulls put a run on the board in the sixth, but Mackenzie Krafcik came on and got three outs by facing just two batters. She induced Isabella Smithson to hit a popup to Behrendt at second, then got Talynn Williams to hit a foul pop that third baseman Hannah Hunt caught near the BG dugout. Hunt quickly fired the ball to first to double up UB's Lily Lauck, with first baseman Katie Hutter applying the tag to end the game.

BGSU-BUFFALO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons took an early lead with a run in the top of the first. With one out, Addie Martin drew a walk against UB starter Genevieve Longsdorf. Taylor Behrendt battled through a lengthy at-bat, fouling off five pitches before singling to right on the 10th pitch of her plate appearance. Martin took third on the hit, and scored when the Falcons perfectly executed a double steal.
• After a trio of walks loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, the Bulls took the lead on a two-out single by Isabella Smithson. But, that lead would be short-lived.
• In the second inning, Peyton Steffes led off with a walk, and Kendall Mathews came through with a two-out homer. On the pitch before the homer, Mathews hit a ball over the fence in left, but the ball was foul by just a few feet. But, she deposited the very next pitch over the fence in left-center, giving BGSU a 3-2 lead.
• Scarlet Anderson, who had entered the circle with two outs in the first inning, worked around a one-out single in the second, then set down the Bulls in order in both the third and the fourth.
• In the fifth, Longsdorf retired the leadoff hitter, but Behrendt followed with a single to shallow right-center, and Hannah Hunt lined a base hit to left. Anderson walked to load the bases, and Steffes singled to center to score Behrendt.
• Then, pinch-hitter Ava McKee's hard-hit ball to the left side was misplayed by the third baseman and everyone was safe as Hunt crossed the plate.
• The Bulls made a pitching change, but Ashley Chevalier greeted reliever Olivia Russ with a drive down the left-field line. The ball was just out of the reach of diving leftfielder Reagan Terwilliger and went all the way to the wall. When the smoke cleared, it was a three-run triple for Chevalier and an 8-2 lead for the Falcons.
• Martin robbed Ardyn Hopf of a hit to begin the Buffalo fifth, as the shortstop went to her right, reached across her body and made a spectacular diving catch of a line drive that seemed ticketed for left field.
• And, Anderson set down the next two Bulls, on a popup to Behrendt at second and a grounder to Martin.
• In the sixth, the first three Falcons reached base, as Martin got on board via an error, before Behrendt followed with a bloop single and Hunt walked. Anderson drove in a run with a ground ball to the left side.
• Steffes followed with a bouncer to the right side, and the speedy sophomore beat the throw for an infield single that scored Behrendt to give the Falcons a 10-2 lead.
• In the UB sixth, Mia Mitchell led off with a single, ending a streak of 11 consecutive batters retired by Anderson. A BG error was followed by an RBI single off the bat of Lily Lauck.
• Mackenzie Krafcik entered the circle and got a popup to second for the first out. Then, she induced Talynn Williams to hit a foul pop to the left side. Third baseman Hunt grabbed the ball near the BGSU dugout, and quickly fired the ball to first baseman Katie Hutter. Hutter made a diving effort, tagging Lauck as she herself made a headlong dive toward first. Lauck was out, and the double play ended the inning and the game.

A FEW MORE FACTS ABOUT FRIDAY'S WIN
• Friday's victory at Buffalo was the Falcons' first true road win of the season. BGSU had been 0-7 in road games entering the contest.
• In fact, the win snapped a 28-game losing streak in road games. BGSU's last road win had come at Northern Illinois on the last day of the 2023 season (May 6, 2023).
• The win snapped a 12-game MAC road losing streak, dating to that NIU game.
• Only four members of the current team saw action in that NIU contest. Mackenna Fry (second base) and Ashley Chevalier (shortstop) comprised BGSU's middle infield, while Delaney Davis drew the start in right field and Katie Hutter made a pinch-running appearance.
• Friday's victory at UB marked the Falcons' first run-rule win on the road in nearly four years, since a 10-0 victory at Ohio on April 17, 2021.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons and Bulls conclude their three-game weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday (March 15). First pitch of the opener is set for 1:00 p.m. at Nan Harvey Field.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will begin the home schedule with a non-league twinbill vs. Green Bay on Tuesday (March 18). That doubleheader begins at 1:00 p.m. at Meserve Field.

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