BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Bowling Green State University softball team dropped a pair of games against the University at Buffalo on Saturday afternoon (March 15). The Bulls captured a 4-3, eight-inning decision in the first game of the teams' Mid-American Conference doubleheader, before picking up a 10-6 win in the nightcap at Nan Harvey Field.

The Falcons (6-17, 1-2 MAC) pounded out a total of 19 hits in Saturday's two games. Sophomore Peyton Steffes led the way with five hits. She had multiple-hit games in all three of the weekend's contests in Western New York.

Classmate Taylor Behrendt had four hits on Saturday. Behrendt went 3-for-4 in the day's first game, with Steffes putting together a 3-for-4 game in the nightcap. Junior Ashley Chevalier had three hits in the twinbill, while classmate Kendall Mathews had a hit and walked three times.

In the circle, Mackenzie Krafcik pitched in both games, throwing a total of 8 2/3 innings and allowing just one earned run.

The Bulls (5-17, 2-1 MAC) had 18 hits of their own in the doubleheader, and benefited from multiple unearned runs in each game.

BGSU-BUFFALO GAME ONE – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Bulls scored a first-inning run, without benefit of a hit. A hit batter and a walk put two runners aboard with no outs. Mackenzie Krafcik entered the circle and got a ground ball that resulted in a force play, putting runners at the corners, and UB then successfully executed a double steal to take the lead.
• The hosts added to the lead with a pair of unearned runs in the second inning. After a leadoff walk, an infield single coupled with a throwing error allowed that runner to score, and another base hit plated another run.
• After Krafcik worked a 1-2-3 inning in the third, the Falcons loaded the bases in the fourth. Taylor Behrendt beat out a bouncer up the middle for a leadoff single, and after a fielder's choice, Ashley Chevalier followed with a sharp single to left. Then, Peyton Steffes beat out a bunt for a base hit that loaded the bases. But, UB pitcher Olivia Russ got a popup to shallow right-center for the second out, then recorded an inning-ending strikeout.
• The Falcons got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning. Behrendt reached on a bunt single, before tagging and advancing to second on a fly ball that was caught in foul ground down the left-field line. Russ got a soft liner to shallow right for the second out, but Peyton Steffes lined a ball to right for a single that scored Behrendt.
• And, BGSU tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. The Falcons loaded the bases with no outs, as pinch-hitter Delaney Davis led off with a bunt single, and Kendall Mathews drew a walk. Katie Hutter walked as well, loading the bases. Russ struck out the next hitter, but Behrendt lined a ball to center for a two-run single that tied the game.
• In the bottom of the seventh, UB got a pair of hits with no outs. After a popup produced the first out, Emily Gorman lined a single to left. But, BGSU leftfielder Hanna Massaro came up throwing, firing a strike to the plate, and catcher Chevalier put the tag on Avelyn Van Heyst for the second out. Krafcik then got Abbey Nagel to hit a fly ball to Steffes in right, sending the game to extra innings.
• After Russ got two quick outs in the eighth, Massaro singled and stole second, before Mathews walked for the second-straight inning. But, Russ was able to escape with an inning-ending strikeout.
• In the bottom of the eighth, Lily Lauck led off with a walk, and a sac bunt sent pinch-runner Ava Thelen to second. A single by Ardyn Hopf sent Miranda Zipp – who had pinch-run for pinch-runner Thelen – to third, and Talynn Williams hit a flare over the head of second baseman Behrendt and into shallow right to allow Zipp to score the winning run.
• Krafcik pitched well in relief, allowing just one earned run in 7 1/3 innings of work. She walked two Bulls and struck out five.
• At the plate, Behrendt was 3-for-4 with a run scored and the two-run, game-tying hit in the seventh. Steffes also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4.
• Williams and Van Heyst each were 2-for-3 for the hosts, while Russ picked up the complete-game win. She walked four Falcons and struck out nine.

BGSU-BUFFALO GAME TWO – HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Bulls got a pair of walks to begin the bottom of the first inning in game two. Then, an error loaded the bases with no outs, before Lily Lauck doubled to left-center to plate three teammates. Scarlet Anderson entered the circle and got three outs, but the Falcons trailed after one inning.
• BG got runners to first and second in the second, on a Peyton Steffes bunt single (and stolen base) and a walk to Hanna Massaro. But, the Bulls went to their pen, and Emily Watters got a fielder's-choice grounder for an inning-ending force play at third.
• The Bulls added to the lead in the second, scoring an unearned run. Avelyn Van Heyst began the inning by reaching on an outfield error, and she scored from second on a two-out single by Emily Gorman.
• BSU struck back in the third, scoring three runs on four hits, and aided by two UB errors. Katie Hutter led off with a single up the middle, and Addie Martin followed with a sacrifice bunt. Both Falcons were safe when the throw to first was dropped. Taylor Behrendt then laid down a bunt as well, and was safe on an infield single as the UB pitcher and third baseman collided while fielding the ball. Hannah Hunt followed with a grounder toward the middle of the diamond. Shortstop Talynn Williams grabbed the ball and attempted to flip it to second with her glove hand, but the throw was wide of the mark, and everyone was safe as two runs crossed the plate.
• Then, with two outs, Steffes beat out a bouncer toward second baseman Van Heyst, driving home another BG run. Ava McKee followed with a single to put runners at the corners, before Massaro's hot shot was kept from going into the outfield by Van Heyst, who made a nice stop, then threw to first to end the inning and keep the Bulls in the lead.
• And, the hosts extended the lead with a two-out rally in the home half of the third. After the first two batters were retired, two singles and a walk loaded the bases, before an error allowed a run to score. Then, Gorman, Abbey Nagel and Lauck each singled to drive in a total of four runs between them. By the time the inning was over, the Bulls had scored five runs, all unearned.
• Kendall Mathews singled on the first pitch of the fourth, and with one out, Addie Martin had a base hit, as third baseman Ardyn Hopf leaped high in the air to grab her chopper, before throwing late to second in an attempt to get Mathews. A ground ball to the right side moved the runners, but a hard-hit ball back to the circle was knocked down by Watters, who threw to first to end the inning.
• BGSU cut that six-run deficit in half in the fifth. Ashley Chevalier singled to the right side, and Steffes singled through the left side of the UB infield on the very next pitch. McKee was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
• A ground ball to third resulted in a force play at the plate for the first out, but Mathews then drew a walk to allow Steffes to trot home from third, and Hutter followed by lining a ball up the middle for a two-run single and making it a 9-6 game.
• In the UB fifth, Reagan Terwilliger led off with a base hit that sailed just over the leaping Hunt at third, and Mia Mitchell roped a ball to the fence in left to put runners at second and third. A walk to Gorman loaded the bases with no outs.
• But, Morgan Beckham entered the game and proceeded to strike out Nagel,  Lauck and Isabella Smithson to escape the jam.
•  Chevalier singled with one out in the sixth, but BGSU could not cut into the deficit. UB added to the margin in the bottom of the inning, as Van Heyst walked with two outs and scored on a Terwilliger triple.
• Steffes was 3-for-4 to lead BGSU's 11-hit attack, while Hutter and Hunt each drove in two runs.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons open the home portion of the 2025 schedule on Tuesday (March 18), hosting Green Bay in a non-conference doubleheader. Game one begins at 1:00 p.m. at Meserve Field, and admission is free.
• The Green Bay twinbill begins a 10-game homestand for the Falcons, which continues with a three-game weekend series vs. Kent State next weekend (March 21-22).

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.