KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Kaylen Glenfield's walk-off single took the first game as the Western Michigan softball team split a doubleheader with Bowling Green in its final home action of the 2021 season. The Broncos took the first game, 2-1, before the Falcons rebounded with a 3-1 victory in the nightcap.
| Game One
The opener saw a pitchers' duel between WMU's
Reily Galloway and BGSU's Payton Gottshall. Galloway ended up with the complete-game victory, holding the Falcons to seven hits and one earned run in seven innings with one walk and six strikeouts. Gottshall was the tough-luck loser, also going the distance allowing two runs and eight hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
Glenfield finished 2-for-4 with both RBI, while
Jordyn Swinehart went 3-for-3 in her second consecutive game and scored the game-winning run.
Madison Duell drew a walk and scored the tying run.
Logan Everett was 2-for-3 with BGSU's lone RBI. Madi McCoy was 1-for-3 with the lone run for the Falcons.
Bowling Green plated the game's first run in the fourth winning when McCoy led off the inning with a double and Evelyn Loyola laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance her to third. Everett delivered a single up the middle to score McCoy and make it 1-0.
It appeared that a single run might hold up for Gottshall, but the Broncos used a two-out rally in the seventh to win the game. With two down, Duell started things with an eight-pitch walk before
Jordyn Swinehart delivered a single to right-center on a 1-2 pitch.
Mackenzie Swinehart walked to load the bases. Glenfield then sent a 1-2 pitch through the right side. Duell scored easily from third and
Jordyn Swinehart slid safely just ahead of the tag from Loyola to win the game.
It marked the second walk-off of the season for the Broncos following
Mackenzie Swinehart's eighth-inning home run to beat Buffalo on April 3.
| Game Two
The nightcap saw the Broncos get a strong pitching performance from the duo of
Autumn Godwin and Stefanick, but the offense managed only one run off Gottshall and the Falcons took the home finale by a score of 3-1.
Godwin took the loss allowing two earned runs in four innings. The sophomore surrendered just four hits and struck out five. Stefanick threw the final three innings and conceded one earned run with four strikeouts. Stefanick was 2-for-3 at the plate with the lone Bronco RBI.
Jordyn Swinehart scored the run, while
Mackenzie Swinehart, Glenfield and
Sophia Ehlers each had hits.
Gottshall rebounded from the game one loss to earn her 20th victory in BGSU's season finale. She allowed five hits and one earned run with five strikeouts in seven innings. The Falcons had RBI from Madi McCoy, Nikki Sorgi and Marlie McNulty. McNulty was 2-for-3 and also scored, while Greta L'Esperance was 2-for-4.
WMU struck first, with Stefanick serving a two-out double down the left-field line to score
Jordyn Swinehart. It would be the only Bronco run as they left eight on base.
Bowling Green took the lead in the fourth on consecutive one-run singles from Weber and McNulty. McCoy added the insurance with an RBI single in the top of the seventh.
| On Deck
The Broncos conclude their 2021 campaign this weekend at Kent State. The series opens on Friday, May 14, at 3 p.m. ET, followed by a doubleheader Saturday, May 15, at 1 p.m. and the season finale on Sunday, May 16 at Noon ET.
