Softball Back in Action Friday through Sunday for Thundering Herd Round Robin

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – With just one day of rest, the Marshall softball team is back on the field for the Thundering Herd Round Robin, Friday through Sunday, March 5-7 at Dot Hicks Field. Three other teams making the trip to Huntington are the Bowling Green Falcons, Saint Francis Red Flash and Valparaiso.

Due to COVID 19 protocols, infield seating is reserved, and unavailable to the general public this season. However, we welcome our fans to arrive early to cheer on MUSB from the outfield, where spectators may view games as space allows.

Games begin Friday morning at 11:30 a.m. All of Marshall's games will be streamed for free through CUSAtv. The Marshall games will also feature a radio broadcast by 88.1 WMUL-FM and online at www.marshall.edu/wmul through one of the Listen Live links.

Tournament Schedule (team listed first is the home team)
Friday
11:30 a.m. Valparaiso vs. Bowling Green – Live Stats
1:30 p.m. Marshall vs. Bowling Green – Live Stats | Live Stream
Saturday
9:30 a.m. Saint Francis vs. Bowling Green – Live Stats
11:30 a.m. Marshall vs. Valparaiso – Live Stats | Live Stream
1:30 p.m. Marshall vs. Saint Francis – Live Stats | Live Stream
Sunday
9:30 a.m. Valparaiso vs. Saint Francis – Live Stats
11:30 a.m. Marshall vs. Saint Francis – Live Stats | Live Stream
1:30 p.m. Marshall vs. Valparaiso – Live Stats | Live Stream

Marshall is coming off two wins over Akron on Wednesday at Dot Hicks Field. The Herd overcame a rough start in game one, trailing 4-0 with four errors, to storm back for a 7-4 win. Marshall put up five runs in the fifth inning to take the lead for good. In game two, the Herd dominated from start to finish for an 8-0 win in five innings.

Sophomore pitcher Ashley Blessin got the start in game one and tied a career-high with seven strikeouts. Only one of her four runs allowed was earned. Senior pitcher Laney Jones got the start in game two and held the Zips to just four hits for the shutout victory.

The bats also overcame a slow start to light up the scoreboard. Senior Katie Adams finished the day with four doubles, two in each game, drove in three runs, threw out two base runners and stole a base. Senior Aly Harrell was 4-of-7 at the plate with a double and three RBI. Freshman Paige Halliwill hit the first two home runs of her career, as well as the first two blasts of the year for the Herd, with one in each game. Senior Grace Chelemen hit her second career home run in the fifth inning of game two that ended the day, giving Marshall the run-rule victory.

As a team, Marshall totaled 18 hits, with 12 coming in game two, and sport a team batting average of .383. The Herd also slugged .745 with 35 total bases in those 18 hits.

Bowling Green
The Falcons enter the weekend with a 6-5 record. Its final two games of the WKU Hilltopper Classic were canceled due to rain. Bowling Green began the season with a four-game series against Cleveland State and won three, including a perfect game from redshirt freshman pitcher Payton Gottshall. She struck 16 and of course did not allow a single runner on base in seven innings of work. It was just the second perfect game in program history.

The Falcons also have wins over Winthrop, Radford and Indiana State. Its last game was an 8-0 loss in five innings to WKU.

Gottshall leads the team in the circle with a 6-1 record, 0.56 ERA and 108 strikeouts in just 50.1 innings of work. On offense, the Falcons are hitting .235 this season. Greta L'Esperance leads with a .415 average, 17 hits, six runs, three doubles and is 7-of-7 in stolen base attempts.

Marshall has not played against Bowling Green since 2005, the Herd's last year in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons have dominated the series, 18-4, however Marshall won three of the final four meetings.

Saint Francis
The Red Flash are off to a great start with an 8-1 record. The first five games of the season were canceled, then Saint Francis lost 4-2 to East Carolina before rolling out 8-straight wins. The Red Flash went 5-0 at the Winthrop Eagle Classic, Feb. 26-28, with wins over Syracuse (6-3), Tennessee Tech (6-2 & 10-0), University of Illinois-Chicago (4-3) and College of Charleston (9-1).

Sophomore pitcher Grace Vesco has been named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) top performer. Vesco is 5-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 36 innings. On the offensive side, Saint Francis is batting .311, outhitting the opposition 76-35 and outscoring its opponents 60-20. The offense features two players batting over .400 in Tayven Rousseau (.481) and Lindsay Ward (.407). Both players also have three home runs each.

Marshall played Saint Francis in the 2020 season-opener down in Spartanburg, S.C. The Red Flash came away with the 5-4 victory. The Herd leads the all-time series, 5-3.

Valparaiso
Valpo is 2-4 to begin the season. The team opened the year at the DePaul Dome Tournament, Feb. 12-14, and earned its first win of the season over Western Illinois, 3-2. Valpo played Belmont next in a doubleheader on Feb. 27 and split the day. The Bruins took game one, 2-1, and then Valpo won game two, 9-2.

In the circle, Caitlyn Kowalski (16.0 innings) and Easton Seib (16.2 innings) have been the main arms. Kowlaski is 2-1 with a 1.31 ERA and 21 strikeouts. Seib is 0-2 with a 5.04 ERA. At the plate, Addi Burke leads Valpo with a .500 batting average. Brittany Anderson leads the team in home runs with two.

Marshall and Valparaiso have met just two times before with a doubleheader in March of 2010. At the time, Valpo featured assistant coach Rachel Folden who was a four-time All-American for Marshall from 2005-08 and completely re-wrote the record books. The teams split the twinbill with the Herd taking the first game, 8-0, and then Valpo winning the second game 6-4.

For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!

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Marshall University Athletics

Softball Back in Action Friday through Sunday for Thundering Herd Round Robin

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Players Mentioned

Katie Adams

Ashley Blessin

Grace Chelemen

Paige Halliwill

Aly Harrell

Laney Jones

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