Ferris State Trounces Grand Valley State In Decisive Game-Two Triumph
The Ferris State University softball team plated a combined 11 runs in last two innings to run rule Grand Valley State, 12-2, in five innings this Saturday (May 1) in game two of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) doubleheader at the GVSU Softball Field in Allendale, Mich.
With the two-game sweep, Ferris State is 26-16 overall and finished up 17-9 in the GLIAC standings. The Bulldogs are now idle until next weekend's (May 7-9) double-elimination 2010 GLIAC Softball Tournament to be held at the Emerson Park Softball Complex in Midland, Mich.
Ferris State took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a RBI groundout by sophomore third baseman Makenzi Peterson (Big Rapids) to score senior outfielder Rachel Wade (Canton) with the game's first run.
Grand Valley State would come back in the top of the second inning with a pair of runs to claim a 2-1 advantage. However, FSU exploded for five runs in the bottom half of the third inning with sophomore first baseman Chelsea Morris (Jenison) driving in the first run on a RBI single. Junior shortstop Lynsay Weaver's (Bay City/All Saints) knocked in the inning's second run as a result of a sacrifice fly. A bases loaded walk to senior second baseman Amanda Harrington (St. Joseph/Stevensville-Lakeshore) scored the Bulldogs' fourth run while a sacrifice flyout by Rachel Wade scored the fifth run to give Ferris State a 6-2 lead through three innings.
Ferris State tallied six more runs in the bottom of the fourth with five hits and a GVSU error. A single by junior catcher Rachel Mueller (Santa Clarita, Calif./Valencia) scored the first run. She along with Chelsea Morris would both score on a Laker throwing error on a ball hit by junior outfielder Colleen Roney (Wheaton, Ill./Glen Ellyn Glenbard South) to make it 9-0 at that point. Amanda Harrington's single knocked in another run and a two-run single by Rachel Wade to center field gave the Bulldogs a 12-2 cushion.
FSU, which collected 12 hits to Grand Valley State's six total, had seven batters record at least a hit in the game. Rhea Flores and Chelsea Morris led the way with a game-high three hits each. Rachel Wade's three RBIs was tops in that statistical category and Amanda Harrington chipped in with two RBIs.
Senior pitcher Kayle Stevenson (Holland/West Ottawa) earned the win as she fanned three and walked four in five innings to improve her record to 12-6 this season. Lauren Rohan (4-8) was the first of three pitchers to see action for the Lakers, who are 22-22 overall and 10-14 in the conference with the pair of league losses.
