Bulldog Softball Sweeps Tiffin In GLIAC Play

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University softball team rebounded from a league-opening doubleheader setback in a big way by beating the Tiffin Dragons twice in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play on Saturday (March 24) in Tiffin, Ohio.

The Bulldogs recorded a 3-1 victory in game one followed by a 1-0 triumph in nine innings of the nightcap.

With the sweep, the Bulldogs evened their overall record at 10-10 this season and their league mark to 2-2 on the year.  FSU previously had dropped two games on the first day of conference play at Findlay on Friday.

In game one, the Bulldogs broke a scoreless tie with a single run in the fourth followed by two more in the fifth inning.  It held up as the Dragons managed only a single run in the bottom of the sixth and came up empty in their final at-bat in the seventh frame.

The first game victory went to Bulldog junior hurler Dana Bowler, who tossed a complete game six-hitter and had nine strikeouts.  She walked only a single batter at the plate.

Freshman shortstop Michelle Tononi paced FSU at the plate with two hits, including a double.  Lainee Clay also doubled while senior Lindsey Pettit homered for the Bulldogs for the second-straight day.  FSU had only four hits in the game compared to six for the Dragons.

A. Cooksey pitched the entire seven innings for the Dragons and walked two with four strikeouts.

In the second game, the Bulldogs scored the lone run in the bottom of the ninth to earn the sweep.  Stephanie Dusendang singled to center field to start the inning and a double from Clay produced the game-winning RBI.

Ferris State pounded out eight hits in game two with the Dragons totaling 10, but Tiffin also had two errors in the field. Both Clay and Amy Dunleavy had two hits each for the Bulldogs.  Additionally, Clay and Pettit both doubled for FSU.

Dunleavy hurled all nine innings for the Bulldogs and struck out seven with only a single walk.  Amber Young suffered the loss for the Dragons despite throwing eight and one-third innings with 10 strikeouts and a single walk.

Ferris State wraps up its three-day weekend trip by visiting Wayne State on Sunday (March 25) for two games starting at 12 p.m. (ET).