Bulldog Softball Win Streak Snapped By Ashland In Second GLIAC Tourney Contest

Bulldog Softball Win Streak Snapped By Ashland In Second GLIAC Tourney Contest

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University softball team had its nine-game winning streak halted in the second round of the 2013 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament late Friday (May 3) afternoon as the Bulldogs suffered a 3-1 setback to third-seeded Ashland in Findlay, Ohio.

With the setback in the double-elimination event, the Bulldogs will now drop into the loser's bracket and will try to remain alive as they square off against Findlay on Saturday (May 4) morning at 10 a.m. (ET).  The second-seeded Bulldogs had opened the tournament with a 2-0 shutout over number seven seed Tiffin earlier in the day at the Marathon Diamond Fields.

The league tournament includes the top eight teams from conference regular-season action and is being hosted by the University of Findlay.

Ashland scored all three of its runs in the top of the first inning as they bolted out to a 3-0 advantage over the Bulldogs.  FSU tallied its lone run in the fourth, but could not put another run on the board in falling to the Eagles for the third time this season.

Senior pitcher Dana Bowler had her school-record of 48 consecutive scoreless innings snapped in the first and also saw her school all-time best 13-game winning streak broke with the loss.  She fell to 21-7 overall this season with the loss after having won her previous six games by shutout.

Bowler allowed six hits over seven innings of work and totaled four strikeouts along with six walks in the setback.

Meanwhile, Ashland's Amber McDermott also gave up six hits to the Bulldogs in six innings to earn the win before giving way to Sarah Alley, who recorded the save after throwing one inning.  The two combined for four strikeouts and four walks.

Six different Bulldog players registered hits, including Alyssa Smith, Morgan Kramerich, Lainee Clay, Amy Dunleavy, Liz Hamming and Rachael Gabrielson.  Clay doubled for the Bulldogs and recorded the squad's lone RBI as Smith scored in the fourth.  Kramerich also had a sacrifice hit.

Taylor Menhart also doubled for Ashland while Kourtney Yarnall totaled 2 RBI's in the victory for the Eagles.

With the loss, the Bulldogs fell to 29-13 overall this campaign.  AU improved to 27-16 on the year.

The Eagles came into the tournament ranked sixth in the NCAA Midwest Regional Rankings with the Bulldogs right behind in seventh place in the region.  FSU will face the eighth-ranked squad in the region in Findlay on Saturday morning. 

The conference tournament runs until Sunday (May 5) with the league's tournament champion receiving an automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Tournament next week.