Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University softball team completed its league-opening trip to Ohio with a two-game sweep over Lake Erie on Tuesday (April 1) at a neutral site in North Canton, Ohio.
The Bulldogs, who suffered a pair of setbacks to Walsh on Monday in their first two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contests of the year, bounced back in a big way with 6-2 and 7-1 triumphs over the Storm in the league doubleheader played at the Walsh Complex.
In the opener, Ferris State scored five runs in the third inning and overcame three errors in the field to produce the four-run win. Lake Erie outhit FSU 11-5 for the game, but also left 11 runners on base as FSU prevailed.
The Bulldogs received two hits each from junior first baseman Megan Galganski along with sophomore left fielder Taylor Verbic in the victory. Junior second baseman Michelle Tononi also doubled in the game while Galganski drove in two runs. A total of five different FSU players had at least one RBI in the contest, including Tononi, Verbic, freshman catcher Casey Bias along with senior third baseman Amy Dunleavy.
Ferris State's Stacy Thompson allowed only a single run on four hits in three innings of work with freshman Megan Hiler notching the victory after surrendering just one run as wellon seven hits in four frames. Hiler had four strikeouts and walked one in the contest.
The Bulldogs picked up right where they left off in game two as FSU scored four runs in the top of the first inning while adding two more in the second and one in the third. Lake Erie netted its only run in the sixth, but could get no closer as Ferris State allowed only two hits in the game.
Dunleavy pitched game two and earned the victory after throwing four scoreless innings and giving up only a single hit. She had two strikeouts and a walk. Cara DeLange claimed the save with three innings pitched and both one hit and run allowed with two strikeouts and two walks.
Offensively, Bias homered twice for Ferris State, including a grand slam in the top of the first inning. Senior outfielder Alex Wittman also produced a homer as part of FSU's seven-hit contest. Bias accounted for a squad-best five RBI's in the nightcap.
Overall, Bias had a team-best three hits in game two with one apiece for Wittman, junior Jordan Maxwell, freshman Bailey Darwin and sophomore Alyssa Smith. Tononi also drove in a run for Ferris State in the second game on a sacrifice.
With the two wins on the day, Ferris State improved to 7-8 overall and 2-2 in the GLIAC to date this year. The four-game set on Monday and Tuesday represented FSU's first action since concluding their trip to Florida on March 14.
The Bulldogs are slated to play their first official home contests this Saturday, April 5, versus rival Grand Valley State at the FSU Softball Field in Big Rapids if weather permits. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. (ET) with game two to follow.
