Ferris State Softball Notches First Sweep Of The Season As FSU Beats Ranked Foe

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University softball team completed its first sweep of the season as the Bulldogs won two contests on Tuesday (March 10) at The Spring Games in Clermont, Fla.

Ferris State posted an exciting 5-4 win over Bentley (Mass.) in morning action at the National Training Center and then came back to beat nationally 22nd-ranked West Virigina Wesleyan 6-3 in the second game of the day.

In the opener against Bentley, the Bulldogs trailed 3-0 before tying the contest up with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Bulldogs then answered a Bentley run in the top of the fifth with two scores in the bottom of the frame and shut down the opponent over the final two innings to record the win.

Ferris State won its first game despite being outhit 12-7 for the contest. While FSU had only seven hits, two went yard as Alyssa Smith and Megan Hiler both homered for the Bulldogs. Hiler's first career homer scored three runs to knot the game up while Smith produced two RBI's on her dinger.

Meanwhile, Sarah Johnson also tripled for the Bulldogs while FSU received single hits from Emily Reed, Casey Bias and Bailey Darwin. Smith led FSU with two hits in the game and her homer in the fifth gave FSU the lead to win the game.

In the pitching circle, Hiler picked up the victory with two runs allowed on six hits in five and two-thirds of an inning. Sam Bates also pitched one and one-third innings with two runs given up on six hits as well.

For Bentley, Jordan Ballantyne led the way with three hits and two RBI's in the outing while two others both notched multiple-hit performances. Kelly Ferris suffered the pitching loss after giving up five runs on seven hits in four innings of work.

In game two against 22nd-ranked West Virginia Wesleyan, Ferris State broke the game open by taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third. The Bobcats, though, knotted the game up with a triple followed by a single in the fifth. However, FSU regained the lead in the sixth as the Bulldogs drew three bases loaded walks. Pitcher Stacy Thompson shut down West Virginia Wesleyan the rest of the way as FSU prevailed.

No further statistics from game two are yet available.

Ferris State will take a break from action on Wednesday with its first day off in the Sunshine State before returning to play in The Spring Games with a twinbill on Thursday (March 12) against Mercy and Shippensburg (Pa.) at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively.

The Bulldogs will play doubleheaders for four-straight days after the day off with the final day of action on Sunday (March 15) before the squad returns home.