Final Day Split Wraps Up 22-Game Florida Trip For Ferris State Softball
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ferris State | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
|
Minot St. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saginaw Valley State | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 0 |
|
Ferris State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University softball team wrapped up its 22-game trip to Florida by splitting two games in the final day of play on Saturday (March 12) at The Spring Games in Clermont.
The Bulldogs topped Minot State (N.D.) via an 8-0 shutout in the first game on Saturday afternoon before falling to Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) rival Saginaw Valley State in non-league action by a 4-0 score.
With the split, the Bulldogs wrapped up their trip with a 15-7 overall record under first-year head coach Wally King in the Sunshine State, representing one of the Bulldogs' best marks ever on their southern swing.
In the opener, Ferris State needed only five innings to put Minot State away. The Bulldogs scored once in the first inning and added six more in the second to build an early 7-0 advantage. FSU then added another run in the fourth and shutout Minot State the entire way for the victory.
Senior Megan Vanderwal tossed the opener and improved to 3-0 overall this season by hurling five shutout innings. She gave up only three hits and struck out three in the triumph.
The Bulldogs, who tallied eight hits, were led at the plate by Alexx Astorga and Bailey Darwin with two hits apiece. Darwin homered and drove in two runs while Emily Reed also posted two RBI's and Alexis Hongisto added a double in the win.
In game two, Saginaw Valley State got the bats going as they outhit FSU 12-1 for the contest. The Cardinals scored a single run in the third, two more in the fourth and one in the fifth to account for their four runs.
SVSU's Samantha Willman hurled seven shutout innings with only a single hit allowed to go with five walks and eight strikeouts. Meanwhile, FSU's Stacy Thompson tossed four innings with three runs given up on seven hits before Hannah Leppek pitched the final three innings and surrendered a single run on five hits.
The Bulldogs' lone hit in game two came from Emily Smith.
Ferris State will return home and is set to host Davenport in a non-league doubleheader on March 22 at the FSU Softball Field. First pitch for the home opener is set for 3:30 p.m. (ET) for game one and 5:30 p.m. (ET) for game two.