Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University softball team kept its season alive on Friday (April 29) as the Bulldogs opened the 2016 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament with a 1-1 mark to advance to day two action at the Marathon Diamonds complex in Findlay, Ohio.
The fourth-seeded Bulldogs suffered a heart-breaking 6-5 loss to fifth-seeded Ashland in morning action, but bounced back in the consolation bracket of the double-elimination tournament to beat eighth-seeded Tiffin by a 2-0 count.
With the win over the Dragons, Ferris State continues play in the consolation portion of the bracket against either third-seeded Saginaw Valley State or sixth-seeded Findlay on Saturday (April 30) morning. The game time has been moved up to 8 a.m. (ET) with the Bulldogs needing three wins to reach Sunday's championship game.
In the opening game against Ashland, the Bulldogs fell behind early as the Eagles struck for two runs in the first inning. However, the tide turned as FSU answered with a single run in the second and four more in the third to build a 5-2 advantage. However, momentum swung back in AU's favor as the Eagles tallied four runs in the fifth to regain the lead and hold on for the win.
Both squads notched six total hits in the opener with Ferris State led by Emily Reed's two hits. Right fielder Alexis Hongisto tallied a game-high three RBI's with both Reed and Sarah Johnson batting in a run apiece. Alexx Astorga and Stephanie Neuman both doubled in the setback.
Senior pitcher Stacy Thompson tossed all seven innings of action in game one with six runs and six hits allowed. She also had three stirkeouts. Meanwhile, Hanna Stroe picked up the win for the Eagles by not giving up a run on two hits in four and one-third innings of action. Sarah Alley pitched in relief and allowed five runs on four hits with four walks.
In game two, the Bulldogs staved off elimination by scoring the only runs of the game in the bottom of the second frame. The two squads were limited to a combined total of nine hits with FSU notching five and Tiffin four.
The lone scoring came from FSU when senior second baseman Michelle Tononi singled thru the left side on a two-RBI hit to score both Johnson and Sam Bates.
Reed paced FSU again with two hits, including a double, in the win over the Dragons. Johnson also had a hit along with Tononi in the triumph.
Thompson also hurled game two and picked up the win to improve to 14-7 overall this campaign. She struck out five and allowed only four hits in the complete-game shutout as she tossed all 14 innings on the day for the Bulldogs.
Tiffin's Tiffany Snell suffered the setback after giving up the two runs on three hits in one and one-third innings of action. Kimmy Reynolds came on to pitch the final four and two-thirds frames for the Dragons, who were eliminated from the tourney.
With the win over Tiffin, Ferris State improved to 35-17 overall this campaign. The 35 total wins for the Bulldogs are now tied for the fourth-most in a single season in school history.
