Ferris State Battles Northwood Close In Tightly-Contested Home Opening Action

Ferris State Battles Northwood Close In Tightly-Contested Home Opening Action

Postgame Interview & Highlights Video

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University softball team battled the Northwood Timberwolves in a highly-contested home-opening series on Friday (March 30), but suffered a pair of close Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) setbacks at the FSU Softball Field.

The Bulldogs dropped a 5-2 decision in the opener before falling 2-1 in the nightcap in their first home action of the year.

In the opener, Ferris State scored the game's opening run in the first inning, but the Timberwolves got a grand slam from Maddie Coulter in the third. FSU pulled back within two runs by adding another score in the fifth before Northwood closed the game with an additional run in the sixth and then held off the Bulldogs in their final two at-bats.

First baseman Sarah Meredith had two hits for FSU in the opener while Sam Bates homered and Emily Smith tripled in the decision. Bates and second baseman Logan Fleming each produced RBI's.

In the circle, Bates hurled all seven innings and allowed five runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and three walks. NU's Shayna Frank garnered the win, giving up only two runs on five hits with six K's and a single walk in seven innings of action.

In game two, the Bulldogs took an early advantage with the game's opening run in the first, but were held scoreless the rest of the way. NU managed the win despite being outhit 4-2 with single runs in the fifth and the seventh.

Senior catcher Emily Reed totaled two hits with the Bulldogs also getting one each from Smith and Fleming, who had FSU's lone RBI with a double in the first.

Frank picked up yet another win for Northwood in the circle, allowing a single run on four hits with five strikeouts and a walk in the seven innings. Katie Ross took the setback for FSU after giving up two runs on two hits with five K's and 10 walks in seven frames.

Ferris State will return to action with a league road twinbill at Saginaw Valley State on Saturday (March 31). First pitch has been moved up to 10 a.m. (ET) for game one due to expected weather with the second game starting at approximately 12 p.m. (ET).