Ferris State Opens Twinbill With 5-2 Win

A four-run third inning and a solid pitching performance was all the Ferris State University softball team needed to claim a 5-2 victory over Lake Superior State this Saturday (April 2) in game one of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division doubleheader which was played at Rockford (Mich.) High School's Varsity Field.

Ferris State jumped out to a productive start by tallying all of its runs in the first three innings while sophomore pitcher Dana Bowler (Lockport, Ill.) limited Lake Superior State to only two hits and no earned runs in seven innings while striking out seven Lakers. 

The Bulldogs improve to 7-12 overall and 4-3 in the GLIAC North Division action while Lake Superior State fell to 3-11 and 0-7 in conference play.

Ferris State plated the game's first run in the bottom of the second inning when sophomore second baseman Lainee Clay (Wheelersburg, Ohio) delivered a RBI double to left field which scored senior catcher Rachel Mueller (Milford/Santa Clarita, Calif. Valencia), who had reached base on an one-out walk.

In the third inning, the Bulldogs erupted for four more runs on six base hits to claim a 5-0 advantage.  Senior right fielder Colleen Roney (Wheaton, Ill./Glen Ellyn Glenbard South) and junior third baseman Makenzi Peterson (Big Rapids) led off with a walk and a single, respectively.  Junior first baseman Chelsea Morris (Jenison) then knocked Roney in with a double to right field before junior left fielder Stephanie Dusendang (Comstock Park/Rockford) hit a RBI single through the left side of the Lakers' infield to score Peterson.  Rachel Mueller's single loaded the bases and FSU seized the opportunity as junior designated player Allison Webber (Frankfort) had an infield run-scoring single.  Lainee Clay would pick up her second RBI of the contest by hitting a short roller to the pitching circle for the the Bulldogs' fourth score of the frame. 

Lake Superior State registered both of its unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning on back-to-back Ferris State errors which netted the initial score and a Bowler wild pitch allowed a second Lakers' runner to cross home plate.  However, Bowler was successful in retiring the next LSSU batter on a foul popup to third baseman Makenzi Peterson for the third out.

The Bulldogs accumulated 12 hits in the game with Makenzi Peterson, Lainee Clay, Chelsea Morris, and Stephanie Dusendang all collecting at least two hits each.  Peterson's three hits in four at bats paced Ferris State, which would strand 10 runners on base for the game.