Softball Falls To Hillsdale, 3-2, In Game Two
The Ferris State University softball team had its three-game winning streak snapped this Saturday (April 30) in game two of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) doubleheader with Hillsdale as the Chargers claimed a 3-2 decision over the Bulldogs at HC's Williams Field in Hillsdale, Mich.
Ferris State, which drops to 19-21 overall and 16-12 in the GLIAC North Division this season to date, trailed throughout the nightcap as Hillsdale scored once in the first and twice in the third inning before the Bulldogs were able to get on the scoreboard.
The Chargers tallied the game's first score in the first on an unearned run due to a Bulldog fielding error. Freshman pitcher Amy Dunleavy (Canton) gained the starting assignment for Ferris State and took the loss despite throwing just to one batter in the top of the first inning before sophomore Emily Carlson (Wixom/Walled Lake Western) was called upon in relief of Dunleavy (6-11).
Dunleavy held Hillsdale at bay until the top of the third inning when Chargers' cleanup hitter Jessica Guertin smacked a two-run shot over the left field fence for her 11th roundtripper of this season. Carlson would go on to pitch 4.1 innings in relief while giving up five hits and fanning two before sophomore Dana Bowler (Lockport, Ill.) took over in the pitching circle and went the final 2.2 innings. Bowler scattered just one hit and struck out one in her relief performance.
The Bulldogs began to chip away at Hillsdale's three-run lead in the bottom of the third with their first run of the game. Sophomore second baseman Lainee Clay (Wheelersburg, Ohio) lead off with a walk and sophomore outfielder Morgan Kramerich (Crest Hill, Ill./Lockport) singled to left field. With two outs, junior first baseman Chelsea Morris (Jenison) singled to center field to score Clay and proceeded to second base while Kramerich advanced to third on the throw into the infield. However, FSU's scoring would end as junior outfielder Stephanie Dusendang (Comstock Park/Rockford) ended the inning by grounding out to second base.
Dusendang would help start a rally in the sixth inning as she lead off with a double to center field and went on to third ball as a result of a passed ball. A RBI sacrifice fly by senior shortstop Lynsay Weaver (Bay City/All Saints) would bring home Dusendang with Ferris State's second run of the game. Sophomore designated player Lindsey Pettit (Portland) followed with a single and eventually would wind up stranded on second base due to a wild pitch for the Bulldogs' last scoring opportunity.
Lindsey Pettit and Stephanie Dusendang paced Ferris State with two hits apiece as the Bulldogs were outhit 7-6 by the Chargers. Each team also left seven runners on base.
Ferris State will now get set to wrap up the 2011 regular season this Sunday (May 1) as the Bulldogs host the Northwood Timberwolves in a GLIAC North Division doubleheader at the FSU Varsity Softball Field in Big Rapids, Mich. First game is slated for a noon (EDT) start while the second game will be played at 2 p.m. (EDT). In between games, the inaugural FSU Home Run Derby will be held and is open to all participants with several prizes to be awarded.
Notes: Stephanie Dusendang posted her team third-best 11th multi-hit game this season with two hits in the nightcap. Dusendang also has reached base in 16 consecutive contests to date . . . Chelsea Morris' team-best and career-high 43 RBIs this campaign marks a three-way tie for third place among the program's all-time single-season leaders. Morris is now four RBIs away from moving into a second-place tie with Nadine Crowl's 47 RBI total in 1998.