Ferris State Advances In GLIAC Tourney With First-Round Win

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University softball team ran its winning streak to nine consecutive games by picking up a 2-0 win over Tiffin in the opening round of the 2013 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament on Friday (May 3) afternoon at Findlay, Ohio.

The second-seeded Bulldogs moved into the winner's bracket of the double-elimination league tournament by topping the seventh-seeded Dragons in round one. With the win, the Bulldogs will next face Ashland later Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. (ET).

The conference tournament includes the top eight finishers from league regular-season action and is being contested at Marathon Diamond Fields in Findlay.  The tournament runs until Sunday (May 5) with the league's tournament champion receiving an automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Tournament next week.

Senior pitcher Dana Bowler tossed a one-hit shutout for the Bulldogs while notching her 13th consecutive victory in the Bulldog win. She ran her shutout streak to six consecutive games and has not allowed a run in a school-record 48 consecutive innings and counting.

Bowler had only a pair of strikeouts and a single walk in the seven-inning win for the Bulldogs, but was aided by strong defensive play from her teammates.

Freshman Alyssa Smith led the Bulldogs with a pair of hits, including a double, while seniors Lainee Clay and Liz Hamming each had an RBI for the Bulldogs.  Senior Lindsey Pettit also had a hit as FSU totaled five in the game.

FSU struck first in the bottom of the second inning on Hamming's RBI sinlge to right center, which scored Amy Dunleavy.  Then, in the fifth, the Bulldogs added an insurance run when Smith doubled down the left field line and eventually scored on Clay's RBI single to left center.

From there, Bowler shut down the Dragons as they went three up, three down the rest of the way.  Overall, it was her school-record 13th shutout win of the year.

Bowler improved to 21-6 overall in the circle this season with the win for the Bulldogs, who are now 29-12 overall this campaign.  FSu entered the league tournament ranked seventh in the NCAA Midwest Regional Rankings and the top eight teams will move on to the national tournament when the official bids are announced on Monday.

The Bulldogs will meet Ashland for the third time this season in round two as the third-seeded Eagles scored a 5-4 comeback win over sixth-seeded Wayne State.  AU swept FSU earlier this season in league regular-season play at Ashland, Ohio, by scores of 6-5 and 11-1 on March 23.

In addition to winning its last nine games overall, the Bulldogs have currently won 12 of their last 13 contests this season under first-year head coach Marie Foster.