Ferris State Softball Wraps Up Charger Chillout With First Victory Of Season In Sunday Split

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University softball team wrapped up action in the Charger Chillout hosted by the University of Alabama-Huntsville on Sunday (Feb. 8) with a non-league split while picking up its first victory of the campaign in Huntsville, Ala.

The Bulldogs battled nationally 21st-ranked Indianapolis in regional action before falling by a 9-7 score, but rebounded to top Miles College by a 6-3 score in the final game of the three-day event. The victory was FSU's first and came in the Bulldogs' sixth contest of the season-opening tournament.

In the morning matchup against Indianapolis, the nationally-ranked Greyhounds struck first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the opening frame. FSU managed to tie the game back up with two runs in the top of the third, but UIndy answered with a single run in the last half of the inning and then came back with four more in the fourth and two in the fifth to grab a 9-2 lead.

Ferris State rallied by scoring five runs in the top half of the seventh, but the Bulldogs could not come up with the final two runs to knot up the game as the Greyhounds preserved the win.

In the contest, the Bulldogs received two hits from junior outfielder Taylor Verbic and she also scored twice for FSU. FSU also had hits from Rachael Gabrielson, Sarah Johnson, Bailey Darwin, Casey Bias, Megan Vanderwal and Alyssa Smith. The totals included a double from Gabrielson along with the first homer of the season for Bias.

Senior Cara DeLange tossed three and one-third innings of action while allowing five runs on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Meanwhile, Vanderwal pitched two and two-thirds frames with four runs allowed on seven hits. She also walked one.

In addition to the performance at the plate, Verbic recorded two stolen bases for FSU in the opener. The Bulldogs were outhit slightly by a 11-8 count and both teams recorded four errors in the field. Overall, FSU left 11 runners on base. The Greyhounds had six extra base hits, including a triple in the victory at the Sportsplex.

Ferris State bounced back from the setback against Indianapolis, though, to beat Miles College by a 6-3 score in wrapping up the tournament. Johnson tripled in the opening inning and scored on a wild pitch as the Bulldogs struck early in the first frame.

FSU's Kayti Carlson notched her first home run in the nightcap with a two-run shot as the Bulldogs added to their advantage. Miles eventually tied the game back up, but the Bulldogs pushed a run across in the top half of the second to regain the lead.

In the fifth inning, Carlson led off with a double to right center and eventually scored on an error. Darwin and Verbic both followed soon after with singles as Bias scored to give FSU the 6-3 advantage and the score stood the rest of the way as FSU earned the victory.

No further statistical information from game two is yet available.

With the Charger Chillout now complete, FSU will next play a twinbill on the road against Union on Monday (Feb. 9) in Tennessee before visiting Bellarmine (Ky.) on Tuesday (Feb. 10) to conclude the season-opening trip.

Overall, the Bulldogs will have played a total of 10 games in the states of Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky by the time they return home this week.