Bulldogs Finish With League Road Split In High-Scoring Games At Purdue Northwest

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University softball squad hit the field on the road for the second consecutive day and came away with a split on Monday (April 12) against Purdue Northwest at Dowling Park in Hammond, Ind.

The Bulldogs broke the first game open with a big fourth inning en route to a 10-4 triumph in the opener before falling 11-10 in a tightly-contested nightcap in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) doubleheader.

In the opener, Ferris State scored once each in the second and the third innings to take a 2-0 lead and then increased the advantage to nine runs by scoring seven times in the fourth. From there, FSU held on down the stretch for the 10-4 victory, outhitting the Pride 15-8 for the game.

The trio of shortstop Kodi Ramirez along with first baseman Kaitlyn Orme and third baseman Amara Zukowski all had three hits each with both center fielder Paige Kortz and right fielder Kylie Winkels notching a pair of hits apiece. 

Kortz homered and drove in four runs for the Bulldogs while Ramirez had a pair of doubles and posted two RBI's in the victory. Abby Mitchell and Zukowski also both doubled as did Kortz.

FSU freshman Aryn Gallacher tossed all seven innings, giving up only three earned runs on eight hits with two strikeouts.

In game two, Ferris State fell behind 8-2 after five innings of action, but responded with three runs in the sixth and five more in the seventh to grab the lead. FSU held a 10-9 edge going into the bottom of the seventh, but the Pride managed two runs to earn the win and the split. The Bulldogs had 12 hits to 10 for PNW.

The Bulldogs were led at the plate in the finale by both Ramirez and Winkels, who knocked in three runs each. Both also had doubles in the game. Meanwhile, Kortz accounted for two RBI's and compiled three hits while both Mitchell and catcher Kaitlyn Fick had multi-hit games. Justice Ruggles also drove in a run and Zukowski scored three times as did second baseman Kacey Bouche.

The Bulldogs utilized three different pitchers in game two with Kristie Gray tossing three and two-thirds of an inning, giving up five runs on five hits. Kaitlyn Nugent tossed an inning of work, allowing three runs on three hits with Kylie Masko hurling two innings and giving up three runs on two hits with two strikeouts.

Ferris State will return home to host West Michigan rival Grand Valley State on Wednesday (April 14) at the FSU Softball Field. Game one is slated to start at 2:30 p.m. (ET) with game two to follow at approximately 4:30 p.m. (ET).