Softball Splits Pair Versus Lake Superior State

MIDLAND, MICH. – The Northwood University softball team split a pair of games Wednesday afternoon (April 1) against Lake Superior State for the 2015 GLIAC home-opener. The Lakers defeated Northwood 7-1 before NU won game two 2-1 in nine innings.

The Timberwolves are now 6-15 overall, 3-3 in the GLIAC. LSSU is 6-15 on the year, 1-5 in the GLIAC.

In game one, the Lakers got on the board early plating seven runs in the first inning. Neither team was able to score until Northwood scored in the top of the fifth but eventually fell to the Lakers 7-1. The Timberwolves left ten runners on base compared to 11 for Lake Superior State.

Junior Jessica Tostrud (Kenosha, Wisc. / Mary D. Bradford) was the lone Timberwolf to get two hits in the game, going 2-3.

Defense was the story of game two, as neither team was able to plate a run through four complete innings. LSSU hit a homerun in the top of the fifth before freshman Sydni Pauley (Wyandotte, Mich.) responded with a solo homer for her first career hit. The score remained that way until the bottom of the ninth inning, when Courtney Wensley (Dearborn, Mich.) hit her first career homerun in the form of a solo walk-off homer to earn the win.

Vanessa Ewing (Maybee, Mich. / Dundee) had a career day in the circle, pitching an astounding career-high 17 strikeouts against 35 batters in game two. Ewing is now 5-3 on the season after going the distance and pitching all nine innings for the Timberwolves. Wensley finished 2-4 with a homerun and a double, while Tostrud also went 2-4 in the contest.

Northwood will travel to Ohio this weekend, playing at Malone at 3:30 p.m. on Friday (April 3) and at Walsh on Saturday (April 4) with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.