Softball Earns Sweep Over Malone

MIDLAND, MICH. – The Northwood University softball team earns sweep over Malone on Saturday afternoon (April 16). NU won a close 3-2 game one before downing the Pioneers 10-2 in five innings of game two.

The Timberwolves are now 14-16 on the year, 5-9 in the GLIAC. MU falls to 12-21 overall, 3-16 in the GLIAC.

Trailing 1-0 going into the second and bases loaded, NU got on the board on an Ashley Lynn (Garden City, Mich.) RBI to tie the game 1-1. Northwood then plated runs in the fifth and sixth for a 3-1 lead going into the seventh. The Pioneers loaded the bases with two outs and NU held MU to just one run for the 3-2 win.

Vanessa Ewing (Maybee, Mich./Dundee) picked up the complete game win with six strikeouts and just a single earned run against 33 batters. NU out-hit MU 11-5 and left just three runners on base. Andria Gietl (Plymouth, Mich. / Ladywood) finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Lauren Look (Pinconning, Mich. / Pinconning (Cleveland State) and Brooke Wauters (St. Clare Shores, Mich./Lakeshore) each went 2-3.

In game two, Northwood plated three in the second highlighted by a Hayley D'Avilar (Georgetown, Ont./Christ the King Catholic Secondary) triple and Lynn double. After Malone got on the board in the bottom of the inning, the Timberwolves responded with four more runs in the third. With two outs, D'Avilar got to second on a shot off the fence in left center before Look walked to put a pair of runners on base. Riley Ostapowicz (Grand Rapids, Mich. / West Catholic) stepped to the plate to hit her first homerun of the season. In the fourth, Lynn's double was followed by Gietl's double to score Lynn and take an 8-1 lead. The Pioneers plated one in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-2. Lynn then scored two more runs on a single to left center for her fourth RBI of the game. The Timberwolves held MU scoreless throughout the bottom of the inning for a 10-2 five-inning win.

For the game, Lynn finished 3-3 with two doubles and four RBI's. D'Avilar went 2-2 with a triple and a double to go along with an RBI, while Ostapowicz hit a homerun and registered four RBI's. Casey Brown (Hudson, Ohio / Hudson) earns the win in the circle with four strikeouts in three innings pitched. Brown is now 5-1 on the year.

The Timberwolves are set to host Walsh on Sunday (April 17). The doubleheader is scheduled to start at Noon.