Softball Splits With Wayne State In Home Finale

OVERVIEW – WAYNE STATE

SCORES: Northwood Timberwolves 9, Wayne State Warriors 1 (6 Innings); Wayne State 6 , Northwood 2

RECORDS: Northwood 23-18 (11-13 GLIAC); Wayne State 24-21 (9-15 GLIAC)

LOCATION: Fisher Stadium – Midland, Mich.

RECAP: Northwood split a two-game GLIAC set against Wayne State Friday (April 27), earning a six-inning 9-1 mercy victory in the first contest behind Sydni Pauley's three-hit day. The Timberwolves dropped the second contest by a score of 6-2 and had their five-game winning streak snapped.

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

• Wayne State struck first in the top of the second. A lead-off single and sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second with two outs, a single up the middle plated the game's opening run and gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom half of the frame.
• With two outs and a runner at third, the visitors nearly extended their lead in the third. On a ball heading for right field, Tara Gross dove to her left and made a timely throw to first for the third out. Her sparkling play kept the deficit at one going into the bottom of the third.
• Northwood drew even in the fourth. Sydni Pauley and Torriya Gray-Baker lead off with base hits to put runners at first and third with zero outs. Abby Joseph plated Pauley a sacrifice fly to tie the game at one after four innings of play.
• The Timberwolves took their first lead of the day in the fifth. Julia Gross reached on an error and Pauley singled to put runners at first and second with two outs. Gray-Baker capitalized on the opportunity, lining a double off the top of the left field wall to score both and give Northwood a 3-1 lead.
• Not to be outdone, Joseph capped the inning off with a two-run homer to right, extending the edge to four going into the sixth.
• NU added some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Julia and Tara Gross singled to lead off the inning to put runners at first and second with zero out. The table was set for Pauley, who cranked a three-run homer to dead center field, making the lead seven for Northwood.
• The Timberwolves ended the game in the sixth via a mercy rule. Gray-Baker walked and Sydni Culps singled to put runners at first and second with two out. Karli Godlewski singled to score Gray-Baker, giving Northwood the early victory in six innings.

GAME ONE STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors – Northwood: 9/12/0, Wayne State: 1/6/3
• Runners Left on Base – Northwood: 6, Wayne State: 6
• Winning Pitcher – Makenzie Norton (8-3): 6 IP, 6H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 K, 1 BB
• Losing Pitcher – Megan Guitar (15-8): 5.2 IP, 12 H, 9 R (4 ER), 10 K, 1 BB

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• S. Pauley: 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI
• A. Joseph: 2-3, Sac Fly, HR, 1 R, 3 RBI
• T. Gray-Baker: 2-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB
• S. Culps: 3-4, 2B

NORTHWOOD NOTES

• Makenzie Norton has won the last five games for Northwood, pitching at least six innings in three of those games.

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

• Wayne State struck drew first blood again in the opening inning. A one-out single and fielder's choice moved the runner to second with two outs. A single to center brought scored the game's first run and made it 1-0 going into the bottom of the frame.
• The Warriors extended their lead in the fifth. A lead-off double and sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third with one out. A single to right followed and extended WSU's edge to 2-0.
• Later in the fifth, a double to left-center followed and put runners at second and third with one out. Another RBI single to right plated both runners and doubled Wayne State's lead to four going into the bottom of the frame.
• Northwood cut into the deficit by putting together a two-out rally. Julia Gross, Meghan Franz, and Pauley each reached base on singles. Gray-Baker drove two of them home with a single up the middle and trimmed the edge down to 4-2 going into the sixth.
• The Warriors added some insurance runs in the top of the seventh. A bunt single and double put runners at second and third with one out. A sacrifice fly and single up the middle restored the four-run cushion. That would be all Wayne State needed as the Timberwolves could not provide an answer in their half of the seventh.

GAME TWO STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors – Northwood: 2/10/0, Wayne State: 6/12/1
• Runners Left on Base – Northwood: 9, Wayne State: 7
• Winning Pitcher – Bryanna Kressler (5-7): 7 IP, 10 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 K, 1 BB
• Losing Pitcher – Marissa Tiano (1-5): 5.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R (4 ER), 1 K, 1 BB

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• T. Gray-Baker: 1-4, 2 RBI
• S. Pauley: 3-4
• M. Franz: 2-3, SAC, 1 R
• J. Gross: 1-3, 1 R

NORTHWOOD NOTES

• Sydni Pauley collected her fifth three-hit game in her last seven. She's driven in seven runs over that stretch.

UP NEXT

• Northwood will travel to Tiffin on Saturday (April 28) for a doubleheader against the Dragons, marking the beginning of a four-game series. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.