Softball Makes It Nine Straight Wins After Taking Pair At Ferris State

OVERVIEW – FERRIS STATE

SCORES: Northwood Timberwolves 7, Ferris State Bulldogs 2/Northwood 6, Ferris State 2

RECORDS: Northwood 10-2, 2-0 GLIAC/Ferris State 7-5, 0-2 GLIAC

LOCATION: Big Rapids, Mich.

RECAP: Northwood softball makes it nine straight wins, opening Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play with a doubleheader sweep at Ferris State Wednesday afternoon (March 24), picking up wins by the score of 7-2 and 6-2.

GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS

• Northwood pieced together a run in the first inning, capped by Haley Frank scoring on a wild pitch to give NU a 1-0 lead.
• The Timberwolves scored two more in the third, starting with an RBI single by Julia Gross.
• NU made it 3-0 after a Bulldog error later in the third inning.
• FSU got a pair back in the fourth, making the score 3-2 after four innings.
• Northwood responded right away, getting runs on a wild pitch and an RBI groundout by Julia Gross to get the lead back to three at 5-2 in the fifth.
• A Ferris State passed ball in the sixth extended the Northwood lead to 6-2.
• Northwood added an insurance run in the sixth thanks to a Tara Gross RBI on a fielder's choice.
• That was all that starter Shayna Frank would need in picking up her seventh straight win. She struck out a career-high 14 in the win.

GAME 1 STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors Northwood: 7/8/0, Ferris State: 2/7/2
• Runners Left on Base: Northwood: 5, Ferris State: 5
• Winning Pitcher – Shayna Frank (7-1): 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, BB, 14 Ks
• Losing Pitcher – Kaitlyn Nugent (0-1): 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R (4 ER), 3 BB

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Haley Frank: 2-2, 2B, 3 R, 2 BB
• Julia Gross: 2 RBIs
• Mikayla Gronback: 2-4

GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS

• Northwood got on the board in the first inning once again, this time on a Julia Gross RBI single that scored sister Tara to make the score 1-0.
• Grace Dutoi made it 2-0 in the opening inning on a single to shortstop.
• Tara Gross extended the lead in the second inning on an RBI double, making the score 3-0.
• The score remained that way until the sixth when Julia Gross brought home two more with a double to push the Northwood advantage to 5-0.
• Dutoi made it a three-run sixth by bringing home Julia Gross with an RBI single to make the score 6-0.
• Down to their final strike in the bottom of the seventh, Ferris plated a pair of runs to make the final score 6-2.

GAME 2 STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors Northwood: 6/11/0, Ferris State: 2/7/1
• Runners Left on Base: Northwood: 8, Ferris State: 7
• Winning Pitcher – Taylor Wright (1-0): 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 Ks (season-debut)
• Losing Pitcher – Kristie Gray (1-3): 6 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 0 K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Julia Gross: 2-4, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBIs
• Dutoi: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBIs
• Tara Gross: 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
• Samantha Slick: 2-4, R

NORTHWOOD NOTES

• Northwood's nine-game winning streak is the longest for the program since the Timberwolves won 15 straight in the 2006 season.
• Ferris State struck out 19 times in the doubleheader. Northwood did not register one strikeout in either game.

UP NEXT

• The Timberwolves will host Grand Valley State Sunday (March 28) in their home opener. The doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m.