Softball Wins Pair To Open GLIAC Tournament

OVERVIEW – PARKSIDE / PURDUE NORTHWEST - GLIAC TOURNAMENT DAY ONE

SCORES: Northwood Timberwolves 3, Parkside Rangers 2/Northwood 3, Purdue Northwest 0

RECORDS: Northwood 28-12/Parkside 17-28/Purdue Northwest 14-26

LOCATION: Sandusky, Ohio – Sports Force Field 2

RECAP: Softball opens play at the GLIAC Tournament Friday afternoon (May 11) with a pair of wins, defeating Parkside 3-2 and Purdue Northwest 3-0.

PARKSIDE HIGHLIGHTS

• Northwood had plenty of chances to score early in the game but left six runners on base through four innings.
• Parkside also had chances in that stretch, but the score remained 0-0 into the fifth inning.
• The Rangers took advantage of Northwood mistakes to get on the board in the fifth. A walk, wild pitch and an error scored the first run of the game.
• Northwood responded in the bottom of the inning thanks to Grace Dutoi. Her two-run single to centerfield put the Timberwolves on top for the first time at 2-1.
• Parkside tied the game in the top of the sixth on a two-out single that made the score 2-2.
• The Timberwolves earned the walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh. After a single by Lauren Castellon and a walk by Julia Gross, Dutoi clinched the win with a double to right field to give the Timberwolves a 3-2 victory.

PARKSIDE STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Parkside 2/2/2, Northwood 3/5/1
• Runners left on base: Davenport 6, Northwood 8
• Winning Pitcher – Shayna Frank (18-6): 7 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 5 K
• Losing Pitcher – Allison Hausl (9-9): 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), 7 BB, 2 K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Dutoi: 2-3, 2B, 3 RBIs
• Castellon: 1-1, 2 BB, 2 R

PURDUE NORTHWEST HIGHLIGHTS

• Northwood took the lead in the opening inning on a Julia Gross sacrifice fly that scored Maddie Coulter
• The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth when senior Tara Gross came through in her first at-bat since April 7. Her pinch-hit two-run single brought home Mikayla Gronback and Delanie Grundman to make the score 3-0.
• That was all the runs senior pitcher Taylor Wright needed. She tossed her first shutout of the season, allowing three hits while striking out seven.

PURDUE NORTHWEST STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Northwood 3/7/1, Purdue Northwest 0/3/2
• Runners left on base: Northwood 7, Purdue Northwest 6
• Winning Pitcher – Taylor Wright (6-0): 7 IP, 3 H, BB, 7 K
• Losing Pitcher – Jessica Weaver (4-8): 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R (1 ER), BB, K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Dutoi 2-3, 3B
• Tara Gross: 1-1, 2 RBIs
• Julia Gross: RBI

UP NEXT

• Northwood, the number two seed in the tournament, will now play top-seeded Grand Valley State Wednesday (May 12) at Noon. The winner of that game will advance to the GLIAC Tournament championship round.