Softball Goes 1-1 At GLIAC Tournament To Advance To Finals

OVERVIEW – #13 GRAND VALLEY STATE / PURDUE NORTHWEST - GLIAC TOURNAMENT DAY TWO

SCORES: Grand Valley State Lakers 11, Northwood Timberwolves 1 (5 Innings)/Northwood 5, Purdue Northwest 2

RECORDS: Northwood 29-13/Grand Valley State 40-7/Purdue Northwest 17-26

LOCATION: Sandusky, Ohio – Sports Force Field 2

RECAP: Softball advances to the finals of the GLIAC Tournament Wednesday afternoon (May 12) by going 1-1, falling 11-1 in game one to No. 13 Grand Valley State before defeating Purdue Northwest 5-3.

GRAND VALLEY STATE HIGHLIGHTS

• Northwood had a runner in scoring position in the first inning with one out and runners on first and third with two outs but were unable to score.
• GVSU wasted no time in the bottom of the inning, hitting a triple on the first pitch of the game on their way to plating four runs in the opening frame.
• The Timberwolves got one back in the top of the second on an Emily Mankel RIB groundout to score Samantha Slick.
• The Lakers came back with another big inning to put the game away, scoring seven runs on five hits to make the score 11-1.
• Neither team scored the remainder of the way, giving the Lakers the win.

GRAND VALLEY STATE STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Grand Valley State 11/9/1, Northwood 1/4/1
• Runners left on base: Grand Valley State 2, Northwood 6
• Winning Pitcher – Hannah Beatus (20-1): 5 IP, 4 H, R, BB, 4 K
• Losing Pitcher – Shayna Frank (18-7): IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2 BB, K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Maddie Coulter: 2-2, 3B, BB
• Slick: 1-2, 2B, R
• Mankel: RBI

PURDUE NORTHWEST HIGHLIGHTS

• Northwood got a single and a pair of walks in the bottom of the first inning and scored the first run of the game on a Delanie Grundman RBI fielder's choice to score Coulter.
• The Pride fought back to take the lead in the top of the third without the ball leaving the infield. After a pair of infield singles, the Timberwolves committed errors on consecutive plays. PNW eventually scored a pair of runs to go up 2-1.
• Northwood responded in the bottom of the inning, tying the game on a Grace Dutoi RBI single.
• Slick then came up big with two outs in the inning, scoring a pair with a single to make the score 4-2 after three innings.
• The Timberwolves added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth on a Lauren Castellon RBI single to push the NU lead to 5-2.
• The Pride scored one in the final inning before Northwood closed out the win.

PURDUE NORTHWEST STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Northwood 5/7/2, Purdue Northwest 3/8/1
• Runners left on base: Northwood 6, Purdue Northwest 7
• Winning Pitcher – Taylor Wright (7-0): 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, R, BB, K
• Losing Pitcher – Abbe May (2-2): 1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER)

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Dutoi 2-2, 2B, R, RBI
• Slick: 1-3, 2 RBIs
• Castellon: RBI
• Coulter: H, R, BB

UP NEXT

• Northwood, the number two seed in the tournament, will now play top-seeded GVSU in the finals of the event Thursday (May 13). First pitch is set for 10 a.m. The Timberwolves will need to win two games against the Lakers to take the title.