Softball Splits Pair Against Ferris State

MIDLAND, MICH. - The Northwood University softball team split pair against Ferris State Wednesday afternoon (April 9). The Timberwolves earned a 7-3 victory before falling to the Bulldogs 9-8 in a dramatic comeback win.

NU is now 16-10 overall, 7-3 in the GLIAC. Ferris State holds an 8-9 record on the season, 3-3 in the GLIAC.

After falling behind 1-0 going into the bottom of the first inning, the Timberwolves were able to load the bases and earn a walk to tie the game 1-1. The score remained tied until the bottom of the third, when Jessica Tostrud    (Kenosha, Wisc. / Mary D. Bradford) singled to right field for her first RBI of the day. The Bulldogs quickly recovered, plating a run of their own in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2. After Ferris State claimed a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth, Northwood answered in the bottom of the inning with the first career homer by Tostrud scoring two runs. Later, Hayley D'Avilar (Georgetown, ON / Christ the King) doubled to left center scoring Natalie Lampman (Madison Heights, Mich. / Bishop Foley) for a 5-3 advantage. NU solidified the win with two runs in the bottom of the sixth on a Lauren Look (Pinconning, Mich. / Cleveland State) single through the right side – scoring both Sam Zaborowski (Taylor, Mich. / Cabrini) and Lindsay Obremski (DuBois, Pa. / Dubois Area). Casey Brown (Hudson, Ohio / Hudson), Vanessa Ewing (Dundee, Mich. / Dundee) and Kayla Gust (Port Hope, Mich. / Port Hope) contributed in the pitching efforts with Gust earning her first win on the season. Brown totaled nine strikeouts against 19 batters before Ewing stuck out four against 10 batters. Tostrud finished with three RBI's on 3-4 hitting, including a homerun. Look also tallied three RBI's on the day, as Lampman and D'Avilar each recorded a double in the win. Obremski went 2-4 and Zaborowski hit 1-2, each with one run scored.

Northwood continued their scoring power in the start of the second game, scoring two runs in the top of the first and another two runs in the top of the third for a 4-0 lead heading to the bottom of the third inning. With two runners on, the Bulldogs intentionally walked Zaborowski to fill the bases. Tostrud drew a walk to score a run before Andria Gietl (Plymouth, Mich. / Ladywood) hit a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Stacey Klonowski (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth). Northwood's starting pitcher Maddison Sebald (Bay City, Mich. / Bay City Western) faced just three batters in each of the first two innings, allowing for Northwood to extend the lead in the bottom of the third on another Tostrud and D'Avilar RBI. The Bulldogs plated the first run of the game in the bottom of the third before Tostrud answered back with an RBI single in the top of the fourth, scoring Ashley Lynn (Garden City, Mich. / Garden City) and extending the lead 5-1. Ferris State cut the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI double and three-run homerun to once again tie the game at 5-5. Freshman outfielder, D'Avilar, sparked the Timberwolves with a solo homerun in the top of the fifth. Later in the inning, Obremski doubled to left center scoring both Klonowski and Lynn for an 8-5 lead. Brown pitched three straight outs in the fifth and it looked as though NU had sealed the game. A dramatic base-clearing triple in the bottom of the sixth scored three runs for the Bulldogs to tie the game at 8-8 going into the seventh. Ferris State was able to produce a run in the bottom seventh for a dramatic 9-8 victory. Pitching for the Timberwolves was the trio of Sebald, Brown and Gust. Sebald is now 8-4 on the season with the loss, after pitching three total innings. For the game, D'Avilar hit her first homerun at Northwood while recording two RBI's on 2-4 batting. Klonowski tallied a double and scored two runs, while Obremski also earned a double and recorded two RBI's. Tostrud hit 2-3 in the game and recorded three additional RBI's for a total of six on the day. Lynn crossed the plate three times for the Timberwolves.

Northwood will go on the road this weekend, traveling to Hillsdale on Saturday (April 12). First pitch is set for 1 p.m. The Timberwolves will then head to Findlay, Ohio for a Sunday (April 13) game against the Oilers with scheduled start at noon.