Softball Earns Series Split With Findlay, Taking Game Two 11-3 In Six Innings

OVERVIEW – Findlay

SCORES: Northwood 3, Findlay 4/ Northwood 11, Findlay 3

RECORDS: Northwood (15-11, 5-3 G-MAC), Findlay (18-8, 5-3 G-MAC)

LOCATION: Fisher Stadium – Midland, Mich.

RECAP: Northwood softball earned a series split of Findlay Thursday afternoon (March 28). Game one was tight as the Oilers found the edge for a 4-3 win. In game two, the Timberwolves capitalized on opportunities at the plate to get an 11-3 win in six innings.

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

• Findlay's three-run shot to right in the opening inning put Northwood in a 3-0 hole early.
• In the Northwood half of the first, Abby Robinson gave Northwood the quick answer. Robinson slugged a two-run homer to center to bring NU within one, 3-2 UF. This was her second homer of the season.
• Brynn Polega settled in limiting the Findlay scoring until Northwood could tie it in the third. Ashlyn Lundquist led off with a double past the center fielder before Ashley Ziel drove her in with a single to left center, 3-3.
• A Findlay solo shot in the fifth proved to be the difference maker. Northwood went down in order over their final three innings, 4-3 UF.

GAME ONE STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Northwood 3/6/1, Findlay 4/5/1
• Runners left on base: Northwood 5, Findlay 6
• Winning Pitcher – Kayla Dykin (8-1) 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 K
• Losing Pitcher – Brynn Polega (8-3) 4.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 3 K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Robinson:1-3, HR, 2 RBI, R
• Ziel: 1-2, RBI, BB, R'
• Lundquist: 2-4, 2B, R
• Saylar Cuthrell: 2B

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

• Findlay took the game's first game on a throwing error to an advancing runner at third that got away. The runner scored from second in the second inning, 1-0 UF.
• Northwood answered right back in their half of the second. Gianna Fantin singled home Delanie Gale from second, 1-1. Gale reached on the innings lead-off walk.
• The team went back and forth, as an Oilers singled home a run of their own in the third, 2-1 UF.
• Ziel's second homer of the season tied it right back up at 2-2 in their half of the third. This was Ziel's 16^th homer of her career, putting her in a tie for sixth all-time in Northwood history.
• A Findlay solo shot in the fourth gave them a 3-2 lead. \
• Northwood did not let another one-run lead go unanswered. Gabby Schloop led off the NU fifth with a walk. She came around to tie it on a single back up the middle from Gale, 3-3.
• The Timberwolves' fifth kept going as Gage Lambert's bloop single to left gave them a 4-3 lead and loaded the bases, 4-3 NU.
• Gianna Fantin capped the fifth inning with a bang, slugging her first career home run to right on a 3-2 pitch with bases loaded. Her grand slam broke the game wide open, giving Northwood the 8-3 lead.
• In the sixth, Northwood capitalized on two defensive miscues, scoring three more to finish the game. A dropped fly in center let Lundquist score and a fielding error at second let Gale score, putting Northwood up 10-3 and one run away from the run-rule.
• Chloe Cooper walked it off in the sixth with a single up the middle to score pinch-runner Payton Schafsnitz, 11-3 NU.

GAME TWO STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Northwood 11/9/3, Findlay 3/7/3
• Runners left on base: Northwood 6, Findlay 8
• Winning Pitcher – Kamden Binney (5-3) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB
• Losing Pitcher – Emma Jones (6-4) 5 IP, 3 H, 5 R (5 ER) 3 BB, 2 K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Fantin: 2-4, HR, 6 RBI, R
• Ziel: 1-4, HR, RBI, R
• Gale: 2-2, 2B, RBI, BB, 3 R
• Cooper: 2-2 RBI, BB
• Lambert: RBI, R

UP NEXT

• Northwood softball is back in Midland Wednesday (April 2) to take on Grand Valley St. at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.