Following a weekend of wins where Bulldog softball finished 4-0, Ferris goes on the road to take on the Grand Valley State Lakers and Purdue-Northwest.
The Bulldogs (19-11, 8-6 in GLIAC) won their first two games of the rivalry against Grand Valley (16-20, 7-7 in GLIAC) by a score of 5-4 in the first game and 3-1 in the second outing of the doubleheader.
Valley. Photo by: Abe Kraus | Torch Photographer
The matchup marked the fourth game in a 12-game homestand for Ferris.
Head coach Jake Schumann highlighted the keys in attempting to sweep the season series against Grand Valley.
“We got to take care of business at home first against Davenport but then go down to Grand Valley and just do what we were doing,” Schumann said. “We had a great offense, timely hitting, [we] pitched well and played solid defense. You can’t give any team in the GLIAC breathing room by making mistakes, so just playing sound softball is the key.”
The trip to Allendale starts a six-game road trip spanning through next week. The Bulldogs are just 2-4 in away games this season. During the trip, the Bulldogs also take on Purdue Northwest and the Northwood Timberwolves.
Sophomore first baseman Alexis Kozlowski likes to treat away games the same as she would a home matchup.
“They’re just as important as home games,” Kozlowski said. “Every game in the GLIAC counts, so we just have to make sure to stay on our games, stay doing what we know, and win.”
Kozlowski leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 25 RBIs, which is sixth overall in the GLIAC. She also sports a .326 batting average and a .961 on-base plus slugging percentage. Alongside her 25 RBIs, she has earned three home runs and four triples.
Ferris has enacted a balanced pitching attack, but junior pitcher Catherine O’Donohue leads the Bulldogs with a 7-2 record across 52.2 innings pitched. O’Donohue sits 11th in the conference with a 3.46 ERA. The pitcher has given up just 48 hits, the second-fewest in the GLIAC and 27 runs, the least in the conference. Overall, Ferris’ pitching staff ranks fourth in the GLIAC with a team-collective 3.52 ERA and just 117 runs given up.
For Grand Valley, freshman outfielder Madelynn Pope has earned a .353 batting average and a .578 slugging percentage. Pope has secured 19 RBIs and one homerun, alongside seven triples.
Freshman pitcher Karli Dorr leads her squad with a 2.53 ERA, which is third in the conference. Dorr is 7-6 in her 13 starts and has pitched 85.2 innings, giving up 50 runs on 96 hits while being third in the conference in strikeouts with 87. Overall, Grand Valley is second in the conference with a 3.12 combined ERA.
Senior third baseman Brooklyn Verbeek treats the rivalry just like any other game.
“I think we treat every game the same,” Verbeek said. “But the energy will be there for sure since it is Grand Valley.”
Ferris State will play their doubleheader against Grand Valley in Allendale on Saturday, April 12, with game one starting at 1 p.m. and game two, starting at 3 p.m. before heading to Purdue Northwest to play a doubleheader the next day.