After sweeping the Wayne State Warriors on Sunday, the Ferris State softball team will travel south to face the Grand Valley State Lakers and the Purdue Northwest Pride.
The Bulldogs took down the Warriors by scores of 9-3 and 8-1. Junior outfielder Emma Gillard stepped up in game one, going 2-2, hitting two two-run home runs in the game and adding a walk. While in the second game, freshman infielder Ava Gardner kept up her hot streak, going 4-4 on the day with a two-run home run and an RBI single.
Gardner spoke about her performance in these last few weeks.
“I contribute all of my success to the Lord,” Gardner said. “He has guided me through the good and the bad times and I will continue to rely on him for strength. Along with this, my coaches here at Ferris and in past, along with my parents, have really pushed me to be the best player and person I can possibly be on and off the field.”
While in game two, junior pitcher Cecelia Bell started the game for the Bulldogs. Bell pitched seven innings, only allowing five hits and one run, coming on a solo home run, while also adding three strikeouts.
Head coach Jake Schumann spoke about returning home to Big Rapids.
“We are so grateful that we have the fan base that we have,” Schumann said. “Returning home to our amazing parents and the community members who have adopted our team will be a great opportunity to showcase our talented squad. We are definitely looking forward to that opportunity.”
Ferris State softball (16-11, 2-0 in GLIAC) will travel to take on Purdue Northwest (15-9, 1-1 in GLIAC) for the first two matchups of the weekend.
The last five seasons between these teams have been evenly matched, with the Pride holding a 12-10 record against the Bulldogs. Last season, the two teams split the season series, going 2-2.
Purdue Northwest has had a strong 10-game stretch coming into the matchup, going 7-3 in their last 10 games. In those 10 games, the Pride averaged 6.6 runs a game, while only allowing 3.2 runs a game.
The Pride’s offense is led by freshman infielder Gracie Jensen, who has a team-leading .406 average, a 1.047 OPS, eight extra base hits and one home run, while knocking in a GLIAC-leading 23 RBIs this season.
While the Bulldogs’ offense has plenty of contributors, one standout player is Gardner. Gardner has a team leading five home runs, 23 RBIs, eight extra base hits, while sporting a .405 average and a 1.156 OPS.
The Bulldogs will then travel north to Allendale to take on the Grand Valley State Lakers (10-12, 1-1 in GLIAC).
The Lakers have historically played the Bulldogs tough, holding a record of 47-22 against the Bulldogs spanning back to 2003. Last season, Ferris went 3-2 against Grand Valley before losing to them in the GLIAC tournament by a score of 3-1.
Grand Valley has one of the better pitching staffs in the GLIAC, holding a team ERA of 2.50 and a 1.32 WHIP, with the standout pitcher in the rotation being sophomore Karli Dorr. Dorr has started seven games for the Lakers, with a 2.00 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, striking out 45 while walking just 12.
Ferris has a strong pitching staff, being led by freshman Katie Shuboy. Shuboy has started 10 games and pitched 55.1 innings, while having a 3.16 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP and striking out 36 while walking 22 batters.
The Ferris State Bulldogs softball team will take on the Purdue Northwest Pride on Saturday, March 28 for two games. Before heading north the following day to take on the Grand Valley State Lakers for another two games.