The Ferris State University softball team opened its participation at the Bearcat Classic in Illinois on Friday, splitting a pair of games. The Bulldogs secured a 10-3 win over Kentucky Wesleyan in their first game but saw their six-game winning streak end with a 7-0 loss to Indianapolis, ranked 11th nationally.
In the opener against Kentucky Wesleyan, Ferris State collected 10 hits and capitalized on five errors by their opponent. Right fielder Kennedy Wangler led the offense with three hits, while left fielder Breanna Blair contributed two hits and two runs batted in. Both players also recorded triples, and Sophia Helm added a double. “Along with Blair, Alexis Kozlowski had two RBI’s while Jayden Marlatt, Jadyn Joseph and Wangler all drove in a run.”
Ferris State scored once in the first inning and twice in the second to take an early lead. After Kentucky Wesleyan tied the game in the bottom of the second, Ferris State responded by scoring three runs in the fourth inning, one in the fifth, and three more in the seventh.
Pitcher Sally Leask threw four innings without allowing an earned run on three hits, striking out five and walking one. Addison Gillard pitched three scoreless innings in relief.
In their second game of the day, Ferris State was limited to just three hits by Indianapolis. Outfielder Ava Gardner had two of those hits, while Ella McDonald added another. Indianapolis tallied 13 hits and scored multiple runs across several innings to secure the shutout victory. Katie Shuboy pitched all seven innings for Ferris State.
The Bulldogs now hold an overall record of 8-6 this season. They are scheduled to play two more games at the Bearcat Classic on Saturday against Missouri-St. Louis and McKendree.
Ferris State’s women’s softball program competes in NCAA Division II as part of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and is based in Big Rapids, Michigan. The team participates in both conference and non-conference games throughout its season while supporting student-athletes’ academic pursuits alongside athletics (official website).
