Grand Rapids Reporter

The Ferris State University softball team secured a road split against Grand Valley State University in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match in Allendale. The Bulldogs won the first game 7-4 in eight innings but fell short 3-2 in the second game.

The Bulldogs completed the regular season by winning three of four games against GVSU. Earlier this month, they achieved their first doubleheader sweep of the Lakers since 2010.

In the opening game, Ferris State gathered 10 hits and broke a 4-4 tie by scoring three runs in the top of the eighth inning. FSU initially took the lead in the third inning and moved ahead 4-3 in the seventh, but the Lakers leveled the score to force extra innings.

Key performances in the first game included multi-hit contributions from Jadyn Joseph, Alexis Kozlowski, Brooklyn Verbeek, and Breanna Blair. Both Emma Gillard and Blair hit a double, with Gillard driving in three runs.

The pitching trio of Catherine O'Donohue, Ella Covill-Marter, and Cecilia Bell limited the Lakers to four earned runs on four hits. Bell earned a save by pitching one and two-thirds scoreless innings, allowing two hits and achieving a strikeout.

In the second game, the Bulldogs scored first in the third inning and tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth after GVSU took the lead. The Lakers scored again in the fifth inning and maintained their lead to win the game. Ferris State recorded seven hits against the Lakers' six.

For the Bulldogs, Bailey McCalister had two hits and a double in the second game. Emily Killion and Verbeek also contributed an RBI each.

Cecilia Bell pitched all six innings in the nightcap, allowing one earned run on six hits with two strikeouts for FSU.

Ferris State stands at 20-12 overall and 9-7 in conference play. Their next match is a league doubleheader against Purdue Northwest on Sunday in Hammond, Indiana.