Lake Erie Box
WV Wesleyan Box
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Northern State University Wolves opened a 12-game stretch at the annual Rebel Spring Games with a pair of losses Friday afternoon, falling by final counts of 6-3 to Lake Erie College and 10-2 to West Virginia Wesleyan at the Osceola County Sports Complex.
With those losses, the Wolves are now 1-5 on the season heading into Saturday's twinbill.
In Friday's Game 1, sophomore pitcher Kelli Bornander took a 1-hitter into the fifth inning before the Storm let loose for a trio of 2-out runs. LEC put runners on first and second with one out, then pulled off a double steal to put both runners in scoring position. Bornander, however, induced lead-off hitter Lindsey Pernell into a pop-fly out to inch one step closer to pitching her way out of the jam.
LEC's Chelsey Bleck and Megan Foley, however, broke up the shutout with back-to-back doubles to stake the Storm to the 3-0 lead.
The Wolves got two of those runs back in their half of the sixth inning. After managing just one base runner through the previous five innings, the Wolves immediately took a walk from freshman pinch hitter Brittany Lenander to lead off the sixth stanza. NSU then took advantage of a pair of LEC errors and a walk to load the bases.
Following an LEC pitching change, sophomore third baseman Whitney Luhring stepped up and punched a 1-2 pitch back up the middle to score both Lenander and
Ashley Gabler with two outs, cutting the deficit to just one run at 3-2.
The Storm, however, added three more insurance runs in the top of the seventh, including a 2-run home run off the bat of shortstop Erica Tanski.
NSU answered with their third and final run in the bottom of the seventh on Kelly Suggs' pinch-hit RBI single with two outs, but the Wolves would get no closer.
Bornander went the distance on the mound for the Wolves, absorbing the loss to fall to 1-3 on the season. LEC's Pam Bykowski escaped with the win, while Lauren Malicki picked up the save for the Storm.
In Game 2, the Wolves kept WVWC close early, holding on to a 1-1 tie through the first two innings before the Bobcats exploded for five runs in the third. WVWC added an unearned run in the fourth and three more in the bottom of the fifth before the game was called by run-rule.
NSU junior Michelle Ruby gave the Wolves some life in the top of the fourth inning with her first home run of the season. Ruby took an 0-2 pitch and parked it over the fence in center field to lead off the inning.
NSU's lefthander, Suggs, took the loss on the mound for the Wolves, her first decision of the season.
The Wolves are back on the field on Saturday, facing off against Indiana (Pa.) and St. Xavier. First pitches are slated for 3 and 5 p.m. (EST), respectively.
