Clermont, Fla. – The Northern State University softball team went 1-1 on their first day from Clermont. The Wolves fell to Lake Erie College, 9-1 in six innings to open the day and bounced back for a 5-3 win over Felician University in game two. NSU is now 3-3 on the year.
The Wolves were unable to get things rolling against the Storm notching just one run in the top of the third inning.
Kennady Thompson scored
Jenna Helgeson on a ground ball to the right side, after Helgeson had singled through the left side, kicking off the NSU rally. The score tied the game at 1-all, however Lake Erie broke things open in the bottom of the fourth with five runs.
Katie Dawson led the team going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a double. The senior was the only Wolf to record multiple hits in the opening game of the trip. Freshman
Rachel Reinke also notched a double, going 1-for-2 offensively. Adding the team's final three hits were Helgeson, Thompson, and
Kaitlyn King with a single apiece.
Mackenzie Merritt started on the mound for the Wolves, throwing 5.1 innings. The freshman gave up six earned runs on eight hits and five walks. Defensively the Wolves suffered three errors and three unearned runs.
The Wolves scored first in game two, as Dawson flew out to centerfield plating
Shayla Steinley who opened the game with a walk. Felician answered back and took the lead in the top of the fourth with three runs, however the Wolves were not finished.
Thompson kicked off the NSU rally in the fourth with a 1-out single through the left side.
Cassidy Schaar entered as a pinch runner, and came around to score on
Katie Uittenbogaard's sacrifice fly to center.
Courtney Sjerven grabbed tied things, singling in
Madison Rutter who walked earlier in the inning.
Northern then took the lead in the fifth, after almost back-to-back homeruns by Dawson and Helgeson. Helgeson led off the inning with a blast to left center field, while Dawson hit her own bomb down the left field line just two at-bats later.
Sjerven led the team going 2-for-3 with one RBI and a double, while Helgeson, Dawson, and Thompson tallied a hit each.
Jamie Fisher earned her second win of the season throwing seven complete innings. The junior gave up just three earned runs on seven hits. She struck out four in the process and forced eight fly outs and nine ground outs.
The Wolves return to action tomorrow from Florida with a pair of games against College of Saint Rose and Hillsdale College. First pitch is scheduled for 8 a.m. (CT) and 1 p.m. (CT) from Legends Way Ballpark.
