BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Parkside softball team was swept Saturday afternoon by Ferris State, falling 7-4 in game one before dropping game two, 6-1.
The Bulldogs took three of four games in the regular-season series, while Parkside moved to 20-26 overall with the two losses
GAME ONE (FERRIS STATE 7, PARKSIDE 4):
Ferris State jumped out early in the opener, scoring five runs in the first inning and adding two more in the second before Parkside settled in and battled back late.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring with a big first inning. Ella McDonald singled, Alexis Kozlowski followed with a base hit, and Ava Gardner drove in both with a double to left. Emma Herremans added an RBI double, Jayden Marlatt lifted a sacrifice fly, and Emily Killion doubled home another run to give Ferris State a 5-0 lead.
Ferris State added two more in the second when Kozlowski singled, Gardner followed with a hit, and Herremans drove both in with a single to center, extending the lead to 7-0.
Parkside started to chip away in the fourth. Isabel Aranda doubled to left, and Elodie Sullivan brought her home with an RBI single to center. Reese Valha followed with a strikeout, but CICI Di Silvio came through with an RBI double to left to score Sullivan and cut the deficit to 7-2.
The Rangers made one final push in the seventh. Jadyn Polerecky singled, Mia Johnson walked, and Ava Swain singled to load the bases. Aranda followed with an RBI single to left, and Sullivan added another RBI single to bring Parkside within 7-4. The Rangers brought the tying run to the plate, but Ferris State escaped the jam to close out the opener.
Parkside finished with nine hits in the loss. Aranda went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while Sullivan went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run. Swain added two hits, Johnson reached three times with a hit and two walks, Di Silvio doubled and drove in one, and Polerecky singled and scored.
Holly Lowenberg took the loss after allowing five runs in the first inning. Melanie Andrysiak gave Parkside a strong relief effort, throwing the final five innings and allowing two runs on six hits while striking out two.
Ferris State finished with 11 hits, led by Herremans, who went 2-for-2 with a double and three RBI. Gardner added two hits and two RBI, while Killion doubled and drove in one.
GAME TWO (FERRIS STATE 6, PARKSIDE 1):
Parkside struck first in game two, but Ferris State answered with four runs in the third and never gave the lead back.
Mia Johnson opened the game with a double to left, and Aranda followed two batters later with an RBI single to center to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
Casey Jo Vermett worked out of trouble in the first and second innings, including a bases-loaded jam in the second, but Ferris State broke through in the third. Alexis Kozlowski walked, Gardner singled, and Herremans walked to load the bases. Emma Gillard then singled to right to bring home two runs, and Killion followed later in the inning with a two-run single to left to put the Bulldogs ahead 4-1.
Ferris State added another run in the fourth on an RBI groundout from Herremans before Killion drove in one more in the fifth with a single to left, making it 6-1.
Parkside was limited to three hits in the second game. Johnson doubled and scored, Aranda went 2-for-3 with the Rangers' lone RBI, and Kendall Woods drew a walk.
Vermett went the distance in the circle, allowing five hits and six runs while striking out 10. She battled through traffic throughout the afternoon, with Ferris State drawing 10 walks.
Ferris State starter Katie Shuboy earned the complete-game win, holding Parkside to three hits and one run while striking out five.
The Rangers will look to bounce back Sunday, when they travel to Davenport for a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. CT.
To keep up with the Rangers, visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.
