Softball Sweeps Lake Superior

The Northwood University softball team picked up a doubleheader sweep over Lake Superior State Friday afternoon (April 18). Northwood earned a 6-1 win in game one before posting an 11-1 victory in the nightcap.

Northwood is now 22-12 overall, 13-5 in the GLIAC. LSSU falls to 6-18 overall, 5-13 in the GLIAC.

In game one, the Timberwolves opened the scoring it the second inning on a Stacey Klonowski (Canton, Mich./Plymouth) double. She later scored on a squeeze bunt by Brittany Merner (Salon, Ohio)  to put the Timberwolves up 2-0. LSSU made the score 2-1 in the top of the fifth, only to see Northwood respond with a four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Lindsay Obremski (DuBois, Pa.) got things going with a two-run home run to make the score 4-1. Klonowski then made it 5-1 on another run-scoring double. Natalie Lampman (Madison Heights, Mich./Bishop Foley) then finished the scoring with an RBI single that plated Klonowski.

Northwood out-hit LSSU 9-2 in the game and held a 6-0 edge in extra base hits in the game.

Klonowski finished the game 2-3 with two doubles. That give her 45 doubles for her career, breaking the old Northwood school record of 44 by Tanya Hospelhorn (1993-96). Obremski finished the game 2-2 with two RBIs, while Lampman finished 3-3 with an RBI. Maddison Sebald (Bay City, Mich./Western) earned the win in the circle to improve to 11-4 on the season. She allowed two hits in seven innings while striking out a pair.

In game two, Lampman kept her hot bat going in the second inning, hitting her team-leading seventh home run to put the Timberwolves up 2-0. NU broke the game open in the fifth with four runs, starting with an Obremski RBI single. Jessica Lie (Rochester, Mich./Stoney Creek) then had a pinch-hit two run single to make the score 5-0. Hayley D'Avilar (Georgetown, Ont./Christ the King) later scored on a double steal attempt to extend the lead to 6-0.

LSSU got on the board in the sixth with a single run, but Northwood finished the game strong with a five-run seventh inning. Senior Kelsey Beck (Pinconning, Mich.) had an RBI on a squeeze bunt to make the score 7-1, followed by an RBI single by Merner. After a Lauren Look (Pinconning, Mich./Cleveland State) sac fly, Klonowski rounded out the scoring with a two-run homer.

Klonowski and Lampman each had two hits, a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored in the game to lead Northwood, which finished game two with 16 hits. Merner, D'Avilar and Ashley Lynn (Garden City, Mich.) each added two more hits. Vanessa Ewing (Dundee, Mich.) picked up her third win of the season, striking out seven in 4 1/3 innings of work.

Northwood will host Tiffin Tuesday afternoon (April 22). The doubleheader will get under way at 3:30 p.m.