April 3, 2005
Softball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RAY THROWS SHUTOUT IN GLIAC SPLIT AT FERRIS STATE

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State women's softball squad got a big pitching performance from junior Karen Ray (Fenton, Mich./Lake Fenton) in a game one win and also saw a big hitting performance by Emily McLean of the Bulldogs in a GLIAC split on Sunday. SVSU claimed a 2-0 win in the first game behind Ray who tossed a complete game five-hit shutout. She had good control of the strike zone all day as she struck out 11 and issued no walks. FSU had no extra-base hits and left five runners on base. The Cards did their scoring with one run in the top of the first and another run in the top of the sixth. Sophomore Lorelea Rice (East Caledon, Ont./Mayfield Secondary) drove in junior Monica Sims (Millbury, Ohio/Owens C.C.) with a sacrifice fly to left after Sims singled and stole second. Sims advanced to third on a Katie Albert (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) infield single. It was deja vu in the sixth as Rice drove in Sims on a sacrifice fly and Ray did the rest (5-4). Sims was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and Albert was 2-for-2 with a steal.
      McLean ignited FSU in the nightcap hitting two home runs and accounting for three hits and five RBI. She hit a two-run blast in the top of the first to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead and then lifted a three-run homer over the left field wall giving FSU an 8-3 lead. SVSU kept it close with two runs in the second and another run in the third. Freshman Stephanie Sills (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley) had a key two-run double in the second and Rice doubled in Albert for SVSU's third run in the third.
     The Cards fought back down five runs getting one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to make things tight. Rice collected an RBI single in the sixth after two errors by Ferris State kept the inning alive. Sims had a two-run single with two outs scoring Emily Byram (Grand Rapids, Mich./Catholic Central) and Sills before Albert lined out to shortstop to end the contest with two runners left on base. Rice threw 5.2 innings in relief of starter Lindsay Noren (South Lyon, Mich.) who allowed three earned runs and seven hits. Rice walked three and struck out three and fell to 4-3 on the mound. Rice, Sills and Sims each had two RBI and Denise Betts (Harbor Springs, Mich.) went 2-for-3 at the plate.

Game 1, Game 2
     

Contact: Ryan Thompson (989) 964-4053

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