2004 News

April 5: Diamond Dawgs Softball Notebag

Ferris State has won eight of its last nine contests, which includes a current five-game winning streak. The Bulldogs started out this season going 0-11-1 in their initial 12 outings.

Junior catcher Melissa Worsley (Midland) produced multiple hits in four of her five contests played in this last week, which included a three-hit performance at Findlay (4/4) in the doubleheader's opening game. She belted her first career home run with a three-run shot to go along with a triple and scored two runs in that encounter. Worsley had two hits apiece in three consecutive contests -- vs. Aquinas (3/31) and back-to-back games at Wayne State (4/2). The starting FSU backstop batted .625 (10-16) and totaled nine RBIs during the five-game span.

Senior third baseman Dana Conklin (Wyoming/Rogers) is batting .417 with 10 hits in 24 plate appearances during the Bulldogs' last eight games. She's 11 base hits shy of matching her single-season best of 34 hits set a season ago. Conklin's 118 career hit total ties Jaymee Kent for 14th-place on the school's career hits list and is seven away from tying Marianne Gepfrey (1989-92) for 13th place.

FSU is averaging 5.9 runs per game (47 total) in its last eight games while holding its opponents to 1.9 (15 total) for a +4.0 differential. The Bulldogs are also averaging 9.8 hits an outing (78 total) during that period.

Senior first baseman Nicki Merchant (Wayland) smacked a pair of home runs (solo and two-run) in a 5-1 second-game victory of a non-conference twinbill at Wayne State (4/2). With the two roundtrippers, Merchant has accumulated 13 career home runs in 158 contests and surpassed Anne Bentley's (1997-00) 11 career homers to move into sole possession of second place among FSU's all-time leaders.

Sophomore pitcher Carissa Quider (Gladwin/Pinconning) is 3-0 with a 1.47 earned run average (ERA) in 14.1 innings over her last three appearances. In her prior six outings this campaign, Quider went 0-3 with a 4.29 ERA in 16.1 innings.

Junior outfielder Jessie Wright (Sand Lake/Tri-County) is five hits away from equaling her season-high 25 base hits set last season in 32 games. Wright, who has 60 career hits in 197 at bats for a .305 career average, has posted 20 hits in 54 plate appearances in 18 contests this season.

Junior pitcher Rachel Chartier (Marquette) has notched a 5-1 record with a 1.09 ERA (six earned runs) in 38.2 innings during her last seven outings. Chartier, who went 3-1 with a 1.45 ERA (four earned runs) in her last four appearances to date, threw a two-hitter in Ferris' 1-0 decision at Findlay (4/4).

Freshman pitcher Jenna Thiede (LaSalle/Airport) picked up four saves during the week's eight-game slate and moved into a tie for third place with Jill Williams (1997) on FSU's all-time saves leader list. In her lone start of the week in game two versus Ashland (4/3), Thiede limited the Eagles to four hits in a 1-0 complete-game victory. Thiede posted a 1.09 ERA in 19.1 innings pitched in six appearances last week.