Northwood’s Meridith Frey flies drops down a bunt during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Dalaney Gage delivers a pitch during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/Midland Daily News
Northwood’s Ashley Ziel connects for a double during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Meridith Frey flies around third during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Jenna Kowalski snags a pitch in the dirt during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Brinley Eckerman catches a flyball during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Ashlyn Lundquist steps to the plate during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Kamden Binney goes into her windup during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Jenna Kowalski watches the ball off her bat during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Carney Salo receives a pitch during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Gage Lambert prepares to make contact during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Delanie Gale catches a pop-up during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Brittany Steimel connects for a homer during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Dalaney Gage delivers a pitch during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/Midland Daily News
Northwood’s Ashley Ziel watches the flight of the ball off her bat during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/Midland Daily News
Northwood’s Meridith Frey heads to first during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Ashlyn Lundquist heads to third for a triple during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Brittany Steimel is greeted at home plate after belting a home run during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Chloe Cooper fields the ball in rightfield during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Brinley Eckerman slides into home during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/Midland Daily News
Northwood’s Brittany Steimel flips the ball to Gage Lambert during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Ashley Ziel gestures to the dugout after hitting a double during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/Midland Daily News
Northwood’s Kamden Binney delivers a pitch during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/Midland Daily News
Northwood’s Ella Wagner zeroes in on a pitch during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Ashlyn Lundquist receives a throw at second during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Meridith Frey prepares to bunt the ball during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/Midland Daily News
Northwood’s Gage Lambert heads to first during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/fred.kelly@mdn.net
Northwood’s Meridith Frey throws the ball back to the infield during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Ashley Ziel makes contact during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/Midland Daily News
Northwood’s Meridith Frey awaits the pitch during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Ella Wagner drives the ball during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Jenna Kowalski signals to the infield during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/fred.kelly@mdn.net
Northwood’s Delanie Gale takes a swing during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Gage Lambert crosses home plate during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/fred.kelly@mdn.net
Northwood’s Ashley Ziel drives the ball during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Brittany Steimel approaches the plate after hitting a home run during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/fred.kelly@mdn.net
Northwood’s Brinley Eckerman puts the ball in play during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Jenna Kowalski prepares to round first during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Hali Lenartowicz takes a swing during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Meridith Frey tries to get down a bunt during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
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Northwood’s Gage Lambert awaits the pitch during Saturday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie, March 21, 2026.
Fred Kelly/fred.kelly@mdn.net
Northwood’s softball team has all the firepower it needs to make a run at a conference championship. And in Saturday’s GMAC opener against Lake Erie, that firepower was on full display.
The Timberwolves outhit the visiting Storm 25-4 in a pair of five-inning mercy-rule victories, winning 9-1 and 8-0.
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NU improves to 8-10 overall and 2-0 in the GMAC, while Lake Erie falls to 1-13, 0-2.
“We have a good nucleus of hitters back and a good mixture throughout the lineup,” said Northwood coach Gregg Sauve. “We have a couple of freshmen that we’ve added this year, and they all are tearing it up right now. They’re stepping into the box with a good deal of confidence.
“When you come from high school and step into a new level (of competition), it’s very impressive what they’re doing with their at-bats,” he added. “ … There’s some good depth on this team, and they’re starting to believe. They pull for and play for each other.”
Sauve has been particularly pleased with the production of freshmen Jenna Kowalski from Freeland and Brinley Eckerman from Livonia Stevenson, who are two of the Timberwolves’ top hitters.
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“It’s phenomenal what they’re doing,” Sauve said. “You see them during recruiting, and you hope you get them and you know you’re getting a really good player. But then when you see them every day, you realize just how good they are.
“ … It just (excites) you when you realize, ‘Oh, she’s even better than I thought she was,’” he added with a chuckle. “There’s a bunch of them like that on this team.”
Northwood took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning in game one, as Kowalski doubled to left-centerfield and came home on a ground-out by Brittany Steimel.
After the Storm tied it on an RBI single by Kaitlyn Hendrian in the top of the fourth, the Timberwolves put together a big bottom half.
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Ashley Ziel led off with a double, and Kowalski singled to leftfield, but Ziel was thrown out at the plate. Ashlyn Lundquist then tripled to rightfield to drive in Kowalski, and Steimel followed with a two-run homer to centerfield to make it 4-1.
The Timberwolves threatened to score more in the inning, as Gage Lambert singled and later appeared to score on a single up the middle by Meridith Frey, but Frey was called out on the play for making contact with the ball outside of the batters’ box.
Northwood kept on rolling in the fifth inning.
Ziel ripped an RBI double, and a second run came home on an error during the play. After Kowalski singled to put runners at the corners, Lundquist doubled to left-centerfield to drive in both runners.
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A single by Steimel and a walk to Lambert loaded the bases, and then Lundquist scored on a wild pitch to activate the mercy rule.
“Ziel has been swinging a good bat. She’s got a nagging shoulder injury that’s affecting her now, but she’s been swinging a good bat most of the year, and Ashlyn (Lundquist) and Steimel are starting to take off,” Sauve noted.
“We’ll get Delanie Gale going, too. That’s what you expect (from veteran leaders),” he added. “ … And in the meantime, it’s a lengthy lineup, and we can score in different ways. I’m really excited about this team.”
Kamden Binney (5-4) earned the win, going all five innings and allowing only three hits with no walks.
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Kowalski went 3-for-3 with a double and scored three times for the Timberwolves, while Lundquist went 2-for-3 with a triple and a double, three runs batted in, and two runs scored.
Steimel went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs, while Ziel went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and an RBI.
Addison Nugent (0-2) took the loss, surrendering four runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
NU finished with an 11-3 advantage in hits.
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The Timberwolves didn’t slow down in the nightcap, taking a quick 1-0 lead on a leadoff double by Eckerman and an RBI single by Ziel in the bottom of the first.
Northwood then loaded the bases with no outs in the second on back-to-back walks to Hali Lenartowicz and Carney Salo and a bunt single by Frey. Eckerman then cleared the bases with a three-run double to right-centerfield, making it 4-0.
The Timberwolves extended to a 5-0 lead in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Gale and Ziel, and then blew it open in the fifth.
Following a leadoff single by Lundquist and a double off the centerfield fence by Lambert, Lenartowicz and Salo both singled to drive in a run apiece. Eckerman then doubled to right-centerfield again to plate the walkoff run.
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Sauve said his Timberwolves are gaining confidence after a rough start to the season against good competition.
“We opened up a little bit rough down in Georgia. No excuses, but we had some injuries, and we played two ranked teams,” he said, adding of his players, “But they learned from it, and they’re growing and starting to believe a little bit.
“ … We know this team is good. They have to start believing, and we need to have a little success to do that,” he added. “ … I really like this team. We can compete in different ways. … I thought our defense would be a little bit better. Early on, we made quite a few errors, but we’ve started to clean that up now.”
Dalaney Gage (2-3) got the win in game two, going all five innings and allowing only one hit with no walks.
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Eckerman went 3-for-4 with three doubles and four RBIs, while Ziel went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, Lambert went 2-for-3 with a double, and Ella Wagner also went 2-for-3.
Lily Turkowski (1-3) took the loss, going four innings and giving up eight runs on 12 hits and two walks.
NU outhit the Storm 14-1.
The Timberwolves will host Hillsdale on Tuesday, then will host Cedarville on Friday and Ursuline on Saturday.
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Asked about his team’s potential to compete for a GMAC title, Sauve replied, “That’s always our goal — to fight for the conference championship — and we’d like to put another NCAA (berth) up there (on the fence).
“This team is capable. This is one of the better teams I’ve had,” he added. “ … I’m very high on this team. They can compete.”