Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
13-11
Indiana State
11-12
Bella Gerlach Walk-off Home Run Lifts Herd to Victory Sunday
3/10/2024 5:14:00 PM | Softball
Gerlach leads team with seven long balls this season
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A towering two-run walk-off home run by Bella Gerlach lifted the Herd softball team (13-11) to a 5-4 come-from-behind win over Indiana State Sunday.
For Gerlach - who hit two longballs on the day with four runs driven in - it was a no-doubter past the wall in left field to send her team into a frenzy.
"Stepping up to the plate, I knew that I had to take a deep breath and stay simple," Marshall's sophomore outfielder said. "It was a surreal experience to celebrate the moment with my teammates! The energy was unmatched. Every one of us worked so hard for the win. We are a family, and I wouldn't want to share the moment with anyone else!"
The Herd trailed 4-3 entering the final frame. Rielly Lucas led off the inning with a full-count single to right before coming home on Gerlach's blast.
The win marks the sixth come-from-behind win of the season for Coach Morgan Zerkle's team.
"It was nice for [the team] to have that victory and have that experience of the walk-off," Zerkle said. "We kept telling them to keep the game tight and to give our offense a chance to score and we came up big there at the end so that was fun."
For the full comments on the weekend from Coach Zerkle, view HERE.
The rally gave Bub Feringa her fifth win of the season. The utility junior pitched over six innings in relief, holding the Sycamores scoreless after the 2nd inning. Feringa also had an RBI double in the 3rd to cap a weekend where she hit .600 from the plate with five doubles and three RBI.
The defense also came up big in the team victory. Marshall shortstop Sydney Bickel started two double plays with a diving catch to prevent a run in the 5th. Herd center fielder Kasia Parks also threw out a runner at the plate in the 7th to cut down on an ISU insurance run.
The win marks Marshall's first walk-off of the season. The last time the Herd won a game on a walk-off home run was Rachel Rousseau's to beat Western Kentucky on April 7, 2019.
UP NEXT
Marshall will play a midweek game in Athens, Ohio before starting Sun Belt Conference play next week. The Herd and Bobcats will play at OU at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Feringa, Bub (5-3)
L: GRIFFIN,H (2-2)
Batting:
2B: HENNING,I 2
RBI: HENNING,I 2 ; CORNWELL,K 2
SH: CHIPPS,A 1
Base Running:
RUNS: CHIPPS,A 1 ; HENNING,D 1 ; HENNING,I 1 ; ROBAKOWSKI,A 1
Batting:
2B: Feringa, Bub 1 ; Ulrich, Brooklyn 1
HR: Gerlach, Bella 2
RBI: Gerlach, Bella 4 ; Feringa, Bub 1
SH: Glanz, Reagan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lucas, Rielly 2 ; Gerlach, Bella 3
CS: Bickel, Sydney 1
