KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Saginaw Valley State University Softball team opened the 2010 season with an impressive 8-5 extra inning win against Georgian Court on its first day of the Rebel Spring Games, before dropping a heartbreaking 4-3 decision to West Virgina Wesleyan in game two.

The Cardinals would finally start to show some life in game one when Katie Smith (Clarkston, Mich.) notched her first career hit for a single. She would come around to score when Jessica McKeith (River Rouge, Mich.) laid down a bunt single to give the Cardinals the 1-0 lead. Lauren Memmer (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland HS) and McKeith would both score on a Jillian Peterson (Freeland, Mich.) single and a throwing error by the Georgian Court pitcher to give SVSU a 3-0 advantage in the top of the fifth.

The Saginaw Valley defense and starting pitcher Jade Fulton (Byron, Mich.) would continue to keep the Lions off the score board until the bottom of the seventh inning when they tied the score at three with a home run. Fulton would finish the game with 12 strikeouts in six innings pitched.

In the top of the eight McKeith would get placed on second via the international tie break rule and score on error that allowed Jordan Stuart (Richmond, Mich.) to reach first base. Kailah Haap (Waterford, Mich./Kettering HS) would single up the middle to give the Cardinals a 5-3 advantage in the eighth inning. Georgian Court would answer with two runs in the bottom half of the inning pushing the game to another extra inning.

In the top of the ninth Nicole Bigelow (Grandville, Mich.) would be placed on second via the international tie break rule and would advance to third on a Shannon McLaughlin (Benton Harbor, Mich./Watervliet HS) single to third base. Memmer would load the bases with a single to shortstop and Ashley Jordan (Freeland, Mich.) would drive in two runs with a single to give the Cardinals a 7-5 lead. Kim Sills (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley) would add an insurance run with a doubled to left field that scored Memmer to push the score to the 8-5 final. Kari Bowlby (Elkhart, Ind./Central HS) got the win for the Cardinals and Memmer picked up the save as the Cardinals improved to 1-0 on the season.

In game two the Cardinals would find themselves in a 4-0 hole after four innings, but would answer back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth when Kalie Burdick (Milford, Mich.) launched a two-run bomb to center field.

SVSU would add another run in the sixth inning when Jordan scored on an Angela Kaiser (Waterford, Mich./Our Lady of the Lakes HS) single up the middle, but SVSU would be unable to get anything else going as they dropped their first game of the season by a score of 4-3.

SVSU will return to action on Saturday (Mar. 6) when they play three games at the Rebel Spring Games.