ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team split with Grand Valley today (Apr. 21), dropping their first contest 8-0 and victorious in the second, defeating the Lakers 9-1; both games ended in five innings.  The split moves the Cardinals to 23-8 overall on the season and 10-6 in the GLIAC.  The Lakers move to 22-16 overall on the season and 10-8 in the GLIAC.

 Game One

The Cardinals struggled in the first inning of action as they allowed five runs on seven hits.  The Lakers added three additional runs in the bottom of the third inning.  The game was finalized in the top of the fifth inning on a mercy rule as Saginaw Valley was unable to recover an eight-run lead.

Senior Billi Hoeppner (Hemlock, Mich./Hemlock HS), sophomore Ashley Coffin (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson HS) and red shirt-freshman Kailah Happ (Waterford, Mich./Kettering HS) all recorded one hit for the Cardinals in the contest.

Game Two

SVSU got the scoring started right away in the first inning as junior Jessica McKeith (River Rouge, Mich./River Rogue HS) hit a solo homerun to centerfield, giving Saginaw Valley the one-run lead.  The Cardinals posted a two-run third inning as Monica Gathright (Baroda, Mich./Lakeshore HS/KVCC) and Angela Kaiser (Waterford, Mich./Our Lady of the Lakes HS) both drew walks before Kimberly Sills would drive them in, gaining two of her four total RBIs on the afternoon.  The Lakers scored their solo run in the top of the fourth inning.

The Saginaw Valley offense would explode in the fifth inning when both Ashley Jordan and Kaiser were sent home off the bat of Sills who would then reach home on a throwing error to advance the Cardinal lead to five runs. McKeith would step into the batters box and drive in three more RBIs, driving in Coffin, Happ and Allison Jaskulka (Madison Heights, Mich./Lamphere HS) on a double to right field to give Saginaw Valley the 9-1 victory.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was McKeith and Sills who both posted four RBIs and had two hits each.  Kaiser also added two hits on two plate appearances and drew one walk in the match-up.

The Saginaw Valley softball team will return to action on Saturday (Apr. 24) in a GLIAC double-header against Ferris State (20-14 overall, 11-7 GLIAC).  Game times are scheduled for 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.