CANTON, Ohio - The Saginaw Valley State University softball team managed a split on the road at Walsh University today (Apr. 12).  The Cardinals won the first game by a score of 6-3 before falling in the second game, 8-6.

Game One vs. Walsh - Box Score
The Cardinals would strike first in the top of the second inning when Marcy Medina (Valparaiso, Ind. / Wheeler HS) and Lindsay Hayward (Ancaster, Ont.) both scored on a Walsh error to give Saginaw Valley a 2-0 lead.

The SVSU offense would strike again in the top of the fourth inning when Kailah Happ (Waterford, Mich. / Kettering HS) ripped a single that plated Medina and Samantha Sutton (Armada, Mich. / Armada HS) for a 4-0 advantage.

Walsh would notch two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the SVSU lead to 4-2, but the Cardinals would answer right back in the top of the sixth inning when Kaitlyn McBride (Brampton, Ont. / St. Thomas Aquinas HS) laced a single to right field to score Sutton from third.  The run would put SVSU up by a score of 5-2.

Walsh would add another run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Hayward would counter with a solo homerun to left field in the top of the seventh inning as the Cardinals went on to the 6-3 win.

Jillian Williamson (Sebewaing, Mich. / USA HS) picked up her fourth win of the season for the Cardinals as she threw a complete game with four strikeouts, while allowing just three runs on the afternoon.

Game Two vs. Walsh - Box Score
A Mackenzie Rousse (Bay City, Mich. / Western HS) double to left field would score McBride to even the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning.  Rousse would score later in the inning on a passed ball to give Saginaw Valley at 2-1 advantage.

The Cavaliers would add two more runs in the top of the second inning to reclaim the lead, 3-2, but SVSU would rally in the bottom half of the second to go up 5-3.  The Cardinals would score their first run when Amanda Kimes (Caledonia, Mich.) crossed the plate on an error.  McBride would score  her second run of the game on a Jordan Randall (Clinton Twp, Mich.) single.  A passed ball later in the inning would allow Rousse to score from third to close out the second.

Walsh would rally and add four runs over the next two innings to take a 7-5 advantage over the Cardinals.

The Cardinals would rally to cut the Walsh lead to 7-6 in the bottom of the fifth inning when Kari Knight (Walled Lake, Mich. / Northern HS) reached on an error that allowed Hayward to cross the plate.

The Cavaliers would add an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning as they went on to the 8-6 win over the Cardinals.

Freshman Sarah Appold (Bay City, Mich. / Valley Lutheran HS) took the loss in the circle for the Cardinals to fall to 2-3 overall on the season.  She allowed four runs on seven hits in the relief effort.

With the split, Saginaw Valley is now 10-16 overall on the season and 6-6 in the GLIAC, while Walsh is now 14-11 overall on the season and 5-8 in the conference.  The Cardinals will return to action on Saturday when they host Ferris State University for a doubleheader at the SVSU Softball Complex at 1:00 PM.