CLERMONT, Fla. - After claiming an extra-inning victory Tuesday afternoon over Southern Indiana, the SVSU softball team made it three in a row after posting a sweep Wednesday over Stonehill and Shippensburg at the Legends Way Fields in Clermont, Fla. SVSU opened with a 4-2 victory over the Skyhawks before claiming a 7-6 decision over the Raiders.
Game One
SVSU got the scoring going early in the opener, plating a run when Shelby Weeks hit an RBI single that scored Madison Burgess in the bottom of the first for a 1-0 lead.
The Cards added another in the bottom half of the third, using a Meredith Rousse RBI double to score Danielle Hamilton for a 2-0 advantage. Hamilton had in infield single and stole second to get into scoring position.
The Skyhawks trimmed the lead to 2-1 after an RBI double cut the score in half for the game's visiting team in the top of the fifth.
Weeks would give the Cardinals a bit of insurance however, as she hit a high, towering two-run home run over the center field fence that also pushed Hamilton across the plate to make the lead 4-1. Hamilton reached on a walk and promptly stole second.
The score stood there and, despite a one-out solo home run and bases-loaded jam, starting pitcher Sarah Vrabel worked hard and got the remaining two outs to preserve the 4-2 win for the Cardinals.
Inside the Boxscore
- Weeks had two of SVSU's five hits with three RBIs and a run scored.
- Rousse was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
- Hamilton was 1-for-2 with two runs and a walk while Bethaney Murphey had the other hit for SV.
- Vrabel improved to 2-1 on the season after tossing 7.0 innings, scattering seven hits, walking just one batter and striking-out four.
Game Two
The Cardinals jumped out in front by a 2-0 lead against the Raiders, as Weeks knocked-in Burgess with an RBI single for the first run. Burgess reached on a single up the middle. The next run came after an error kept the inning alive and Jessica Wood wis hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, allowing Weeks to score for the second run.
Shippensburg responded in a big way in the bottom of the first, scoring five runs to take a 5-2 lead after the first. Just two of the runs were earned in the frame, as SVSU had a pair of errors.
SVSU would add two runs each in the second and third innings, respectively, to re-take the lead at 6-5. Weeks plated another two runs with a double to left center, scoring Rousse and Burgess in the second. Anna Conard hit her first career home run for the first run of the third and that was followed by a Burgess infield single that plated Wood.
A Raider run in the bottom of the fourth drew the game even at 6-6 when a wild pitch allowed a run to score.
A Rousse single up the middle in the top of the sixth, however, would give SV a 7-6 advantage. She pushed Claire Coopes-Meske across the dish, as she reached base on a walk and moved to second on a groundout.
Relief pitchers Annie Hansen and Samantha Willman kept Shippensburg in check from there, as the Cardinals sealed the 7-6 win.
Inside the Boxscore
- Hansen (1-1) got the win in relief, pitching 2.0 innings and allowing just two hits and posting a strikeout.
- Willman worked a scoreless seventh inning, gathering the save in the process while notching a pair of K's.
- Burgess was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in the game.
- Weeks had the same 3-for-4 mark, driving-in three and scoring a run.
- Conard, Wood and Rousse all had one hit, one RBI and one run scored in the game while Aubree Mouthaan had the 10th hit for SVSU.
Up Next
The Cardinals, having now evened their record at 4-4 on the 2016 campaign after three straight victories, return to the field Thursday (Mar. 10) evening with another pair of games. SVSU plays Southwest Minnesota State at 5:00 p.m. before tangling with Indiana (Pa.) in a 7:00 p.m. battle.
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