ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team opened the 2021 season with an impressive first day of competition on Friday at the Dome in Rosemont, Ill.
The Cardinals opened the day with a 7-1 win over Quincy University. SVSU followed up with a 3-0 shutout win over Ursuline College to give first-year Head Coach Christie Ambrosi her first two wins with the Cardinals (2-0).
Against Quincy, Sarah Gersch got the scoring started with an RBI triple in the third. Meagan VerVaecke extended the lead to 3-0 in the fourth with a two-run double. SVSU plated three more in the fifth on RBIs from Blasia Moyler, Sara Moos, and Julia Salisbury.
Gersch finished with a team-high three hits, including two triples, while Moos and Salisbury added two hits each. SVSU totaled 12 hits and no errors.
Jaclyn Groves (1-0) got the start on the mound and tossed three innings, allowing three hits, three walks, and striking out three. Julia Mundy pitched the rest of the way, allowing one run on three hits, walking two, and striking out four.
In game two against Ursuline, SVSU took advantage of an error by the Arrows' centerfielder. VerVaecke hit a flyball to center, hit bounced off the outfielder's glove, and rolled to the wall, allowing the batter to come all the way around to score the opening run in the second inning.
Sabrina Sage doubled the SVSU lead to 2-0 in the sixth with an RBI single, while VerVaecke drove in an insurance run in the seventh.
Emily Depew (1-0) did not need much run support on the mound for the Cardinals. She tossed the complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits, three walks, and striking out eight Arrows.
The Cardinals continue play in Rosemont with two more games on Saturday starting against William Jewell College at 11 am CST, followed by a matchup with the University of Findlay at 3:30 pm CST.