UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team split in its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home doubleheader against Purdue Northwest on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (26-9, 10-3 GLIAC) earned their 10th win in league play and remain two games ahead of the Pride for second in the standings.
Alexis Gills had a great day for SVSU as she went three for five at the plate with a home run in game two. Jackie Popko registered two hits in her five at-bats with a home run that gives her 157 runs in her career. She is just two shy of tying for the Cardinals' career runs-scored record.
Game 1: Saginaw Valley State def. Purdue Northwest, 1-0
The game's lone run happened in the bottom of the third inning when a dropped fly ball gave Sydney Herioux first base. Herioux would advance on a wild pitch before Popko walked to add a baserunner. Katelyn Pnacek then hit an RBI single to second base that scored Herioux in what would be the game-winning run.
The Cardinals would leave two runners on base in the third and strand another through the next three innings but would hold on for the win.
Emily Depew (W, 9-4) earned her ninth win of the season with another complete game inside the circle for SVSU. The junior from Lowell, Michigan, struck out nine Pride batters and allowed just four hits in the shutout victory.
Game 2: Purdue Northwest def. Saginaw Valley State, 8-7
The Pride took an early lead with four runs in the opening frame. Popko homered to left center to lead off the bottom half before Gills singled to center field to bring Paige Kolinski home to half the deficit going into the second inning.
PNW added two more runs in the fourth inning to extend the lead back to four, 6-2. Gills responded with a home run in the bottom half to keep SVSU in it with a 6-3 score.
A triple and a single in the top half of the fifth increased the lead to 8-3 in favor of Purdue Northwest.
The Cardinals had a big sixth inning with a single and a walk to put two runners on. The Pride then got two outs with liners to left field and second base before a second walk loaded the bases. Herioux then belted a single to score both Gills and Paige Thomson to bring the score back to 8-5 with runners on. Emily Beckas then walked to load the bases a second time, but a fly out to center field ended the threat.
After a three-up-three-down top half of the seventh inning, SVSU had one final push to take the lead or win the game. Sarah Gersch singled to center field to get on base. Thomson then walked before Gills hit a double to bring Gersch home. Ella Schneider entered the game as a pinch hitter and hit a ball to center field for a sacrifice fly that saw the Cardinals come within a run of tying things up with a runner on second. A pop-out and ground out to second cut the rally short and the Pride held on for the win in game two.
Margot van Eijl pitched the bulk of game two with 4.2 innings pitched with two strikeouts. Alyssa Muench finished the day with two innings pitched and a strikeout.
