MIDLAND, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team split with Northwood in a doubleheader on Monday afternoon. The Cardinals (30-13) took game one, 12-6 before falling to the Timberwolves, 5-0, in game two.
Sarah Gersch led offensively as she went 4-7 from the plate and scored three runs while bringing another home. Paige Kolinski tallied three hits, two of which left the park as she led SVSU with five RBI. Alexis Gills and Maddie Campagna totaled three hits on the afternoon. Gills scored three times while Campagna scored once.
Game 1: Saginaw Valley State def. Northwood, 12-6
Gills got things going with a single to center field that scored Katelyn Pnacek for the 1-0 lead. Kolinski hit a home run to right field that cleared the bases and added three more runs to move ahead 4-0 in the first inning.
Northwood added a run in the bottom half of the first to put the score at 4-1 in favor of the Cardinals.
Kolinski added to the lead with a single up the middle that brought Sarah Gersch home. Sara Moos hit a sacrifice fly to score Gills. Campagna doubled to right center to record another run as SVSU built a 7-1 lead through three innings.
A second home run from Kolinski in the top of the fifth push the lead to 8-1 before four more runs were added in the sixth to give the Cardinals their 12 runs in the contest. Pnacek hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Campagna for the first of those four runs in the sixth. Gersch then singled to center field to score Jackie Popko. A wild pitch and an error scored Gersch and Gills for the last two runs.
The Timberwolves added four runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 12-6, but the rally fell short as the Cardinals recorded the final out of the inning to seal the final score.
Emily Depew pitched yet another complete game as she struck out one Timberwolves batter to earn her 13th win of the season.
Game 2: Northwood def. Saginaw Valley State, 5-0
Northwood scored on an RBI single to right center to take a 1-0 lead in the third inning.
A home run in the fourth extended the lead to 2-0 before a three-run outing in the fifth put the score at 5-0 and the Timberwolves held on for the shutout win.
Depew (L, 13-5) started game two and lasted four innings while striking out two batters. Jaclyn Groves came in for two innings of relief and registered two strikeouts in the losing effort.
UP NEXT
The SVSU softball team hosts its final home doubleheader on Saturday, April 29 when Ferris State comes to town. The opening pitch of game one is scheduled for Noon.