UNIVERSITY CENTER, MICH. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team swept Ferris State to earn a share of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Regular Season Championship for the first time since 2009 on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (29-18, 16-8 GLIAC) took game one 8-0 in six innings before ending game two in five innings, 10-2.
GAME 1 – SVSU 8 – FERRIS STATE 0 (6 Innings)
Emily Depew (W, 17-6) had an outstanding performance for SVSU in game one as she registered her 17th complete and earned her 17th win of the season by throwing a no-hitter through six innings. The senior from Lowell, Michigan struck out just three batters and walked one to record the fourth no-hitter of her career, the most of any Cardinal pitcher.
Mya Purdy got the scoring going with a triple to right center that scored Paige Kolinski and Emma Helvie for a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Sydney Herioux added a third run on the next at-bat with a single up the middle that brought Purdy across the plate.
Sara Moos added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning with her 18th double of the season to score Aalana Kimble and Purdy to increase the lead to 5-0.
Kimble doubled to right center to score Marissa Beck and push the advantage to six runs in the sixth inning. Moos recorded an RBI on a ground out that scored Ella Reifschneider. Helvie ended game one early with a sacrifice fly to center field that brought Kimble home and put the score at 8-0 in the fifth to initiate the run-rule win.
Maddie Campagna, Reifschneider, and Purdy led the Cardinal bats with two hits. Purdy scored two runs and brought two more home to account for half of the SVSU scores in game one. Moos finished with three RBI.
GAME 2 – SVSU 10 – FERRIS STATE 2 (5 Innings)
Depew (W, 18-6) got the start in game two and earned the second win of the day after going 4.0 innings with three strikeouts. Kimble entered the circle for the final inning of play to earn two strikeouts to earn her fourth save of the season.
The first run of the game came about when Reifschneider stole home while Kimble was thrown out at second on her way to trying to swipe a bag in the first inning.
A home run to right field for the Bulldogs led off the fourth inning to tie the score at one run apiece. An RBI single through the left side added a second run with two outs in the inning and Ferris State had its first lead of the afternoon, 2-1.
The lead didn't last long, as Moos led off the bottom of the fourth with her 19th double of the season. A walk by Alyssa Muench and a single by Olivia Sabin loaded the bases and set up Purdy, who busted another triple and gave SVSU a 4-2 lead through four innings of play.
Kimble hit a triple to right-center field in the bottom half of the fifth to score Reifschneider before Moos hit a single up the middle to bring Kimble home and the score sat at 6-2 with no outs. Campagna registered an RBI on a sacrifice bunt attempt that gave her first on the fielder's choice and scored Marissa Beck to put the Cardinals up by five runs. Purdy walked with the bases loaded for the seventh run of the game. Herioux then put the final nail in the coffin with a single through the left side that scored Sabin and Paige Thomson to end the game in the fifth.
Moos led the way in game two with two hits in her three appearances. She scored a run and had an RBI to complete the sweep. Purdy finished game two with four RBI after her second triple of the day. Her two-game totals were three hits, two triples, and five RBI.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals will travel to Rosemont, Illinois to compete in the GLIAC Tournament that begins on Thursday, May 2, 2024. SVSU earned the bye on day one as the No. 2 seed in the tournament and will play the winner of game two between the No. 3 and No. 6 seed on Friday, May 3 at 2:30 PM, EST.