CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team tallied five unanswered runs to force extra innings and win 7-4 over North Georgia on the first day of the NCAA Division II Championship. The Cardinals (49-13) were led by Olivia Elliott, who recorded a game-high four hits in her five at-bats, two RBI, and two runs in the contest.
Elliott got things going with an RBI-single to right field in the top of the first that gave SVSU a 1-0 lead. The Nighthawks (48-15) responded with a two-run double down the left-field line in the bottom half of the inning to jump ahead 2-1 after one frame.
Mya Purdy tied the game in the third with a two-out, RBI-single through the left side that scored Emily Schmeltz. North Georgia rallied to flip the advantage for a third time in the fourth with a sacrifice bunt that scored one run and a double to right center that scored another to put the Nighthawks ahead 4-2 with three innings of play left.
Jenna Morse reached base with a walk in the fifth inning, and Elliott moved her to third with a single down the right-field line. Emma Helvie then hit a sacrifice fly to score Morse and trim the lead to 4-3. Kate Pnacek tied things up with a sacrifice fly of her own two plays late,r and the Cardinals battled back to knot things up at four all.
Saginaw Valley threatened again in the sixth as Aalana Kimble walked and Ella Reifschneider reached first on an error, then stole second base. Kenzie Bromley then walked to load the bases with two outs, but North Georgia forced the final out to keep the game tied going into the home half.
A single by the Nighthawks in the sixth was as close as either team would get to ending the game in regulation. Purdy put out the first two NG hitters in the bottom of the seventh, the second on an incredible diving line drive catch. Ella Schneider ended the seventh with an unassisted putout, and the game headed to extra innings.
Reifschneider started the three-run spurt in the eighth with an infield single with one out. Morse then walked,d and Elliott singled through the right side to score Reifschneider and put runners on the corners. Helvie reached on a fielder's choice that scored Morse, and the Cardinals were up 6-4. Schneider finished off the scoring with a single up the middle that scored Elliott for the second time and put the score where it would be at the end, 7-4.
The game ended after two fly outs and a challenged groundout from Natalie Savage to Schneider that was upheld, and the Cardinals advanced to day two with a win.
Four Cardinals had multiple hits, including Elliott's four. She was the only SVSU hitter to record an extra base hit with her double. Kimble, Purdy, and Schneider each had two hits, with Kimble scoring a run. Morse scored twice, recorded a hit, and was walked twice. Reifschneider finished with a hit and a run scored.
Macy Irelan (W, 23-3) went the distance in the circle and finished with 8.0 innings pitched, while surrendering eight hits, four runs, and walking one. She sat down two Nighthawk batters on strikes to earn her 23rd win of the season and record her 24th complete game.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals will now face the top-seeded UT Tyler Patriots tomorrow (May 23) at noon ET.
