UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Cardinals took the field in round two of the NCAA Division II Softball Tournament today, as they opposed the Norse of Northern Kentucky, looking to advance to the championship round of Midwest Regional #2. Little did they know that they would end up playing nearly two full games today.

Kari Bowlby (Elkhart, Ind./Central) got the start in the circle for Saginaw Valley State on the day.

Angela Kaiser (Waterford, Mich.) was the first threat of the game, as she walked in the bottom of the third inning and then stole second base with one out. After a strikeout put two outs on the board, Kaiser advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt but then another strikeout ended the inning, as the first three innings went into the books as a 0-0 tie.

Northern Kentucky threatened in the top of the sixth inning as Cara Parker doubled to left-center field on a ball that Marsha Beaubien (Alpena, Mich.) nearly caught despite her and Kaiser both diving for and nearly colliding. However, Bowlby buckled down and forced a lineout and groundout to end the visitor’s half of the inning.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, pinch-hitter Jordan Stuart (Richmond, Mich.) singled to right field to break-up the no-hitter that April Ehlers had been twirling for the Norse of Northern Kentucky, and she would get pinch ran for by Jessica McKeith (River Rouge, Mich.), who represented the winning run. Shannon McLaughlin (Watervliet, Mich.), however, would fly out to the left fielder to end the inning, sending the game to extra innings in a scoreless tie.

Pinch-hitter Ashley Coffin (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson) drove a ball off the third basemen’s glove to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning and got to second base after the ball landed in foul territory, and Kaiser sacrificed her over to third to put the winning run 60 feet away with only one out and the GLIAC Player of the Year, Beaubien, at the plate. Northern Kentucky would take the safe route, however, intentionally walking Beaubien as well as Stacy Kraatz (Hartland, Mich.) to load the bases with still only one out in the home half of the inning.

Jessica Anhel (Oxford, Mich.) came up to bat with a chance to win the game, but hit a sharp grounder to the second baseman, who made the throw home to get the second out of the inning. Nicole Fick (Lapeer, Mich./East) was the next batter, and she drove a ball to right field on a line drive, but right at the fielder to end the Cardinal threat and send the game to the ninth inning.

After an Ehlers’ seeing eye single with one out in the ninth inning, Bowlby was lifted in favor of Saginaw Valley’s ace, Jade Fulton (Byron, Mich.), although Bowbly’s performance could have suggested she was the ace on this particular day. Bowlby would leave the game while being responsible for the runner on first base.

Fulton would pitch out of the inning though, forcing a pop-up halfway along the first base line, and then striking out GLVC Freshman of the Year, Jessica Farris. Bowlby’s final line would wind up being 8.1 innings pitched, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out three and allowing nobody to cross the plate.

The Norse would again threaten in the top of the 10th inning, as Amanda Smith would drop in a leadoff single in shallow right field, before being sacrificed over to second base on a bunt that would get an out over at first base. After an intentional walk to cleanup hitter Cara Parker, a conventional walk would follow to the #5 hitter, Sam Del Vecchio, loading the bases with only one out in the frame. After a Fulton strikeout to get to two outs, Ehlers poked a ball to shallow right-center field, which Kaiser came in to make an attempt at a diving catch, but Ashley Jordan (Freeland, Mich.) would come out of nowhere and cut in front of Kaiser to make the running grab, ending the Northern Kentucky threat.

The Cardinals put the pressure on again in the bottom of the 10th; getting runners to second and third with two outs recorded in the inning, but again, the chance would get squandered as a pop-up to shallow left field would end the inning, sending the game to the 11th.

Northern Kentucky would finally break through with two outs in the top of the 11th inning, as a shot to second base would get bobbled by Coffin who had replaced Vanessa Briggs (Freeland, Mich.) earlier in the game, the throw to first base would be late, and Gretchen Lorenz would come around from second base to score the go-ahead run for the Norse on a heads-up base-running play.

With two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, Saginaw Valley refused to quit, as a Coffin blooper over the second baseman’s head, who had been inserted into the game as a replacement shortly beforehand due to an injury to regular second baseman Rose Broderick, scoring Jordan from second base to tie the game at one. Kaiser nearly ended the game in the next at-bat, as she poked a ball into shallow left field that three different fielders converged on, but the left fielder made the grab while falling over the shortstop, sending the game to the 12th inning.

Ehlers would finally exit the game after 11 full innings of pitching, with a final line of four hits, one earned run, eight walks, and six strikeouts. She would be lifted in favor of Chelsie Roy to take on the Cardinal offense in the bottom of the 12th inning.

Finally, in the bottom of the 13th inning, after loading the bases following an error on a sacrifice bunt, Kaiser drove the ball over the left fielder’s head to plate Kim Sills (Chippewa Valley, Mich.) to end the marathon game.

Fulton would earn the victory, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing two hits, one unearned run, two walks, and striking out six, moving to 17-5 on the season. Coffin went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the game.

For the Norse, Roy took the loss, pitching one inning, allowing two hits, one unearned run, two walks, and struck out two. Cara Parker went 2-for-4 on the day.

The Cardinals advance to the championship round of games, currently slated to take place at 3:00 PM on Sunday, May 10, to take on the winner of Northern Kentucky against either Ferris State or Lewis, who will play at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning.