UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley softball team was swept today (Apr. 24) by Ferris State, 6-5 and 2-0 in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) match up.
Game One
Ferris State got on the board first in game one scoring three runs in the top of the second inning forcing the Cardinals to battle back. Saginaw Valley would decrease the lead to only two in the bottom of the second when senior Angela Kaiser (Waterford, Mich. / Our Lady of the Lakes HS) singled to right field. Junior Jillian Peterson (Freeland, Mich.) lined a shot out to left field scoring Kaiser.
The Cardinals knotted the score at three in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sophomore Ashley Coffin (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Stephenson HS) led off the inning with a homerun. Senior Billi Hoeppner (Hemlock, Mich.) singled on a bunt and Ashley Jordan (Freeland, Mich.) singled to center field. Pinch hitter Jordan Stuart (Richmond, Mich.) dug in for Saginaw Valley singling to right field bringing around Hoeppner to score.
Ferris State scored three runs again in the top of the seventh to give them a 6-3 advantage heading into the finals half inning. The Cardinals tried to battle back one more time to take the win when Coffin led off the inning with a triple to left center field and Hoeppner doubled scoring Coffin. Lauren Memmer (White Lake, Mich. / Lakeland HS) sacrifice bunted to move Hoeppner to third and Jordan grounded out to second base scoring Hoeppner. The two runs were not enough for the Cardinals as the fell 6-5 to the Bulldogs.
Memmer started the game for Saginaw Valley in the circle going 6.1 innings making her 3-4 on the season. Kari Bowlby (Elkhart, Ind.) pitched two outs for the Cardinals with one strikeout.
Game Two
The game would be pitchers dual until the fifth when Ferris State would be able to push a run across the plate to give them a 1-0 advantage over the Cardinals.
Saginaw Valley started something in the top of the fifth inning when pinch hitter Dana Velzy (Farmington, Mich.) hit a double down the right field line with one out and Kalie Burdick (Milford, Mich.) singled to the pitcher. Hoeppner was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the Cardinals with two outs but it would not be enough to score a run.
Ferris State pushed one more run across the plate in the sixth inning to end the scoring on the day. Saginaw Valley had three hits on the game with Kaiser and Burdick each having singles and Velzy with the double. Bowlby got the start in the circle for the Cardinals to make her 8-2 on the season with two strikeouts.
With the sweep Saginaw Valley falls to 23-10 overall on the season, and 10-8 in the GLIAC, while Ferris State improves to 22-14 overall on the season, and 13-7 in the GLIAC. The Cardinals return to action tomorrow (Apr. 25) when they will host Grand Valley State. The double header is scheduled to start at 12:00 pm.