SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University softball team defeated Lake Superior State University by a score of 14-4 in five innings in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest. The victory, coupled with the Cardinals' sweep of Grand Valley State this weekend, clinched the GLIAC North Division Title for SVSU.
The Cardinals scored their first two runs in the bottom of the first inning when freshman Marcy Medina (Valparaiso, Ind. / Wheeler HS) hit a two run homerun, scoring Natalie Wellman (Fairhaven, Mich. / Anchor Bay HS). Saginaw Valley took a 4-0 lead over Lake Superior when junior Ashley Coffin (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Stephenson HS) hit the Cardinals' second homerun of the game in the bottom of the second inning, bringing in Tori Taylor (Kitchener, Ont.). The Lakers came within one run of Saginaw Valley when they scored on a three run homerun in top of the third inning, making the count 4-3.
Saginaw Valley answered back in the bottom of the third inning when it scored 10 runs on eight hits and four Laker errors. The first run of the inning came in when Lindsay Hayward (Ancaster, Ont.) reached first on an error that allowed Wellman to score. Medina crossed the plate when sophomore Kailah Happ (Waterford, Mich. / Kettering HS) singled to the shortstop. The Cardinals scored two runs on back-to-back singles by Taylor and Jessica McKeith (River Rouge, Mich.), allowing them to take a four run lead over Lake Superior.
Wellman dug in for Saginaw Valley and picked up her third hit of the day, lacing a double that scored both Taylor and Happ, giving the Cardinals a 10-3 advantage. Medina knocked-in her third run of the day when she singled to left field, bringing around McKeith. Saginaw Valley scored its final three runs of the day when Peterson hit a three run homerun that scored Medina and Wellman.
Senior Jade Fulton (Byron, Mich.) started in the circle for Saginaw Valley, pitching three innings and tallying eight strikeouts, while Jill Kaltz (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Henry Ford II) and Amanda Astor (Dyer, Ind. / Marion Catholic HS) both pitched an inning apiece for the Cardinals.
With the win, Saginaw Valley improves to 35-14 overall on the season and 22-8 in the GLIAC, while Lake Superior falls to 4-28 overall on the season, and 2-24 in the GLIAC. The Cardinals will be back in action on Friday, as they take-on Ferris State University in the first round of the 2011 GLIAC Softball Tournament. First pitch is set for noon at Emerson Park in Midland, Mich.