UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University softball team defeated Grand Valley State University 5-2 in game one of the NCAA Midwest Super Regional today (5/20). The Cardinals now stand just one win from advancing to their first NCAA Division II Championship tournament appearance.
The Cardinals jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Natalie Wellman (Fairhaven, Mich. / Anchor Bay HS) laced a single through the left side that scored Ashley Coffin (Sterling Heights, Mich.) from third. Starting pitcher Jade Fulton (Byron, Mich.) would cruise into the fourth inning before Brittany Taylor hit a leadoff homerun to deep center to tie the game at 1-1. The Lakers would get their first lead on the Cardinals this season in the fifth inning when Miranda Cleary hit another Grand Valley leadoff homerun to go up 2-1.
Jessica McKeith (River Rouge, Mich.) would lead-off the fifth inning with a bunt single, and would advance to second on a Coffin single to second base. McKeith would come in to score when freshman Marcy Medina (Valparaiso, Ind. / Wheeler HS) reached first on a fielders choice to short. The Cardinals would than take the lead over the Lakers later in the inning on a Grand Valley error that allowed pinch runner Samantha Sutton (Armada, Mich.) to score from second base. Saginaw Valley would add to their lead when senior Monica Gathright (Baroda, Mich. / KVCC) laced a single to left center driving in Jillian Peterson (Freeland, Mich.). The Cardinals would score their final run of the inning when pinch-hitter Lindsay Hayward (Ancaster, Ont.) singled up the middle bringing in Wellman to end the scoring at 5-2.
Saginaw Valley would hold on to the 5-2 lead over the Lakers for the remaining two innings as Fulton and the Cardinal defense shut down the high powered Grand Valley offense. Both Peterson and McKeith went two-for-three on the contest, while Coffin went two-for-four.
Fulton would work all seven innings to improve her record to 28-9 on the season. She would strike out six Laker hitters, while allowing just two runs on three hits for the afternoon.
Saginaw Valley improves to 39-16 overall on the season, while Grand Valley falls to 41-15 overall on the season. The two teams will face off again on Saturday (May 21) in the championship game of the NCAA Midwest Super Regional, with first pitch starting at 12:00 pm.