UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University softball team won its fourth straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest with a sweep over Hillsdale College Wednesday afternoon (Apr. 9). The Cardinals took down the Chargers by a score of 9-0 in game one of the doubleheader before beating them 10-1 in the nightcap.
Game One
SVSU came out hitting in the bottom of the first inning. Shelby Weeks led-off for the Cardinals with a single through the left side. Mackenzie Rousse was hit by a pitch that brought Amanda Best to the plate. The junior catcher roped a ball in to center field, scoring Weeks and advancing Rousse to third. Kari Knight delieverd a squeeze bunt that scored Rousse making the score 2-0. A Chelsea Adcock single to left field added two more runs to end the inning with SV up 4-0.
The score remained the same until the bottom of the fourth inning. Weeks earned her first RBI of the day on a bunt single that scored Amanda Kimes, who reached on a single. Rousse reached first base on a fielder's choice that scored Deanna Stickler-Gatson, who also reached on a single. Best's third hit of the game scored Weeks and was followed by a Lindsay Hayward double down the left field line that scored Rousse and Best. The five-run inning gave the home team a 9-0 advantage that ended the game in just five innings.
The Cardinals were led by Amanda Best, who went three-for-three with two runs and two RBIs.
Sarah Vrabel earned the win on the mound as she scattered six hits, allowing zero runs in five innings of work.
Game Two
The first inning scoring was led-off by another Best single, her fourth hit of the day that drove in Weeks who earned a lead off walk. Hayward added a single in the inning that plated Best, giving SVSU a 2-0 lead.
Hillsdale responded with a run in the bottom of the first. It would be the only run they would score all afternoon.
Stickler-Gatson used a two-out single to get herself on base with Weeks up to bat. The sophomore shortstop ripped a home run over the left field fence, scoring herself and Stickler-Gatson, increasing the Cardinal advantage to 4-1.
SVSU put on an offensive show in the third inning. With the bases loaded, Abby Stoner delieverd a deep single to left field that scored Best and Hayward. A Stickler-Gatson walk loaded the bases once again, this time for Weeks. Fresh off her home run in her last at bat, Weeks stroked a deep fly ball over the fence in right-center field for a bases-clearing grand slam. The four RBI homer would finish the scoring for the contest as the Cardinals closed-out the 10-1 victory in five innings.
SV was led by none other than Weeks, who hit two home runs with six RBIs in the game.
Sarah Appold gave up one earned run on three hits while striking out eight Charger batters in her five inning victory.
Saginaw Valley improves to 18-5 overall on the season and 10-2 in the GLIAC while Hillsdale falls to 7-13 on the year and 3-9 in the conference.
The Cardinals are back in action Saturday (Apr. 12) as they travel to take on Ferris State. The first game of the doubleheader will begin at 1:00 pm.
