UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University softball team scored 30 runs in their two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) wins against visiting Lake Superior State. The Cardinals were victorious in game one 14-3 before taking game two by a 16-2 score.
SVSU improves to 25-6 overall and 17-3 in the GLIAC while Lake Superior State drops to 6-22 on the season and 5-17 in the conference.
Game One
Lindsay Hayward knocked in the first two runs of the day on a single to left that scored Shelby Weeks and Mackenzie Rousse. With Abby Stoner and Hayward on base, Kari Knight hit a deep ball to center field that left the field momentarily before hitting the scoreboard for a three-run homerun. Amanda Best singled through the right side and Deanna Stickler-Gatson reached after getting hit by a pitch, bringing Weeks to the plate for the second time in the opening frame. The sophomore shortstop splintered a ball over the right field fence for the second three-run long ball of the inning. The home team led 8-0 after the first.
SV added two more runs in the second inning on a double error play by the Lakers and an RBI single by Stickler-Gatson to increase its lead to 11-0.
Lake State got on the board in the fourth inning scoring a run to cut the lead to 11-1.
SVSU responded with four more runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a deep Stoner single that plated Mallie Hall and Amanda Kimes who each reached on singles of their own.
Two Laker hits led to two Laker runs in the top of the fifth inning, but that was all they could muster before falling by a final score of 14-3.
Rousse, Stoner and Hayward all earned three hits to lead the Cardinals.
Sarah Vrabel earned her tenth win of the season, giving up just one hit in her three innings of work. Alexa Gehrls closed out the final two innings of game one for SV.
Game Two
With runners on second and third, Stoner added her fourth hit of the day scoring Weeks to put the Cards on the board. Hayward followed by plating Rousse before Stoner scored on a Laker error, giving SV an early 3-0 lead.
Seven singles by seven different Cardinal batters equaled six runs to advance the SVSU advantage to 9-0 after two innings.
LSSU plated two runs in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 9-2.
The score would remain the same until a sixth run offensive explosion. Nicole Romain singled to begin the inning, bringing up Mallie Hall. One swift swing by Hall kifted the ball up and over the fence for a two-run home run. Kimes drove in Claire Coopes-Meske to advance the lead to ten runs. Three stright Cardinal singles loaded the bases for Stoner who did not disappoint. The freshman infielder jolted a bases clearing grand slam to score four more runs to close out the 16-2 victory.
Stoner led SVSU with four hits, five RBIs and three runs scored.
Sarah Appold and Samantha Willman combined for the game two victory. Appold added six strikeouts to improve her strikeouts-per-seven innings ratio.
The Cardinals advanced their lead in the conference standings going in to the final weekend of play. SVSU sits in top spot in the GLIAC, leading all other teams by two wins. The team is back in action tomorrow at the SVSU Softball Complex to celebrate Senior Day. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.