CLERMONT, Fla. - The Saginaw Valley State University softball team opened play for its 2015 Florida trip with three victories on Sunday (Mar. 1). The Cardinals opened the day with a 16-6 victory over Georgian Court and followed that up with victories over Notre Dame (3-0) and Cedarville (9-5).
Game One | Georgian Court
After the teams went scoreless in the first inning, the Cardinals blew-up with 13 runs in the top of the 2nd inning. The inning featured home runs from DeAnna Stickler-Gatson, who had 4 RBIs in the frame, and Abby Stoner. It was Stoner's first of two long balls in the game. Shelby Weeks added a three-RBI double in the inning as well.
Two more runs in the top of the 3rd gave SV the 15-0 lead. Mallie Hall had a sac fly to score Danielle Hamilton and Claire Coopes-Meske also had a sac fly to knock-in Nicole Romain.
The Lions did their best to draw the score back to within reason, as the game's home team scored its only six runs in the bottom of the 3rd to make the score 15-6.
SVSU added a run in the top of the 4th after Stoner hit another home run, pushing the lead out to 16-6.
That's what the final score would be, as the mercy rule was in effect.
The Cardinals had 14 hits in the game, with Romain recording three of those with an RBI and two runs scored.
Stoner had the two long shots with three RBIs and Mackenzie Rousse also recorded two hits with an RBI.
Weeks had three RBIs and two runs while adding a base hit.
Anna Conard got the win in relief, working 2.2 innings and allowing just one hit while striking-out four batters.
Game Two | Notre Dame
Neither team got on the board until the bottom of the 3rd inning, when SV took a 1-0 lead after another Stickler-Gatson home run.
The Cardinals added another run in the 4th on an Evy Lobdell RBI single that plated Marcy Medina.
The third and final SVSU run came in the bottom of the 6th, as a Lobdell sac fly scored Danielle Hamilton.
The 3-0 score would prove to be the final.
Rousse had two hits for the Cards while Lobdell had a hit and two RBIs. Sarah Appold went the distance in the game, scattering six hits and posting nine strikeouts.
Game Three | Cedarville
In the final game for the day, SVSU did all of its damage early on.
In th 2nd inning, SV scored four runs off a rwo-RBI single from Gatson and RBIs from Hamilton and Jessica Wood.
The Cardinals added a five spot in the 3rd inning, pushing the lead to 9-2.
The Yellowjackets added three runs from there, but the Cards hung on strong for the win.
Rousse and Lobdell each had three hits in the contest with Stickler adding a hit and two RBIs.
Sarah Vrabel got the win in the game, throwing five innings while allowing six hits and striking-out two batters.
The victories put Saginaw Valley at 5-3 overall on the season. The Cardinals play Southern New Hampshire and Wheeling Jesuit with start times of 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm, respectively on Monday (Mar. 2).