The Basics
Game 1: Saginaw Valley 7, Ohio Dominican 3
Game 2: Saginaw Valley 6, Ohio Dominican 4
SVSU Softball Complex - University Center, Mich.
UNIVERSITY CENTER - The SVSU softball team began a busy week of games with a home doubleheader against the Ohio Dominican University Panthers on Tuesday afternoon. After posting a 7-3 vicvtory in the opener, the Cardinals overcame four ODU runs in the seventh inning of the nightcap to close out for a 6-4 win. The team's overall and GLIAC winning streak now stands at six games.
Game One
The teams traded blows in the first inning, as the Cards responded to a single Panther run in the top of the first with a pair in the bottom to take the 2-1 edge. An Evy Lobdell RBI single scored Danielle Hamilton and a Sarah Vrabel RBI single up the middle allowed Shelby Weeks to cross the plate.
Ohio Dominican used two runs of its own to grab a 3-2 lead after the top of the second.
SVSU answered once more, however, putting up a four spot in the last of the third inning to get the lead back at 6-3. Vrabel knocked two runs home with a single to score Weeks and Meredith Rousse. The other runs came via a two-run shot from Bethaney Murphey.
The Cardinals added another run in the bottom of the fourth to push the lead to 7-3 when a Rousse RBI single scored Hamilton. That's where the score stood the rest of the way.
Inside the Boxscore
- Vrabel, Rousse and Hamilton all registered two hits in the contest. Vrabel had three RBIs and Rousse one. Hamilton scored twice.
- Murphey had her third long ball of the season, accounting for a pair of RBIs and a run scored.
- Lobdell had the other RBI for SVSU while Weeks had a hit, scored twice and walked once.
- Sarah Appold (5-3) pitched the full 7.0 innings for the home squad. She scattered seven hits, allowing three runs and walking just one. Appold struck-out six batters.
Game Two
The game cruised through four full innings of play, with neither team scoring and there only being three combined hits. SV would get the first crooked number on the board after scoring four runs in the top half of the fifth inning. Murphey scored the first run on a double-steal for the Cards. A Madison Burgess double then pushed Kennedi Thomas across to make the score 2-0. Weeks then walked with the bases-loaded, allowing Burgess to score the third run. A passed ball later allowed Hamilton to cross the dish for the 4-0 edge.
Saginaw Valley added another two runs in the top of the seventh inning, using a Lobdell RBI single to score Weeks and a Breanna Dinsmoore single to right that plated Lobdell.
The game was far from over there, though, as SVSU walked three batters after getting two quick outs. After an RBI single, bases-loaded walk and two-RBI single, all of a sudden it was a 6-4 game with SVSU still ahead. Appold, who came in with the tying run on-deck, would eventually get the final out with two runners on and ODU's cleanup batter Kelly Mix at the plate, preserving the two-run victory.
Inside the Boxscore
- Saginaw Valley went for 10 hits in the nightcap, with Lobdell registering two of those. She had an RBI and scored as well.
- Dinsmoore, Weeks and Burgess all added a hit and RBI as well for the Cardinals, with Weeks adding a walk and run scored.
- Samantha Willman (5-2) got the victory in the circle, allowing just three hits and striking-out nine batters. She let in four runs and allowed five walks. She began the game with five consecutive strikeouts.
- Appold registered her fourth save of the season after closing-out the contest.
Up Next
Saginaw Valley remains at home for a Wednesday (Apr. 13) doubleheader against Grand Valley State that begins at 2:00 p.m. The Lakers are 22-6 overall and 7-3 in GLIAC play.