EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Saginaw Valley State University softball team opened play at the Midwest Regional Crossover Tournament with a split, dropping a 3-2 walkoff decision to 18th-ranked Indianapolis before defeating Bellarmine by an 8-0 score in six innings in game two.
With the split, the Cardinals are now 3-4 overall on the 2017 season and an even 3-3 against regional opponents.
Game One - Indy
The Greyhounds got on the board and took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the 1st inning on an RBI double.
SVSU knotted the game at 1-1 in the top of the 3rd, loading the bases and getting an unearned run when the pitched missed the throw back from the catcher. That error allowed Danielle Hamilton to score the tying run.
The home half of the 4th inning saw Indy manufacture another run, grabbing a 2-1 edge.
Eby Lobdell tied things up for SV in the top of the 5th, however, ripping an two-out RBI double to left center, scoring Meredith Rousse from first. Rousse singled to leadoff the inning and the run made the count 2-2.
That's where the score remained all the way until the bottom of the 7th. A single, followed by a wild pitch, gave Indy a runner in scoring position with no outs. A single through the left side would follow, giving them the game-winning RBI with the 3-2 score.
Inside the Boxscore
- The Cardinals collected six hits total in the opener, with three different players each notching a pair.
- Lobdell was 2-for-3 with the RBI double.
- Madison Burgess had two hits for SVSU.
- Hamilton added a pair of base knocks with a run scored.
- Rousse added the other run and walked twice.
- Samantha Willman (0-2) worked the entire game in the circle, allowing three runs on seven hits, striking-out three and walking three.
Game Two - Bellarmine
The Cardinals busted out the sticks in the nightcap, registering a season-high 13 hits en route to the six-inning mercy rule victory over the Knights.
Playing as the home team in the second game, SVSU did its first damage in the bottom of the 3rd. That's when the team fought through a 40 minute weather delay and got a two-run home run from Rousse, scoring Bachert who led the half inning off with a single. That made the score 2-0.
Four more runs in the home half of the 4th pushed the Cardinal lead out to 6-0. Anna Conard followed a Courtney Reeves single with a deep shot over the left field fence to make it 4-0. Burgess then ripped a two-RBI single up the middle, plating Hamilton and Becky Corbett. Corbett reached on a double and Hamilton a single. That put the count at 6-0.
Saginaw Valley put the game away in the bottom of the sixth for the second time this season against Bellarmine. Consecutive infield singles from Bachert and Hamilton, followed by a wild pitch, put the home team in a good situation. Burgess then knocked-home Bachert with a groundout to second base. Then, with two outs, Aubree Mouthaan laced a single on the line past the third baseman, pushing Hamilton across for the game ending run and the 8-0 victory.
Inside the Boxscore
- Five Cardinals registered two hits in the nightcap.
- Conard had two hits, a pair of RBIs and a run scored. She also picked-up the win on the mound to improve to 2-1 on the season. She allowed just three hits, striking-out two batters and walking a pair.
- Rousse had two hits, including her second home run of the season and two RBIs.
- Hamilton added two hits and scored twice for SVSU.
- Bachert had two hits and a pair or runs as well.
- Mouthaan had two knocks and the game-ending RBI.
- Burgess had one hit and three RBIs in the win.
- Corbett and Reeves had the other hits, with Corbett's being a double.
Up Next...
The Cardinals play two more games on Saturday, taking on regional opponents Drury at noon and McKendree at 4:00 p.m. Both times are eastern.
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