KENOSHA, Wis. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team swept the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Parkside on the road Monday afternoon. The Cardinals (19-9, 5-1 GLIAC) pushed past the Rangers (10-20, 1-7 GLIAC) 7-3 in game one before pouring it on in a 14-6 win in six innings for game two.
Sarah Gersch continues to be the spark for SVSU on offense as she finished the afternoon 5-7 at the plate with four runs and five RBI to lead the way for the Cardinals. The senior shortstop added two stolen bases and a home run to her stat line in the 2-0 afternoon. Paige Kolinski (3-4), Olivia Sabin (3-5), Sydney Herioux (3-6), Jackie Popko (3-7), and Katelyn Pnacek (3-8) registered three hits on the afternoon. While Maddie Campagna (2-6) had two hits. Gersch, Sabin, and Campagna all hit a homerun for SVSU as well.
Game 1: Saginaw Valley State def. Parkside, 7-3
Kolinski registered three hits, a run, and an RBI in a 7-3 win over the Rangers in game one. Popko got things going with a lead-off single to center field to start the first inning. Popko then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Gersch then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Popko and jump ahead 1-0.
A bases-loaded walk by Herioux pushed Kolinski across the plate in the top half of the second inning and doubled the Cardinal advantage. Gersch then added to the score with a run in the third inning to make things 3-0.
Two runs were scored by Parkside in the bottom half of the third to cut the SVSU lead to one, 3-2. The Cardinals responded with two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to set the final score for the game. Moos hit a sacrifice fly that scored Alexis Gills before Kolinski singled to center and brought Pnacek home to push the lead to 5-2 in the middle of the fifth. The Rangers scored off a wild pitch in the bottom half for a 5-3 deficit.
Campagna busted a home run to center field to lead off the sixth inning with a score. Gersch finished things off with a double to left center that scored Popko for the final tally.
Emily Depew (W, 7-3) earned the win with another complete game where she struck out seven batters and allowed just three runs in the contest.
Game 2: Saginaw Valley State def. Parkside, 14-6 (6 Innings)
Sabin got things going in the second inning with a double to right field that scored both Paige Thomson and Sara Moos for the 2-0 lead. Campagna added a run on the following play before Sabin was brought home by a Popko single to left field for a 4-0 score. Gersch then singled and Popko made it home on a throwing error to increase the lead to 5-0. Gills then smoked a single to center field that scored Gersch to finish the six-run showing.
The Rangers scored in the bottom half of the second with a double to left center to cut the lead by one run. Parkside added two more in the third to half the deficit, 6-3.
Four more runs were tacked on in the fourth as Pnacek singled up the middle to bring home Gersch and Popko. Gills scored on a ground out on the following at-bat and Thomson singled to score Pnacek to push things to 10-3.
The Rangers scored three in the bottom of the fourth with a bases-loaded walk on three separate plays to inch closer.
The next two innings belonged to the Cardinals as Gersch hit a three-run shot to left field for her first home run of the season to extend things to 13-6. Sabin added the game-ending score with a home run to left field in the sixth as the SVSU defense ended the game early in the bottom half of the inning.
Jaclyn Groves got the start at pitcher for game two. She pitched 3.0 innings before being relieved by Alyssa Muench for a third of an inning. Margot van Eijl (W, 3-0) earned her third win of the season with 2.2 innings pitched and a strikeout while giving up no hits to wrap things up.
UP NEXT
The SVSU softball team will play on Friday, April 7, at Wayne State for another GLIAC doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m.