ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team held on to win 5-3 over Purdue Northwest in the second game of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) tournament on Friday afternoon. The Cardinals (33-14) secured a 2-0 record in the postseason, more importantly, they still must lose twice to be eliminated.
First-Team All-GLIAC player Sarah Gersch continued to have a stellar tournament as she went 3-4 with three runs and an RBI on the afternoon. She is now 5-7 with five runs and two RBI between the two tourney contests. Fellow First-Team All-GLIAC teammate Jackie Popko went 2-3 on the day with a run while Alexis Gills (2nd-Team All-GLIAC) had the same luck at the plate while also bringing home one baserunner. Paige Kolinski (2nd-Team All-GLIAC) recorded two RBI with her lone hit of the game to help the winning cause.
Popko got things going in the bottom half of the first inning by getting on base with a walk to lead off the SVSU offensive half-inning. After stealing second, Popko made it home with a double by Gersch and the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead. Gersch then added to the lead two plays later on a ground-out play during Kolinski's at-bat that put things at 2-0.
An RBI double to center field put a run on the board for the Pride in the second as the SVSU lead was cut in half on the play.
Two additional runs were added by the Cardinals in the bottom half of the third inning. The first came on a triple to right field from Gills that scored Gersch. Kolinski then doubled to left field to score Gills on the ensuing play and Saginaw Valley enjoyed a 4-1 advantage after three innings.
A big fourth inning for Purdue Northwest started with a home run to center field at the lead-off spot before a sacrifice fly on the second out brought the Pride within one run of tying the score, 4-3 before the Cardinals could get out of the inning.
A throwing error in the bottom of the fifth inning brought Gersch across the plate and gave SVSU the insurance run which would turn out to be the final score of the game, 5-3, as the Cardinals advance to day three unscathed.
Emily Depew (W, 15-6) continued her fantastic play in the circle as she pitched all seven innings, striking out seven Pride hitters and allowing just three runs for the win.
UP NEXT
The SVSU softball team will now face the only other unbeaten team in the GLIAC Tournament in sixth-seeded Wisconsin Parkside. The Rangers upset top-seeded Grand Valley State on day one before a come-from-behind win over Ferris State today that eliminated the Bulldogs from the postseason. The Cardinals and Parkside will meet in the most important game of the tournament thus far as the winner gets a free pass to the championship on Sunday. This game will kick off tomorrow's triple header at 12:00 p.m., EST.