DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team suffered two close defeats to 11th-ranked North Georgia on Saturday.
The Cardinals (1-3) rallied back from a 10-2 deficit in game one but fell short to the Nighthawks (11-4) in a 16-14 decision before a walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning ended game two with a 4-3 win for NGU.
GAME 1: North Georgia 16 – SVSU 14
Lillia Sherman gave SVSU the 2-0 lead in the first inning with a single to left field that brought Aalana Kimble and Jenna Morse across home plate.
North Georgia used a nine-run, six-hit bottom half of the opening inning to flip the advantage to its side early. The lead was extended to 10-2 in the second inning off a double to right field that brought a runner home.
Evelynn Rybicki walked in the third with the bases loaded to score Kimble and trim the margin to seven runs, 10-3. Emily Schmeltz walked with two outs and the bases still loaded to score Olivia Elliott before Jenna Morse hit a grand slam for four more runs that completed a six-run showing in the third inning and put the score at 10-8.
A triple and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third pushed the lead to six runs, 14-8 with four innings left to play.
The Nighthawks tallied another run in the fourth off a single up the middle to push the advantage to seven, but Mya Purdy hit a three-run home run to left center in the fifth that cut into the gap and had the Cardinals down 15-11.
An error by SVSU gave a final run to NGU in the sixth. Sherman hit a home run with two outs in the top half of the seventh to score Kimble and Morse and bring the Cardinals within two of tying the game, but North Georgia recorded the final out to hold onto the win.
Sherman was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate to bring four runners home and also score two runs herself. Morse and Kimble finished with three hits each. Morse scored three times and tallied four RBI while Kimble scored three times.
Grace Schloop (W, 0-1) pitched 3.2 innings and was awarded the loss in the circle. Kimble pitched 2.0 innings in relief and struck out two batters in the contest.
GAME 2: Norther Georgia 4 – SVSU 3
The Cardinals broke the deadlock in the third inning with two runs on one hit in the top half of the frame. Helvie got on base with a double to right field before advancing to third on an error by the Nighthawks.
Natalie Savage then walked to put runners on the corners before advancing on a wild pitch. Evelynn Rybicki walked to load the bases on the next play.
Jenna Morse was then hit by a pitch to score Emma Helvie and SVSU hopped out to a 1-0 lead. A sacrifice fly by Kimble brought Savage home for the second run in the inning.
A two-out triple scored two runs for North Georgia in the bottom half of the same inning to knot things up.
The Nighthawks took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run down the right-field line.
Olivia Elliott answered in the sixth with her second home run in as many days to tie the score at three runs each with one inning left to play.
NGU stole the win on a solo home run down the left-field line with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Helvie led the Cardinals with two hits while scoring one run. Elliott and Kimble recorded two RBI for SVSU.
Macy Irelan (L, 0-2) went the distance in game two with 6.2 innings pitched. Irelan recorded her second straight 10-strikeout performance after sitting 10 Nighthawk hitters in the game.
UP NEXT: The SVSU softball team will travel to Florida for the Spring Break games next week. The Cardinals will face Bridgeport on the first day, Saturday, March 1 in two games beginning at 3:00 p.m. (ET).