MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team took two games from Barry in Miami Shores on Friday. The Cardinals (11-3) won game one 2-1 before earning a second close win of 3-2 after eight innings for the nightcap.
GAME 1: SVSU 2 – Barry 1
Aalana Kimble reached base on a fielder's choice and then stole second base to move into scoring position with two outs in the top half of the second inning. Olivia Elliott doubled to right center field to score Kimble and give the Cardinals the 1-0 lead.
Macy Irelan (W, 4-2) sat seven Barry batters down on strikes before the Buccaneers scored off an SVSU error in the bottom half of the fifth to knot things up at one run each.
Elliott broke the tie in the top half of the seventh inning with what would be the game-winning run on a solo home run to left center for a 2-1 lead.
Elliott led the way for the Cardinals with two hits, a run, and both RBI to help earn SVSU the win. Emma Helvie, Kenzie Bromley, and Kimble recorded hits. Kimble tallied the other run.
Irelan finished her sixth complete game of the season with 11 strikeouts. She gave up two hits and a 1.03 ERA for the contest. It was her fifth game recording 10 or more K's in a single game.
GAME 2: SVSU 3 – Barry 2 (8 Innings)
Barry broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning with a single up the middle that scored an unearned run due to a throwing error by SVSU.
Ella Schneider hit her first home run of the season over the left field fence to put a run up on the board for the Cardinals, tying the game, in the top of the sixth inning.
In the seventh, both defenses completed three-up, three-down showings, pushing the game to extra innings to decide a winner.
A Buccaneer error put Kate Pnacek on base and a wild pitch moved her to scoring position before Lillia Sherman singled up the middle to bring Pnacek home and SVSU held a 2-1 advantage. Kimble finished things off with a two-out single through the right side to score Sherman and the Cardinals got an insurance run that would prove to pay off.
Barry managed one run due to an error putting the lead-off hitter on base, but SVSU stopped the rally short to earn the one-run decision.
Sherman, Schneider, and Kimble each had a hit and an RBI in game two to extend the unbeaten streak to 10. Kimble (W, 4-0) earned her fourth win in the circle after finishing her third complete game. She gave up four hits and no earned runs while striking out three batters in the winning effort.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals head to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a doubleheader against 25th-ranked Nova Southeastern tomorrow (March 8). The first pitch of game one is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. (ET).