UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University started GLIAC play with a sweep over Davenport on Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals (15-7, 2-0 GLIAC) won game one 8-0 in six innings before exploding for a 15-0 win in five innings for game two. SVSU hit five home runs in the two games against the Panthers (11-13, 2-2 GLIAC) including three in game one and two in game two.
GAME 1: SVSU 8 – DU 0 (6 Innings)
Following a clean first inning, Mya Purdy got things going with a two-run home run to left field in the bottom half of the second inning to put Saginaw Valley up 2-0 with no outs. Ella Reifschneider hit a two-out double down the left-field line and Natalie Savage brought her home with a double in the same spot to increase the lead to 3-0 after two.
Macy Irelan (W, 6-3) got off to a hot start in her home debut for the Cardinals as she struck out six of the first 10 Davenport batters she faced through the first three innings.
Jenna Morse singled through the left side to lead off the bottom half of the third. Olivia Elliott scored Morse with a two-run blast to left field that ended up in Braddock Field and doubled the Cardinal advantage to 4-0.
Saginaw Valley State added a run in the next three innings to end the game early with an 8-0 gap after the sixth inning. Morse added an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to score Reifschneider and Emma Helvie doubled to right center to score Purdy to put the score at 7-0 through six.
Lauren Evans put the nail in the coffin with her first career home run to left field to walk off game one. Evans scored her first career run and RBI in the winning effort.
Reifschneider was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk and two runs. Morse finished with two hits in her three at-bats while scoring a run and collecting an RBI. Helvie, Reifschneider, and Savage hit doubles. Evans, Elliott, and Purdy recorded home runs.
Irelan finished with eight strikeouts and allowed just one hit in the fifth inning to complete her ninth game of the season.
GAME 2: SVSU 15 – DU 0 (5 Innings)
The Cardinal bats exploded in game two as Purdy hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first to allow SVSU to hop to a quick 4-0 lead with just one out. Kenzie Bromley hit a home run to center field with two outs and pushed the advantage to 5-0. Saginaw Valley State batted around as Aalana Kimble hit a single to third base in her second at-bat of the inning to score two more and extend the lead to 7-0.
SVSU batted around in the second inning as Evans walked to lead things off and grounded out for the third out later in the inning. Three Davenport errors extended the inning, and the Cardinals put up five runs to move ahead 12-0 after two.
Another Panther error in the third scored Campbell Kloack and widened the gap to 13. Emma Bolding added a run in the fourth with a single to center and a wild pitch with the bases loaded scored Kimble for the final run of the afternoon.
Kimble (W, 6-2) got the win in the circle in game two as she went three innings with four strikeouts to earn her sixth win of the season. She also finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and two RBI while also crossing the plate twice herself. Bromley went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Schneider finished with a hit in both of her at-bats while scoring once and bringing another two home. Reifschneider finished her day going 1-for-1 with two runs and a walk in game two. Her two-game showing had her reach base in all five of her at-bats as she was 3-for-3 with four runs and two walks.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals begin a three-date road trip, beginning with a doubleheader at Wayne State on Wednesday, March 26 at 3:30 p.m. (ET).
