UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team clinched the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular season Championship with a 3-2 win in game one over Ferris State on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (36-10, 21-3 GLIAC) split with the Bulldogs (24-14, 13-9 GLIAC) after FSU took game two 7-3.
GAME 1: SVSU 3 – Ferris State 2
Aalana Kimble (W, 16-3) earned the win with her 12th complete game of the season after 7.0 innings of work. Kimble sat down three FSU hitters on strikes while surrendering four hits and two runs in the contest. She also led the team offensively with two hits in her three at-bats, with one run scored and a walk. Five other Cardinals recorded a hit.
Ella Schneider brought the deadlock with a solo home run (her fourth HR of the season) to left center to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning and give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. Kate Pnacek singled up the middle to get on base. She moved to second on a walk by Natalie Savage. Pnacek moved to third on a fielder's choice that saw Savage out at second and put runners in the corners with two outs. Jenna Morse was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Kenzie Bromley was walked to score Pnacek and double the SVSU lead. Olivia Elliott then walked after a pitching change to score a second run on balls, and the Cardinals held a 3-0 lead after the fourth inning.
The Bulldogs made things interesting in the top half of the sixth inning with two runs on a hit and an SVSU error to trim the lead to just one run. A Cardinal error gave Ella McDonald first base to lead off the inning with a Ferris State baserunner. McDonald was called safe at second base on a fielder's choice play, and a sacrifice bunt moved both Abby Meyer and McDonald to scoring position with just one out. Alexis Kozlowski then hit a two-RBI single for the 3-2 score after the sixth inning.
Ferris State threatened in the seventh inning with Emma Gillard hitting a single to center field to lead off the final inning with a baserunner. Gillard then stole second before an SVSU error put Maddie Gkekas on first. A sacrifice bunt moved Gillard and Gkekas to scoring position, but Gillard was thrown out at home in a run down for the second out of the inning. Kimble clinched the GLIAC regular season championship with a swinging strikeout of Bulldog pitcher Cecilia Bell.
GAME 2: Ferris State 7 – SVSU 3
Grace Schloop (L, 0-2) got the start in game two and finished with 5.0 innings pitched with two strikeouts. Delaney Conley came in for the final two innings of relief and sat down one Bulldog on strikes.
Pnacek was the leader in game two with two hits in her three at-bats. She added an RBI to her stat line to finish the day 3-for-6 with a run and an RBI. Morse, Faith Maloney, Lillia Sherman, Purdy, Reifschneider, and Evelynn Rybicki picked up hits for SVSU in game two.
Ferris State left two runners on base in the top half of the third inning, while the Cardinals loaded the bases in the home half, but neither team could crack the scoreless deadlock going into the fourth.
The Bulldogs capitalized on two hits and two SVSU errors to put four runs on the board in the top of the fourth and grab a 4-0 lead.
Sherman singled in the bottom of the fourth to get on base before Campbell Kloack walked to put two runners on with one out. A fielder's choice punched out Kloack at second but put runners on the corners with Sherman at third and Reifschneider on first. Pnacek then singled up the middle to score Sherman and cut the deficit to 4-1 with four innings played.
An RBI-single to right by Gkekas in the top of the fifth put another run up for the Bulldogs as the visitors held a 5-1 lead.
Paige Antcliff singled in the sixth inning to push two more FSU runners across the plate, and Ferris State held a 7-1 advantage with one inning left to play.
Morse hit a one-out double to left center to get on base for the Cardinals. Emily Schmeltz and Elliott both walked to load the bases for SVSU. Purdy hit an infield single to score Morse and trim the lead to five runs with only one out. Schneider reached base on an error by the Bulldog shortstop and Schmeltz scored a run to put the score at 7-3. The final two chances for SVSU to tie or walk it off came from Reifschneider and Pnacek. Reifschneider fouled out to third base for the second out, and Pnacek hit a ball to deep right center, but Gillard was there to make the catch and close out game two for Ferris State.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals have six more games to close out the regular season, four are GLIAC contests. SVSU will make the short trip to Midland to face Northwood on Tuesday, April 22, beginning at 3:00 p.m. (ET). Saginaw Valley State will close out the final weekend with a doubleheader at Grand Valley State on Friday, April 25, and Purdue Northwest on Saturday, April 26.
