UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team advanced to the final day of the NCAA Division II Softball Midwest Regional after a 6-1 win over Drury in the first game of day two. The Cardinals (45-12) shut out the Panthers (34-22) through five innings to take a 6-0 lead on the way to their second win in the tournament.
Macy Irelan (W, 20-5) made her first appearance on the weekend as she pitched a complete 7.0 innings to earn her 20th win of the season. Irelan sat seven batters down on strikes and surrendered just three hits and one run in the winning effort.
Mya Purdy had a great outing for SVSU bats as she went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run to aid the winning effort. Kate Pnacek (1-for-2) tied Purdy for a game-high two RBI. Ella Reifschneider (2-for-4), Olivia Elliott (2-for-2), and Emma Helvie (2-for-2) recorded two hits for the Cardinals. Reifschneider also crossed the plate for a run once. Jenna Morse was the only hitter to record more than a single in the contest with her double in the bottom of the fifth inning, which she eventually scored on.
Reifschneider singled on a bunt in the first inning to become the first Cardinal baserunner of the game. Kenzie Bromley was walked, and Elliott singled to load the bases for SVSU with just one out. Purdy then singled up the middle to score Reifschneider and give Saginaw Valley the 1-0 lead. Helvie followed suit with a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed Bromley to tag up and score, and the lead was doubled in the first inning.
Helvie singled to lead off the home half of the fourth inning. Emily Schmeltz came in as a pinch runner for Helvie and worked her way to third base. Pnacek brought her home with a single through the right side, and the lead was increased to 3-0.
The Cardinals blew it open in the fifth with Morse hitting a one-out double to right center to get into scoring position. Elliott then singled to left center to put Morse on third. Purdy hit her second RBI-single to score Morse, and the advantage moved to four. Helvie hit a single to load the bases, and Reifschneider walked in the fifth run of the game. Pnacek hit an RBI groundout for the final run of the game for SVSU.
Drury's lead-off hitter, Sophia Luetticke, hit a solo home run over the right field fence with two outs on the board in the sixth to prevent the shutout, but Irelan and the Cardinal defense secured the final four outs needed to seal the win and move on to day three of the tournament.
UP NEXT: Saginaw Valley State will meet Drury again on the final day of competition after the Panthers eliminated Findlay in the final game of today's slate. The Cardinals hold the advantage over the Panthers, as they need to be beaten twice to be eliminated. The first pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.
