SANDUSKY. Ohio – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team was eliminated from the 2021 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, falling in the first game of day two to Purdue University Northwest Wednesday in Sandusky, Ohio.

The Pride got a two-out-three-run triple in the sixth inning to move in front and held off the Cardinals. The 3-2 loss moves SVSU to 29-17 overall in 2021.

SVSU led 1-0 from the bottom of the first until the sixth as Julia Salisbury opened the scoring for the Cardinals with an RBI single. After the Pride moved in front, Salisbury cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the sixth with her second RBI of the game.

Emily Depew (10-4) was outstanding for the Cardinals on the mound. She tossed all seven innings, allowing three runs, all unearned, on seven hits, walking one and striking out eight.

The Cardinals will wait to find out if they will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA DII Regionals. SVSU was rated fifth in the Midwest Region when the last rankings were released on May 2. Six teams from each region will be invited to the tournament, with automatic bids and at-large berths making up the field.