ROSEMONT, ILL. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team captured its third-straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Championship in spectacular fashion on Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals (34-20) entered the day needing to beat Grand Valley State twice to earn the crown and did so with a 7-1 win in the first game and a 2-1 victory in the second.
GAME 1 – SVSU 7 – GVSU 1
Ella Reifschneider got the SVSU bats going in the top of the first inning with a single to second base. She moved into scoring position with a steal before Sara Moos and Olivia Sabin were walked to load the bases. The Cardinals capitalized on the opportunity, scoring a run on a fielder's choice on Maddie Campagna's at-bat to bring Reifschneider across the plate for the 1-0 lead. Mya Purdy then singled and advanced to second on the throw while Sabin scored to double the advantage in the first inning.
Aalana Kimble (W, 7-7) started in the circle for SVSU and went the distance to claim her seventh complete game of the season. Kimble allowed six hits and only one run while striking out three in the winning effort.
The Cardinals kept the momentum alive in the second as Alyssa Muench walked to lead off the inning. Reifschneider hit a single through the left side and Muench moved into scoring position at second base. Kimble brought Natalie Savage, pinch running for Muench, home with a single and SVSU led 3-0. Moos hit a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed Reifschneider to add a fourth run to the scoreboard.
Sydney Herioux scored in the fourth inning off another sacrifice fly to right field from Moos and the score sat at 5-0 in favor of Saginaw Valley State.
Purdy singled up the middle and moved to second on a stolen base in the fifth inning to set up Emma Helvie with an RBI single to right field on the next play. Herioux brought Marissa Beck home on a groundout and the score moved to 7-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Lakers scored their lone run with three consecutive singles, but the Cardinal defense stiffened and forced a deciding game two.
Reifschneider continued her terrific season at the plate as she went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to help lead SVSU to the win. Kimble contributed two hits in her four appearances and Purdy finished 2-for-4 with a run and RBI. Moos had a team-high two RBI.
GAME 2 – SVSU 2 – GVSU 1
Emily Depew (Sv 1) would get the start for the Cardinals in the winner-take-all game two. She pitched the first five innings of play and allowed five hits and one run while striking out six batters before being relieved by Kimble (W, 8-7) who earned the win after one inning of work.
The teams played through five scoreless innings before GVSU got a baserunner on third and hit a sacrifice fly to right field to gain the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth.
Campagna walked to lead off the seventh and would score on Sabin's triple with one out to tie the game at one run apiece. Marissa Beck was put at third to pinch run for Sabin and made the game-winning play to steal home after the Laker's pitcher turned her back to the plate following a walk of Emma Helvie and the Cardinals took the 2-1 lead in the final frame.
Depew would re-enter in the bottom of the seventh and earned the save with a strikeout, her seventh of the game, to record the final out and secure the third-consecutive GLIAC Tournament Championship for SVSU.
Sabin registered two hits including her RBI triple that tied the game and set up the game-winning stolen base in the seventh. Reifschneider and Moos recorded a hit in the game as well.
UP NEXT
With the win, the Cardinal softball team earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Softball Championships and will await the announcement from the NCAA Selection Show airing tomorrow at 10 AM EST on NCAA.com to see which regional site they will travel to this week.