HAMMOND, Ind. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team split with Purdue Northwest on Friday afternoon. The Cardinals (19-9, 9-1 GLIAC) suffered their first loss in conference play with a 5-2 defeat in game one against the Pride (19-15, 5-5 GLIAC). SVSU retaliated in game two with a dominant 13-1 win in game two.
GAME 1: PNW 5 – SVSU 2
Emma Helvie (Markle, Ind. / Huntington North HS) hit a home run in the top of the first to score a run and bring Aalana Kimble (Kentwood, Mich. / East Kentwood HS) home for a 2-0 lead.
An error by Saginaw Valley in the bottom of the second brought a PNW baserunner home, and the lead was trimmed to 2-1.
A home run by the Pride in the fourth scored two runs, and the home team took a 3-2 lead with three innings of play remaining in game one.
The Cardinals threatened in the fifth with runners on the corners, but PNW escaped with the lead after forcing a fly out to left field for the third out.
A second home run for the Pride in the sixth widened the gap to 4-2 before a single scored another later in the frame for the 5-2 final score.
Ella Reifschneider (Hudsonville, Mich. / Hudsonville HS) led with two hits in her three at-bats. Helvie had two RBI in game one to lead the team in scoring. Olivia Elliott (Baroda, Mich. / Berrien Springs HS) and Mya Purdy (Chelsea, Mich. / Chelsea HS) recorded a hit in the game.
Kimble (L, 12-9) got the start in the circle and went 4.0 innings, while surrendering six hits and three earned runs. Delaney Conley (Gladwin, Mich. / Gladwin HS) and Makenzie Cammenga (Hudsonville, Mich. / Hudsonville Unity Christian HS) entered in relief. Conley walked two and got a third out before Cammenga entered and completed 1.2 innings, striking out two PNW hitters.
GAME 2: SVSU 13 – PNW 1 (5 Innings)
Helvie got things going again in game two with a single through the left side that scored Reifschneider and put SVSU up 1-0. Helvie advanced to third on an error and a fielder's choice before swiping home plate to double the advantage. The third run of the first inning came on a single to right field by Lauren Evans (Schoolcraft, Mich. / Schoolcraft HS) that brought Kenzie Bromley (Petoskey, Mich. / Petoskey HS) home.
Helvie struck again in the second with an RBI double to left field that scored Reifschneider for a second time and Purdy to increase the lead to 5-0.
Kate Pnacek (Coleman, Mich. / Coleman HS) got in on the scoring with a single up the middle to bring Bromley home again. Purdy then singled on a bunt to score Jenna Morse (Bay City, Mich. / Bay City Central HS), and the Cardinals led 7-0 after three.
The final flurry came in the sixth inning when SVSU tallied six more runs to go up 13-0. Emily Schmeltz (Union, Ky. / Cooper HS) scored on a Bromley groundout, Evelynn Rybicki (Freeland, Mich. / Freeland HS) scored on an error in left field, and Morse and Evans scored on a double from Pnacek to put the score at 11-0. Another error gave up another run, and the final tally came on a groundout to Helvie.
The Pride scored once in the bottom of the fifth with a single to right field, but the game was ended early after back-to-back pop outs.
Helvie, Morse, Pnacek, and Purdy led the bats in game two with two hits each. Helvie had a team-best four RBI in the game, while Pnacek finished with three herself. Four Cardinals (Reifschneider, Bromley, Morse, and Purdy) scored two runs in the winning effort.
Macy Irelan (W, 8-4) struck out two PNW batters in her four innings of work to earn her eighth win of the season. Cammenga entered in the fifth to close the game out and gave up two hits and no runs in the win.
UP NEXT: Saginaw Valley State will remain on the road for a GLIAC doubleheader against Grand Valley State tomorrow (April 4) beginning at 3:00 p.m. (ET).