DETROIT – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team split its final GLIAC doubleheader of the season at Wayne State on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (34-14, 23-5 GLIAC) fell to the Warriors (17-32, 9-19 GLIAC), 3-2, in game one before shutting out WSU, 8-0, in game two for the split.
GAME 1: WSU 3 – SVSU 2
SVSU took an early 1-0 lead after Olivia Elliott (Baroda, Mich. / Berrien Springs HS) hit an RBI single through the right side with two outs that scored Ella Reifschneider (Hudsonville, Mich. / Hudsonville HS).
Wayne State threatened in the home half of the first with a runner on third, but a groundout collected the third out before the Warriors could capitalize and tie things up.
The lead was doubled after a passed ball scored Mya Purdy (Chelsea, Mich. / Chelsea HS) at the top of the fifth inning. Again, WSU moved a runner to third in the bottom of the frame but couldn't score before the third out was registered.
The Warriors broke the scoreless streak in the sixth inning with an RBI single down the third-base line that trimmed the deficit to 2-1. A single to center field on the next at-bat loaded the bases, and a Cardinal error surrendered the tying run. A second SVSU error scored another, and the advantage flipped to Wayne State, 3-2, with one inning left.
Purdy reached third at the top of the seventh with just one out. Emily Beckas (Troy, Mich. / Avondale HS) singled and then stole second to put the winning run in scoring position. Kenzie Bromley (Petoskey, Mich. / Petoskey HS) walked to load the bases, but a strikeout and a flyout sealed the win for Wayne State.
Purdy (2-for-4), Elliott (2-for-2), and Bromley (2-for-3) led offensively with two hits apiece. Purdy scored a run, and Elliott tallied the team's only RBI in game one.
Aalana Kimble (Kentwood, Mich. / East Kentwood HS) (L, 16-8) struck out one batter in her 6.0 innings of work.
GAME 2: SVSU 8 – WSU 0
Game two remained scoreless through the first two innings of play. Lillia Sherman (Millington, Mich. / Millington HS) put the first run on the board with a sacrifice fly to left center that scored Emma Helvie (Markle, Ind. / Huntington North HS). Elliott followed with a three-run home run to left field that increased the lead to 4-0 after three innings of play.
A double steal in the sixth inning scored Sherman and extended the lead to 5-0. Kate Pnacek (Coleman, Mich. / Coleman HS) then singled to center field to score Evelynn Rybicki (Freeland, Mich. / Freeland HS) for the six-run lead heading into the final inning.
Rybicki brought Emma Bolding (Greenfield, Ind. / Eastern Hancock HS) home with a single to center in the top half of the seventh inning. A drop fly ball scored the final run of the game, and the Cardinals earned the final three outs to secure the 8-0 win.
Elliott had another stellar performance, going 3-for-3 in game two with three RBI and a run scored. She finished the afternoon 5-for-5 with four RBI. Pnacek recorded two hits in her three at-bats and added another RBI to the team total. Sherman and Rybicki recorded a hit, with Sherman scoring twice.
Delaney Conley (Gladwin, Mich. / Gladwin HS) (W, 3-0) took advantage of her first start of the season by going the full 7.0 innings and earning the shutout win to improve to 3-0. She surrendered seven hits and gave up no runs while sitting four Warrior batters down on strikes.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals close the regular season with a 34-14 overall record and a 23-5 mark in the GLIAC. It is the fifth consecutive 30+ win season and the second straight 20-win conference effort. SVSU has won the last three GLIAC regular season titles and looks to win the fifth-straight conference tournament next weekend. The GLIAC tournament is set to begin Thursday, May 7, in Crown Point, Indiana. The Cardinals earned the top seed and will play the winner of game one on Friday, May 8, at Noon (ET). The tournament seeding and day one matchups will be announced tomorrow, once all teams have completed their regular-season games.