INDIANAPOLIS – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team suffered its first setback in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional with a 6-4 loss to Indianapolis on Friday afternoon. The Cardinals (39-15) bounced back to beat Ashland 3-2 in the second elimination game of the day (Ashland eliminated Tiffin in game two of the day) and advance to the finals to face the Greyhounds (58-5) tomorrow in the final.
Game 1: UINDY 6 – SVSU 4
UIndy took a 3-0 lead after three hits and an error by SVSU in the bottom of the second inning. A double to left center field by Shelby Cook scored two runs before a passed ball scored a third for UIndy.
The Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth inning, and Natalie Savage (Howell, Mich. / Howell HS) hit a bases-clearing triple to right-center field to knot things up, 3-3.
A two-run home run to left center field in the bottom of the fifth had the Greyhounds back in the lead, 5-3, with two innings left to play. A sacrifice fly to center field in the sixth widened the gap to 6-3 in favor of the hosts.
Faith Maloney (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota HS) got a two-out rally started for the Cardinals with a double to right center to get into scoring position. Lillia Sherman (Millington, Mich. / Millington HS) reached first on a fielder's choice as the attempted out at third was not in time, and SVSU had runners on the corners.
Olivia Elliott (Baroda, Mich. / Berrien Springs HS) then singled through the right side to score Ella Reifschneider (Hudsonville, Mich. / Hudsonville HS) to trim the lead to 6-4, where it would stay after the final out of the game.
Savage led SVSU with two hits and a team-best three RBI in the game. Aalana Kimble (Kentwood, Mich. / East Kentwood HS) finished 2-for-4 from the plate. She started in the circle for the Cardinals as well. She surrendered three hits and one earned run with two strikeouts in her two innings of work. She was relieved by Macy Irelan (Owosso, Mich. / Owosso HS) (L, 17-5), who pitched the final five innings. Irelan gave up five hits and three earned runs while sitting down four Greyhounds on strikes in the losing effort.
Game 2: SVSU 3 – Ashland 2
The Cardinals got going early, loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the third, but stranded all three with a flyout to right field to keep the game scoreless through the first frame.
Savage got on base in the second with an infield single off a bunt with two down in the inning. Kimble then doubled to right center to score Savage and advance to third on the throw home to give the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead.
Kate Pnacek (Coleman, Mich. / Coleman HS) doubled the advantage with a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the third.
Emma Helvie (Markle, Ind. / Huntington North HS) followed suit in the bottom of the fourth with a lead-off solo home run to left center that put SVSU ahead 3-0 with three innings left to play.
The Eagles (33-19) battled back in the fifth with two runs on four hits and an SVSU error. A single down the left field line with two runners on base scored a run. A single up the middle on the ensuing at-bat scored another, and Ashland trimmed the deficit to a single run, 3-2.
Macy Irelan (Sv, 2) entered in the sixth inning for a save situation and shut the Eagles down. She struck out the first batter she faced before giving up a single to left field. Irelan responded with a second swinging strikeout to end the top half of the inning.
Two more Ashland hitters would sit on strikes in the seventh, before a flyout to left field sealed the win for SVSU.
Helvie led at the plate with two hits in her three at-bats. She finished with an RBI and a run scored in the game. Kimble (W, 18-8) earned her 18th win in the circle after going 5.0 innings and giving up five hits but just two earned runs in her appearance. Offensively, Kimble tallied a hit and recorded an RBI. Pnacek and Savage also recorded hits with Pnacek adding a run and an RBI to her stat line, while Savage scored a run.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals will meet UIndy tomorrow in the NCAA D2 Midwest Regional Finals beginning at noon (ET). SVSU will need to beat the Greyhounds twice to move on to the Super Regionals next week.
