MIDLAND, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team continued its hot play in the 2009 GLIAC Tournament to capture the Cardinals first back-to-back championships since 1990 when the school won its third straight championship. Saginaw Valley defeated Wayne State 1-0 in the GLIAC Championship Game.

Saginaw Valley got the game only offense rolling right away in the first after Angela Kaiser (Waterford, Mich./Our Lady of the Lakes) reached first on a dropped strike three pitch. She moved over to second on a perfectly placed bunt single by Marsha Beaubien (Alpena, Mich.) to give the Cardinals runners on first and second. Both runners moved up on a Stacy Kraatz sacrifice bunt leaving runners on second and third for clean-up hitter Jessica Anhel (Oxford, Mich.). Anhel would lay down another perfectly placed bunt that would allow Kaiser to score from third on SVSU’s second sacrifice of the inning to give the Cardinals the early 1-0 lead.

Jade Fulton (Byron, Mich.) (16-5) got the start in the circle for the Cardinals picking up her 16th win on the season as she kept the Wayne State batters off balance all afternoon. Fulton allowed no runs on two hits, while striking out 4 hitters on the day.

The Cardinal are now 35-9 on the season and will return to University Center to await word on the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional. Going into the weekend Saginaw Valley was ranked fourth in the Midwest Region behind Ashland (1), Ferris State (2) and Wayne State (3).