UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Sagnaw Valley State University softball team split the GLIAC doubleheader against Grand Valley State at home on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (29-13, 18-4 GLIAC) dropped a tightly contested first game 3-2 before rolling to a 10-0 win after five innings of play in game two.
GAME 1: GVSU 3 – SVSU 2
Aalana Kimble (Kentwood, Mich. / East Kentwood HS) hit a lead off single up the middle to stat things off for SVSU. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt before scoring two plays later when Olivia Elliott (Baroda, Mich. / Berrien Springs HS) blasted a two-run home run over the left-field fence to put SVSU up 2-0 early.
GVSU battled back in the fifth inning with a two-run double down the left-field line that knotted things up with just two innings left to play.
The final run of the game happened as a result of an SVSU error in the top half of the seventh and it gave Grand Valley State the run it needed to win.
Macy Irelan (Owosso, Mich. / Owosso HS) got the start inside the circle for the Cardinals. She went 4.1 innings and allowed four hits and two runs while striking out two Lakers. Kimble (L, 13-7) was granted the loss in relief. Kimble went 2.2 innings with one hit and four strikeouts in the losing effort.
Kimble also led the team in hitting, going 2-for-4 from the plate with a run scored. Mya Purdy (Chelsea, Mich. / Chelsea HS) also tallied two hits in the game.
GAME 2: SVSU 10 – GVSU 0 (5 Innings)
SVSU got it rolling early in game two with half of the team's runs in the first inning. Kimble singled to left field to lead off on base. She moved over on a bunt single by Ella Reifschneider (Hudsonville, Mich. / Hudsonville HS) and then scored on an RBI single to center field by Purdy for the early 1-0 advantage.
Elliott then singled to left field to load the bases for Kenzie Bromley (Petoskey, Mich. / Petoskey HS). Bromley took advantage and hit a bomb over the right center fence for the grand slam to grow the lead to 5-0 in the opening frame.
The SVSU defense settled in and kept the Lakers from threatening through the first three innings of play.
Kate Pnacek (Coleman, Mich. / Coleman HS) extended the lead to 6-0 in the bottom half of the third with a single to right center that scored Bromley and moved Faith Maloney (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota HS) to third base, but GVSU stopped the two-out run on the next play.
A throwing error by the Lakers gave Reifschneider first base while Kimble scored on the play to push things to 7-0. Elliott then doubled down the left-field line to score Reifschneider and the margin widened to eight.
Ella Schneider (Southfield, Mich. / Berkley HS) tallied an RBI groundout to grow the advantage to 9-0. Maloney finished things off with an RBI single to left field to score Bromley for the 10-0 lead through four.
GVSU put runners on the corners with one out in the fifth in an attempt to rally, but a pop up double play to second base ended the game early and split the doubleheader for the afternoon.
Kimble (W, 14-7) earned the win after pitching all five innings. She surrendered five hits, but no runs in the shutout victory. She also led offensively, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs scored in game two.
Three other SVSU batters recorded two hits with Elliott and Maloney ending 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Bromley going 2-for-2 with three runs scored, four RBI, and a walk.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals return home tomorrow (April 26) for a GLIAC doubleheader against Purdue Northwest beginning at 1:00 p.m. (ET).
