UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team clinched its third consecutive GLIAC Regular Season Championship with a sweep of Wayne State in the final home doubleheader on Friday afternoon. The Cardinals (33-13, 22-4 GLIAC) won 9-0 in five innings over the Warriors (16-30, 8-17 GLIAC) in game one before winning 4-2 in comeback fashion in the nightcap.
GAME 1: SVSU 9 – WSU 0 (5 Innings)
SVSU got up early with five runs in the first inning and never looked back in game one. After sitting WSU down in order to start the game, Aalana Kimble (Kentwood, Mich. / East Kentwood HS) (W, 16-7) got the offense going with a lead off double to left center. Ella Reifschneider got on base with a bunt single that moved Kimble to third base.
Mya Purdy (Chelsea, Mich. / Chelsea HS) put the first runs up with a double to left field that scored both baserunners and gave Saginaw Valley the 2-0 lead with no outs.
Olivia Elliott (Baroda, Mich. / Berrien Springs HS) punched in Purdy on an infield single and the lead increased to three.
A bases loaded walk brought in another run and Faith Maloney (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota HS) singled up the middle to score Kenzie Bromley (Petoskey, Mich. / Petosky HS) for the final run of the opening frame.
Four more runs were added in the third, beginning with an RBI double from Maloney that scored Kate Pnacek (Coleman, Mich. / Coleman HS). Emma Bolding (Greenfield, Ind. / Eastern Hancock HS) singled to right center to scored Maloney and the gap widened to 7-0.
Purdy brought in the final two runs with a single to center field to close out the third inning, and the SVSU defense led by Kimble rolled to the shutout victory after the fifth.
Kimble, Purdy, and Maloney led with two hits apiece. Maloney was a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored. Kimble was 2-for-3 with two runs, and Purdy finished 2-for-3 with a team-best four RBI. Kimble got her 16th win of the season in the circle after allowing just one hit and striking out five Warrior batters.
GAME 2: SVSU 4 – WSU 2
Game two was much tighter with neither team finding success offensively through the first three innings. Wayne State broke the deadlock in the fourth inning with a leadoff home run to left field for a 1-0 lead.
The margin would expand to 2-0 in the fifth after a groundout scored a runner from third.
The SVSU bats woke up in the sixth with Pnacek hitting a lead off single to start the inning. Kimble added a double that put runners on second and third with just one out before Ella Reifschneider (Hudsonville, Mich. / Hudsonville HS) singled to load the bases.
A dropped fly in center field was the difference in the game as three runs came across the plate to flip the advantage to the Cardinals, 3-2.
Bromley put the insurance run on the board with a double to right center that scored Jenna Morse (Bay City, Mich. / Bay City Central HS) to put the score at 4-2 with one three outs needed to complete the sweep.
Those outs came quickly with three infield groundouts securing the win for SVSU in the seventh.
Kimble, Reifschneider, Elliott, Bromley, and Pnacek recorded a hit in game two. Bromley tallied the only RBI for the Cardinals in the win.
Macy Irelan (Owosso, Mich. / Owosso HS) (W, 14-4) got the start and the win in the circle after going 6.0 innings with three hits, one earned run, and six strikeouts. Kimble (Sv, 1) entered in the seventh inning to close things out and earn her first save of the season.
UP NEXT: Saginaw Valley State will conclude the 2026 regular season with the final conference doubleheader at Wayne State tomorrow (May 2) beginning at 1:00 p.m. (ET).
