April 29, 2011
Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)
University Center, Mich. - Saginaw Valley State won both games of a GLIAC twinbill over Grand Valley State on Friday afternoon (Apr. 29), as the Cardinals swept GVSU in University Center, Mich. SVSU won a pitcher's duel in the opener, 2-0, before winning 13-3 in the nightcap over the Lakers. It was just the second time all season - and the first time since Mar. 7 - that GVSU lost consecutive games.
The matchup featured two of the top teams in the Midwest Region, as Grand Valley State entered the doubleheader as the second seed in the latest regional rankings, while SVSU was ranked sixth. After the twinbill, GVSU is 37-10 overall and 23-7 in GLIAC play, while the Cardinals are 31-14 on the year and 18-8 in the conference.
Game one featured little offense, as GVSU's Andrea Nicholson and SVSU's Jade Fulton both pitched very well. Saginaw Valley State pushed a run across the plate in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI single from Marcy Medina and added a run in the third inning on consecutive doubles. Kaitlyn Kenyon's double followed Ashley Coffin's two-bagger and put the Cardinals up 2-0.
Those would be the only runs Fulton would need, as she improved to 20-7 by allowing just three hits in seven innings of work. She did not walk a batter and struck out 11 Lakers. On the unlucky side of the loss was Nicholson, who drops to 17-3 this season. She gave up two runs on six hits in six innings in the circle. Nicholson struck out two batters and induced nine groundouts and six outs in the air.
GVSU led off a pair of innings with base hits, as freshman Miranda Cleary singled up the middle in the second and sophomore Katie Martin did the same to lead off the fourth. Cleary moved to third base before being stranded and the Lakers were unable to pick up a base hit in the final three innings. Briauna Taylor's bunt single in the first inning was the other GVSU base hit, as all three players were 1-for-3 in the opener.
In game two, Saginaw Valley State exploded for eight runs in the top of the first inning, with the big blows coming on a two-run double and then a three-run triple later in the frame. The Cardinals added one run in the second inning and four more in the third on a three-run homer to up their advantage to 13-0.
GVSU got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning with three runs. Junior Becky Gill led off with a pinch-hit single up the middle, which was followed by Cleary's single to right field. Two batters later, sophomore catcher Emily Holt homered to left center field for her second home run this season to make the score 13-3.
Martin was 1-for-3 offensively in game two, but took the loss in the nightcap, falling to 10-5 on the year. She allowed five runs (four earned) in one third of an inning pitched. Fulton again picked up the win for SVSU, tossing three innings of one-hit ball, while striking out five batters in improving to 21-7. Junior Maggie Kerrigan had the other Lakers' base hit, a leadoff single to center in the fifth inning.
The Lakers and Saginaw Valley State will meet again on Saturday afternoon (Apr. 30) at 1:00 p.m. in University Center, Mich. for two more GLIAC games.
