Softball Drops Pair of GLIAC Games At Saginaw Valley

OVERVIEW – SAGINAW VALLEY 

SCORES: Saginaw Valley Cardinals 14, Northwood Timberwolves 13; Saginaw Valley 10, Northwood 2

RECORDS: Northwood 18-17 (6-12 GLIAC), Saginaw Valley 19-17 (10-8 GLIAC)

LOCATION: SVSU Softball Complex – University Center, Mich.

RECAP:  Northwood drops a pair of GLIAC games at Saginaw Valley Sunday (April 22).

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

• The Timberwolves struck first in the top of the first on Abby Joseph's RBI single.
• Saginaw Valley added a home run and a two-run RBI to go up 3-1 after the first inning.
• In the top of the second with runners on first and second, Meghan Franz hit a run-scoring RBI single to make it 3-2.
• The Cardinals erupted offensively, scoring 3 runs in the second and 6 runs in the third for the commanding 12-2 lead.
• Northwood began to cut down on Saginaw's lead in the fourth. With the bases loaded, Franz capitalized on a wild pitch to score from third, followed by Sydni Pauley and Torriya Gray-Baker added run-scoring RBIs to make it 12-6.
• The sixth inning was the biggest inning for the Timberwolves, as they scored six runs to make it a one run game. Tara Gross got the rally started for NU with a bang, sending the ball over the left field fence.
• Brook Wauters capitalized on a wild pitch to score, making it 12-7, and Joseph registered her second RBI of the game on a double to left center to cut the SVSU lead 12-8.
• The rally continued as a Julia Gross RBI groundout pushed another run across the plate. Culps added an RBI double to make it 12-10, with the final run of the sixth inning rally coming from Culps scoring on a fielding error.
• In the bottom of the sixth after a big six run inning by the Timberwolves, the Cardinals were able to get two insurance runs to go into the seventh with a 14-11 lead.
• Northwood wasn't going down without a fight. With Wauters getting the leadoff walk, Pauley made it 14-13 with a two-run homer over the left center fence, but that was as close as the Timberwolves were going to get.

GAME ONE STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors – Northwood: 13/14/0, Saginaw Valley: 14/15/2
• Runners Left on Base – Northwood: 9, Saginaw Valley: 9
• Winning Pitcher – Anna Conard (10-5): 4.1 IP, 10 H, 6 R (6 ER), 2 K, 2 BB
• Losing Pitcher – Makenzie Norton (3-3): 2.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R (6 ER), 1 K, 0 BB
• Save – Mikayla Alexandrou (1): 1.0, H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 2 SO

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Pauley: 3-4, 3 RBI, 2 R, HR
• ­Coulter: 2-3, 2 R
• Joseph: 2-5, 2 RBI, 2B
• T. Gross: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, HR
• Franz: 2-3, R, RBI, 2B

GAME ONE NOTES

• T. Gross hit her first collegiate home run, and just the second in her softball career.

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

• Saginaw Valley put a run on the board in the bottom of the first for the early 1-0 lead.
• Northwood responded in the top of the second with a pair of runs to give the Timberwolves their final lead of the game. A groundout by Franz plated a run, followed by Danielle Bartodziej reaching first on a fielding error and giving Gray-Baker the opportunity to score to make it a 2-1 ball game.
• The Cardinals scored five runs in the bottom of the third to go up 6-2, followed by a pair in the fourth. Saginaw Valley put the game away in the bottom of the fifth with their final two runs for the 10-2 victory.

GAME TWO STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors – Northwood: 2/3/1, Saginaw Valley: 10/14/1
• Runners Left on Base – Northwood: 1, Saginaw Valley: 8
• Winning Pitcher – Mikayla Alexandrou (7-6): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 5 K, 0 BB
• Losing Pitcher – Marissa Tiano (1-4): 2.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R (6 ER), 1 K, 3 BB

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Gray-Baker: 2-2, R
• Joseph: 1-2, R
• Franz: RBI

UP NEXT

• Northwood will host Ashland in a GLIAC doubleheader on Senior Day Tuesday (April 24). First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.