Softball Earns 30th Win, Splitting Series With SVSU

OVERVIEW – Saginaw Valley St.

SCORES: Northwood 6, Saginaw Valley St. 12 / Northwood 5, Saginaw Valley St. 0

RECORDS: Northwood 30-21 (12-8 G-MAC)/ Saginaw Valley St. 30-13 (13-6 GLIAC)

LOCATION: Midland, Mich.- Fisher Stadium

RECAP: Northwood softball played the Cardinals from just down the road at Saginaw Valley St. SVSU would take game one behind great complimentary softball, 6-123. The Timberwolves would later bounce back behind the right arm of Hailey Leister, shutting out the Cardinals, 5-0

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

•  SVSU scored early and often, following a fly out to begin the game the Cardinals went single, single, RBI single, and a three-run homer to jump out to a 0-4 lead.
• The Timberwolves looked to capitalize on two walks to begin their half of the first. Delanie Gale single down the left field line, giving NU their first runs of the day, 1-4 SVSU.
• The Timberwolves would be able to manage anymore in the first as both teams went through the second scoreless.
• The Cardinals tacked on three more in the third three singles, a sac fly, and a double in the right-center gap, 1-7 SVSU.
• SVSU tallied a solo homer in the fifth, putting the up, 1-8
• Moving to the sixth, the Cardinals continued to expand their lead. Two straight singles started off the inner inning before a fielder's choice moved them up a base. A sac fly, single, and a wild pitch would eventually score four more, 1-12 SVSU.
• The Timberwolves kept themselves in it, putting a four spot on the board in the sixth. Madison Jordan led off the inning with a double to right center, Alyssa Gibson walked, and Lauren Bennett reached on catcher interference. A double by Jillian Krawczak off the top of the right-center field wall plated both, 3-11.
• Haley Frank reached on an error allowing Bennett to score before Ashley Ziel's sac fly score Krawczak, 5-11.
• In the seventh, Northwood would only manage to cut it to a six-run deficit. Singles by Brittany Steimel and Jordan to start the inning gave Bennett the opportunity to single Steimel home, 6-12 SVSU.
• NU's seventh-inning rally would fall short falling, 6-12

GAME ONE STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Northwood 6/8/1, Saginaw Valley St. 12/15/2
• Runners left on base: Northwood 9, Saginaw Valley St. 3
• Winning Pitcher – Emily Depew (13-4), 7 IP, 8 H, 6 R (4 ER), 5 BB, 1 K
• Losing Pitcher – Ashley Ziel (1-3), 1 IP, 5 H, 4 R (4 ER), 0 BB, 0 K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Jordan: 3-4, 2B, R
• Krawczak: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R
• Cooper: 1-3, 2B

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

• The story of game two started and ended with Leister's dominant pitching. Through the first six innings, Leister allowed just one base runner via a bloop single in the first.
• In the third, northward collected its first hit with single by Chloe Cooper through the left side. Two batters later Frank would do the same before Ziel came up clutch with two outs. Ziel's single to right center scored Frank, giving Northwood the 1-0 lead.
• Following a 1-2-3 fourth from Leister, Steimel led off Northwood's half with a solo shot to center, doubling NU's lead, 2-0. This was Steimel's eighth home run of her career and second this season.
• A new pitcher from SVSU in the fifth gave Northwood the hungry edge. A walk to Krawczak led off the inning. Ziel was later hit by a pitch before Steimel walked to load the bases. This gave Jordan a massive opportunity to break the game open, and she did. Her laser off the right field fence cleared the bases and put NU up 5-0.
• From the second to sixth innings Leister didn't allow a baserunner. She ran her streak to 16-straight batters put away before the Cardinals got their second baserunner in the seventh. Northwoods ace would later seal the deal, securing her ninth shutout of the year and the first her 20th win, and the first 30-win season for Northwood softball since 2019.

GAME TWO STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors: Northwood 5/8/0, Saginaw Valley St. 0/2/0
• Runners left on base: Northwood 5, Saginaw Valley St. 4
• Winning Pitcher: Hailey Leister (20-8) 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
• Losing Pitcher: Emily Depew (13-5) 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 2 K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Steimel: 1-2, HR, RBI, BB, 2 R
• Jordan: 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI
• Ziel: 1-2, RBI, R
• Cooper: 1-3, R
• Leister: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 K, W

UP NEXT

• Softball is set for two key series against Walsh Friday (April 28) and Findlay Saturday (April 29) for a chance to clinch a spot in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) softball tournament.
• Games versus currently eighth-place Walsh (18-18, 12-10 G-MAC) on Friday begin at 3 & 5 p.m. at Fisher Stadium.