Softball Earns Road Sweep At Saginaw Valley

OVERVIEW – SAGINAW VALLEY

SCORES: Northwood Timberwolves 11, Saginaw Valley State Cardinals 7/Northwood 5, Saginaw Valley 1

RECORDS: Northwood 14-9-1, 4-0 GLIAC/Saginaw Valley 5-7, 0-2 GLIAC

LOCATION: University Center, Mich. – SVSU Softball Complex

RECAP: Softball stays hot, earning road sweep at rival Saginaw Valley Saturday (March 23), winning game one 11-7 before taking game two 5-1.

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

• The high-scoring contest got rolling right away. After Maddie Coulter tripled to leadoff the game, Torriya Gray-Baker drove her home with a single to give the Timberwolves a 1-0 lead.
• SVSU responded with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to make the score 2-1 after one inning.
• The Timberwolves responded right away in the top of the second on a two-run double by Karli Godlewski to put NU back on top 3-2.
• The Cardinals then scored two in the third and another in the fourth to take a 5-3 lead.
• Northwood came through in the fifth with what proved to be key inning of the game. NU started the scoring on a sacrifice fly on an error for Gray-Baker.
• Sydni Culps followed with a RBI triple to score Gray-Baker, tying the game at 5-5.
• The big hit of the inning was by Abby Joseph, whose three-run home run hit off the foul pole and give the Timberwolves an 8-5 edge.
• Coulter finished off the six-run inning with a run-scoring double that made the score 9-5.
• After SVSU got a solo homer in the fifth, Culps hit a two-run home run to left to make the score 11-6.
• The Cardinals plated one run in the seven before Northwood closed out the win.

GAME ONE STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors Northwood: 11/13/0, Saginaw Valley: 7/13/4
• Runners Left on Base: Northwood: 8, Saginaw Valley: 7
• Winning Pitcher: Shayna Frank (5-3): 4 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 5 K
• Losing Pitcher: Kasey Bagelmann (0-2): 4 1/3 IP, 8 H, 8 R (6 ER), 0 BB, 2 K
• Save: April Bennett (2): 3 IP, 3 H, R, 2 BB, K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Coulter: 4-5, 2B, 3B, R, RBI
• Culps: 2-4, 3B, HR, 3 RBI
• Joseph: HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
• Godlewski: 2B, 2 RBI

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

• After three scoreless innings to start the game, the Timberwolves broke through in the fourth on a two-run double by Joseph.
• Saginaw Valley got one back in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run to cut the lead to 2-1.
• Northwood put three on the board in the sixth, starting with an RBI single by Culps.
• Joseph then finished off her big day with a line-drive two-run homer to right center to make it 5-1.
• That is all that Bennett would need in the circle. After pitching the final three innings of game one to earn the save, she tossed a complete game in the nightcap to close out the sweep.

GAME TWO STATS

• Runs/Hits/Errors Northwood: 5/9/0, Saginaw Valley: 1/4/0
• Runners Left on Base: Northwood: 6, Saginaw Valley: 5
• Winning Pitcher: April Bennett (5-2): 7 IP, 4 H, R, 3 BB, 2 K
• Losing Pitcher: Julia Mundy (3-2): 5 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, BB, K

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Joseph: 2-4, 2B, HR,  4 RBI
• Tara Gross: 2-4, 2 R
• Culps: 2-4, RBI
• Julia Gross: 2-4

NORTHWOOD NOTES

• Northwood has now won six straight games and is 10-1-1 in their last 12 games.
• This is the first time Northwood has swept SVSU in a doubleheader since April 26, 2014.

UP NEXT

• The Timberwolves will travel to Wayne State Sunday (March 24) for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for Noon.