Cardinals Rip Dragons, 11-1 and 8-0 to Extend Winning Streak

TIFFIN, Ohio -- The Saginaw Valley State softball team has now won seven straight and 21 of its last 22 games as the Cardinals took two games from the Tiffin Dragons today (April 9), 11-1 and 8-0 in GLIAC action.

GAME ONE
In the top of the first, Angela Kaiser (Waterford, Mich./Ourlady of the Lakes HS) got the Cardinals off to a swinging start as she singled, followed by a single from Marsha Beaubien (Alpena, Mich.), and an RBI single off Stacy Kraatz’s (Howell, Mich./Harland HS) bat gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. On a double steal, Kraatz and Beaubien would both move into scoring position for Jessica Anhel (Oxford, Mich.) who laced an RBI single, moving Kraatz to third to end the scoring in the first at 2-0.

In the second, SVSU’s bats picked up right where they left off in the first as the Cardinals put three runs on the board. With one out, Shannon McLaughlin (Watervliet, Mich. / Kalamazoo Valley C.C.) drew a walk and stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by the Dragon catcher, before Vanessa Briggs (Freeland, Mich.) hit a sacrifice fly to center field. Next up, Kaiser slapped a single, before Beaubien hit a two-run homerun, her seventh on the season.

In the fourth inning, the Cardinals would get another big inning from the offense, as Kaiser drew a one-out walk, followed by a single from Beabien, who went 4-for-4 in Game 1. Next up, Kraatz hit a fly to centerfield that moved Beaubien and Kaiser into scoring position. Anhel then ripped a two-RBI single. Next up, Nicole Fick (Columbiaville, Mich./Lapper West HS) drew a walk, giving the Cardinals runners on the corners for Ashley Jordan (Freeland, Mich.), who hit a single to drive in Anhel, followed by an RBI single from Nikki Bigelow (Grandville, Mich.) driving in Fick to close out SVSU’s scoring for the fourth inning.

In the fifth, Kaiser drew a one-out walk, and stole second base, before Beaubien smacked her second homerun of the game, her eighth of the season, to end the Cardinals scoring for the game. On defense, SVSU only allowed two hits, and one run, as Jade Fulton (Byron, Mich.) pitched five innings, with eight strike outs and no walks for her 12th win of the season.

GAME TWO
In the second game, Kraatz got the bats going with a homerun in the bottom of the first.

But that homerun was just a prelude to offensive explosion of the third inning when SVSU tallied five runs to take a commanding 6-0 lead. Kaiser got on after an error by the Dragon’s pitcher, and stole second before Beaubien smacked an RBI single. Beaubien then stole second and third base, moving into scoring position for Kraatz, who nailed a single to score Beaubien. Anhel dug in and drove a single to give the Cards two on for Fick, who hit an RBI single. Bigelow then stepped in and drove in two runs on a two-out single to close the Cardinals’ scoring for the inning.

SVSU’s bats were quiet in the fourth, but in the fifth, they picked right back up as Anhel led the inning off with a double, and then advanced to third on a wild pitch before Fick hit a double to drive in Anhel. With two outs, Jillian Peterson (Freeland, Mich. / Freeland HS) hit an RBI single to end the game at 8-0.

On the mound for the one-hit shut out, Kari Bowlby (Elkhart, Ind./Cental HS) struck out two for the win.

With the wins, the Cardinals move to 26-6 overall, and 13-1 in the GLIAC. SVSU will return to action at 12:15 p.m. Saturday as Ashland comes to Cardinal Country for a pivotal conference showdown.