The softball teams for Ashland University and Saginaw Valley State both won marathon games during their Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader on Monday (March 30) at Brookside Park, with the Eagles winning 3-2 in eight innings and the Cardinals coming back for a 16-9 decision.
Ashland is 18-4 overall and 3-3 in the GLIAC, while SVSU is 11-12, 1-1.
In Game 1, the Eagles scored twice in the bottom of the first, but the Cardinals responded with two runs in the top of the fifth. That set up the bottom of the eighth, when sophomore second baseman Kalene Freshour's RBI fielder's choice plated the game-winning run.
Junior first baseman Jen Moore hit a two-run home run, and junior catcher Bri Buckley had two of AU's eight hits. Senior pitcher McKenna Galloway pitched three innings of one-hit relief to improve to 4-1.
Game 2 saw the two teams combine for 25 runs (13 earned), 27 hits, nine errors and 10 walks. There also were seven pitchers used and seven pitching changes between the two squads.
Ashland scored four times in the top of the first, but SVSU put up crooked numbers in each of the first four innings – including a nine-spot in the bottom of the first – and didn't look back. The Eagles trailed 12-8 going into the bottom of the fourth, but the Cardinals scored their final four runs to help earn the split.
Moore was 3-for-5 with a double, homer and four RBIs, Freshour was 2-for-3 with a triple and junior third baseman Kayla Prokopakis was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
Ashland will play its third doubleheader in three days on Tuesday (March 31) at Malone at 3:30 p.m.
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