HAMMOND, Ind. — A pair of complete-game pitching efforts and timely hitting led Purdue Northwest to a doubleheader sweep over Saginaw Valley State in Sunday's home opener at RUSH Physical Therapy Field. PNW pulled out a 3-2 walk-off win in eight innings, before a late rally to claim the second game by a final score of 5-4.
Following the Sunday sweep, PNW improved to 13-5 overall (3-1 GLIAC) with eight victories in the previous nine games. The Pride have recorded four walk-off wins this season and seven of the 13 wins have been decided by just one run.
The Pride have won four straight meetings in the all-time series against Saginaw Valley State, including two wins last season by the same scores as today's sweep. The Pride won the second game of a doubleheader 5-4 at SVSU, before upsetting the Cardinals in the GLIAC Tournament last spring, 3-2. SVSU won five straight over PNW prior to the Pride's recent win streak in the series. The two teams will meet again on Friday, April 15 in University Center, Michigan.
GAME 1: PURDUE NORTHWEST 3, SAGINAW VALLEY STATE 2
Aubrey Shroyer's (Napoleon, Ohio/Napoleon) infield hit with the bases loaded scored
Jocey Gault (West Lafayette, Ind./Harrison), who slid head first ahead of the throw, to give the Pride a 3-2 win in the bottom of the eighth. The Cardinals never recorded an out in the final frame. Gault sparked the rally with a leadoff bunt single, then
Selena Michko (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central) was hit by a pitch. Another bunt single from
Madison Schultz (Lafayette, Ind./Faith Christian) loaded the bases for Shroyer, who connected on a potential walk-off grand slam that barely went foul in the right-field corner. Shroyer still delivered the game-winning run as the Pride overcame a 2-0 deficit in the contest.
Abbie May (LaSalle, Ill./Saint Bede Academy) was once again brilliant in the circle and improved her record to 4-1 on the season with her third complete game. The right-hander allowed just two earned runs on seven hits and struck out a pair, and she settled in late in the game when it mattered most. With SVSU leading 2-1 with no outs in the sixth,
Allison Arnold (Tucson, Ariz./Naperville North) cut down a run at the plate with a tremendous throw from center field. After that key defensive play, May would move on to retire the final eight Cardinals she faced.
SVSU led 2-0 with a run in each of the fourth and the fifth innings. However, a leadoff triple in the bottom of the fifth by
Amanda Noblett (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central), her second triple of the year, helped get things going for PNW to set up a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Kara Aloisio (North Aurora, Ill./Yorkville). The Pride tied things up in the sixth with a two-out rally sparked by Shroyer's single down the left-field line.
Sydney Siedentopf (Lowell, Ind./Lowell) stepped in next as a pinch-hitter and came through with a sharp RBI single to center.
PNW outhit SVSU 8-7 in both games of the doubleheader as Gault led the way in Game 1 with a 2-for-4 effort. Seven of 10 Pride batters in the first game recorded a base knock.
SVSU reliever Alyssa Muench (2-2) was charged with the loss in two-and-two-thirds innings of work. Starter Julia Mundy lasted four-and-a-third with five strikeouts, three walks and only one earned run.
GAME 2: PURDUE NORTHWEST 5, SAGINAW VALLEY STATE 4
Sydney Siedentopf's (Lowell, Ind./Lowell) clutch gene showed up again in the second game as the sophomore from Lowell, Indiana delivered a pinch-hit, two-run home run to right field with two outs in the sixth. It was Siedentopf's first collegiate home run and capped a three-run inning for the Pride after trailing 4-2 entering the frame. The home run came against Lowell, Michigan native Emily Depew, a first-team All-GLIAC selection for SVSU last season.
The rally started when Schultz singled up the middle and
Kelsi Dillon (Braidwood, Ill./Reed-Custer (Georgian Court)) lined a double to the fence in center field. Dillon led the Pride with two hits in the second game. Then, Noblett plated the first PNW run during the rally on a successful bunt play to make the score 4-3 prior to the go-ahead home run.
Gabby Paliska (Palos Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way East (Wisconsin-Green Bay)) continued her early-season success in the circle with a complete-game win in her debut appearance at RUSH Physical Therapy Field. She struck out five with three earned runs on seven hits allowed and no walks. The right-hander from Palos Park, Illinois improved to 5-1 on the season.
SVSU claimed a 2-0 lead in the third inning when right-fielder Maddie Campagna went deep to center field. However,
Selena Michko (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central) answered for the Pride with a two-run blast to right field and tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth. For Michko, it was her fifth home run of the season and third this week after hitting a pair of long balls at Grand Valley State last Tuesday.
The Cardinals would push across a run on RBI ground outs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Starter Emily Depew dropped to 5-6 after suffering the loss in the circle.
UP NEXT
PNW continues the homestand at RUSH Physical Therapy Field this week with Wednesday's doubleheader against Parkside and Thursday's twinbill against Lewis. Game 1 in both doubleheaders will start at 1 p.m. CDT.
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For all the latest information on Purdue Northwest Softball, please visit PNWathletics.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Pride (@pnwathletics / @PNWSoftball) on Twitter. You can also find the Pride on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
