Pitching powers Cards to strong finish

April 28, 2008 —

by Matt Shaw

Junior shortstop Nicole Fick stretches for a grounder during Tuesday's double header with Tiffin.

by Matt Shaw

Freshmen pitchers Jade Fulton and Amanda Astor, senior third baseman Cassidy Baker, and freshman catcher Nicole Laakso prepare for Tiffin.

If one thing can be said about this year's Cardinals softball team, it's that they have dominant pitching. They rode that pitching to a 6-2 weekend.

In the first double header of the week, the Cardinals swept Hillsdale by winning the first game 2-1 and the second game 6-5.

Sophomore pitcher Kari Bowlby picked up her sixth win of the season, pitching six innings before handing over the game to freshman pitcher Jade Fulton, who picked up her sixth save of the season.

The Cards fell behind early in the second inning before responding in the third when junior first baseman Stacy Kraatz singled and then was brought home on a double by freshman catcher Nicole Laakso, leading to the win.

The next game was more high scoring, but no less dramatic as the Cards took an early lead only to see it evaporate in the top of the seventh inning.

Leading 5-2, the Cards allowed Hillsdale to tie the game in the top of the seventh as Kraatz relieved Fulton on the mound.

Kraatz led off the bottom of the seventh with a single. Later in the inning, she would score on a hit by sophomore third baseman Jordan Stuart, giving the Cards the win.

The next day, the Cardinals split a double header against Tiffin University, losing the first game 3-2, before winning the second game 3-2.

The Cards stranded 10 runners, while still managing to score one run in the fifth and sixth innings, only to strand the tying run in the bottom of the seventh, ending the comeback hopes.

In the second game, Fulton picked up her ninth win of the season, pitching the final 4.1 innings.

Freshman outfielder Kim Sills hit a two-run homerun in the bottom of the fourth to break a scoreless tie.

In the next inning, Fulton got on the stat sheet offensively knocking in what turned out to be the winning run.

Against Gannon University, the Cards swept the doubleheader, winning the first game 5-2 and the second game in extra innings 3-2.

The Cards fell behind 2-0 early before scoring five unanswered runs in the win.

Kraatz picked up the win, although Fulton made SVSU history by picking up her seventh save of the season, which is a single-season record, and also a career record as well.

The Cards took an early lead in the next game before falling behind heading into the seventh inning. They rallied to send the game into extra innings where they escaped with the win when sophomore center fielder Angela Kaiser beat a throw home to score the winning run.

In the final double header of the week, the Cards split with Mercyhurt, losing the first game 1-0 before getting back on track with a 5-3 victory in the second game.

In the second game, junior outfielder Marsha Beaubien hit a home run, along with Kraatz helping the Cards take a 4-1 lead that they would not relinquish.

The win gives the Cards a final regular season record of 30-14 overall, (14-6 GLIAC). With the regular season finished, the GLIAC tournament is set to begin May 2 in Erie, Penn.