Lady Cardinals' offense shaky, split road trip

Lacking consistency in scoring output, SVSU comes home even against Wisconsin-Parkside, Lewis

March 27, 2006 —

The SVSU softball team split two weekend series on its final nonconference road trip of the season.

The Lady Cardinals saw an offensive explosion in two of their four games, scoring eight runs in an 8-3 win over the University of Wisconsin-Parkside on Saturday and 10 in a 10-9 decision over Lewis University in Illinois on Sunday. The run totals showed SVSU's inconsistency, however, as the Lady Cardinals scored just three runs combined in the first games against each team.

The 10-9 win over Lewis saw SVSU lose a 7-3 lead by allowing two runs in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth as the Lady Flyers took a 9-7 lead.

The Lady Cardinals was able to shut down Lewis after that behind senior Karen Ray, who got the win in relief after starting Game 1, and junior Lorelea Rice, who combined to pitch 2 1/3 innings of one-hit, shutout ball.

SVSU took the lead in the top of the seventh when freshman Stacy Kraatz, who had given up the Flyers' first five runs in three innings on the mound, hit a two-out, two-run home run.

Kraatz, who is third on the team in batting and RBIs, went 3-for-5 in Game 2 with three RBIs and a run scored. Her home run scored junior Courtney Gonyea, who entered the doubleheader hitting just .130 but went 4-for-4 with three runs in Game 2.

Rice, who started the game in left field before coming in for the save, also went 3-for-5 and scored three times.

The Flyers' 6-7-8 hitters abused the Lady Cardinals' pitching in Game 2, going a combined 9-for-12 with six RBIs and five runs.

The offensive explosion was much needed for SVSU, which lost Game 1 to Lewis 4-1. Ray took the loss, giving up all four runs in four innings of work.

SVSU was able to muster just five hits against the Flyers' combination of Courtney Lyons and Julie Wingerter. Wingerter pitched 2 2/3 of no-hit ball for her first save.

Kraatz led the SVSU offense again, going 2-for-4 with the Lady Cardinals' lone run. Freshman Jessica Anhel knocked in Kraatz for her 13th RBI of the season.

Lewis used a three-run home run from Carla Musillo in the fourth inning to put SVSU away. Ray pitched to one more batter in the fifth before Rice relieved her, shutting out the Flyers the rest of the way.

SVSU showed its offensive inconsistency in its series at Wisconsin-Parkside as well, losing the first game 4-2 in eight innings before the 8-3 win in Game 2.

Ray took the loss for the Lady Cardinals, giving up two runs in 7 1/3 innings.

Freshman Mallory Miller relieved Ray for 1/3 of an inning in the sixth, giving up a home run and being responsible for another runner that scored in the inning.

Ray gave up a two-out, two-run homer to give the Rangers the win.

Brestan pitched all eight innings for the Rangers, allowing just four hits and two home runs to Anhel and senior Tabitha Greenwood in the second inning.

Anhel went 2-for-2 for Brestan before being pinch-ran for in the sixth.

SVSU responded in the second game with two runs to begin the game and totaled 11 hits for the 8-3 victory. Sophomore Lindsay Noren was the star on both the mound and at the plate, as she scattered five hits in pitching a complete game and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run.

Kraatz began her three-game tear with a 3-for-4 performance with three runs and an RBI, and senior leadoff hitter Monica Sims went 3-for-5 with two runs.

The Rangers were able to respond to SVSU's two early runs with two of their own in the bottom of the first, but Kraatz settled down from that point on, giving up only a home run to Brestan.

Lewis starter Anna Bluemel went 5 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs. Only three were earned, however, as both of SVSU's runs in the first were unearned as were the two scored in the sixth.

With the losses in Game 1 against the Rangers and Flyers and the win in Game 2 against Lewis, Ray's record stands at 4-8 despite a 1.98 ERA.

The senior has struck out 73 batters over 81 1/3 innings and has pitched seven complete games.

The Lady Cardinals, with a staff ERA of 2.58, have also counted on Kraatz and Noren for 45 and 25 2/3 innings, respectively. Kraatz is 2-4 with a 3.11 ERA, while Noren stands at 2-2 with a 4.09 ERA.

Miller, in just 9 1/3 innings of work, has a 1-0 record with a 1.50 ERA, while Rice is 1-1 and has pitched 17 1/3 innings with a 2.42 ERA.

Rice leads the squad with a .316 batting average and has 13 RBIs, second only to Anhel's 14. Anhel is second on the team with a .310 average, while Kraatz is third with a .305 average and 11 RBIs.

A significant dropoff occurs after that, though, as of those with more than 30 at bats, Sims is next with a .218 average.

SVSU, at 10-16 on the season, is scheduled to begin its GLIAC schedule when it hosts Grand Valley State for a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Ferris State on Sunday at 1.

The two doubleheaders begin a stretch where the Lady Cardinals play five of six at home.

They travel to Oakland University on Wednesday, April 5 and host Madonna University the following day at 3 p.m.

The home stretch concludes with home dates against Ashland and Findlay on Friday and Saturday, April 8 and 9.

That is the last SVSU will see of its home field for a while, as it plays five consecutive GLIAC doubleheaders on the road.