Saginaw Valley State 12, Parkside 2 (F/5)
The Parkside softball team competed in the GLIAC Championship on Sunday in Rosemont, Ill. The Rangers faced off against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals and looked to complete the incredible Cinderella story that they were writing. Unfortunately, the clock struck midnight and the Rangers fell to the Cardinals to end a historic post-season run.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cardinals wasted no time taking control of the game, shutting down the Rangers offense with a one-two-three top half of the first, before putting up six runs in the bottom half of the opening frame.
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The Rangers found the scoreboard in the second inning, with
Jadynn Powell hitting an RBI single to left center and
Alex Wooten coming in to score and make it a 6-1 ball game. The Cardinals would answer back with a run of their own in the bottom of the second to extend the lead to 7-1.
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Wooten would keep the offense going in the third, hitting a single up the middle to bring home
Cassie Rutledge and cut the deficit to 7-2. The Cardinals would then have a five run third inning, increasing their lead to ten runs and would hold that lead into the fifth to force the run rule and claim the conference tournament title.
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HEAR FROM COACH ORTMAN
"I could not be prouder of this team. Through all the highs and lows of this season, and all the injuries this team had to deal with, this group battled and fought every time they took the field. Although today did not go our way, this weekend will go down as one of the greatest post-season runs in program history and no one should be hanging their heads.
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To our seniors - Tai, Brenna, Dani, Kiley, Alex, and Jadynn – thank you for all of the hard work, commitment, dedication, and passion that you have brought to this program during your time at Parkside. Each one of you has left your mark on this team and you will all be missed greatly. I cannot wait to see where your next chapters take you."
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