DETROIT (4/26/2015) – Freshman
Savanna Ferstle's groundball to second base was just enough to bring home the game winning run as the University of Detroit Mercy softball team topped Valparaiso 5-4 on Sunday at Buysse Ballpark. The win on Senior Day marked the first Horizon League three game series victory since 2011.
Detroit (7-38, 3-12 HL) took a 4-2 lead to the top seventh inning, before the Crusaders tied the score with a 2-run homer from Tarah McShane.
The Titans then put runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, before Ferstle hit a groundball to second base that was bobbled and thrown home. But freshman
Alex Astorga – who leads the team with 20 stolen bases – was able to use her speed to slide under the tag at the plate to score the winning run from second base.
Valparaiso (12-32, 6-11 HL) struck first as Kaitlyn Ranieri hit a solo home run down the right field line in the top of the first inning to give the Crusaders an early 1-0 lead. But Ferstle would answer back with an RBI single in the bottom of the first to ties the score 1-1.
The game would remain tied until the Titans scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Detroit took a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly from junior
Christa McGahuey, before senior
Kayla Kostich stole home to put the Titans up 3-1.
The Crusaders got one run back in the top of the sixth inning to make the score 3-2, before junior
Katy Severson hit her fourth home run of the season to put Detroit up 4-2 heading into the seventh inning.
McGahuey started in the circle for Detroit and pitched five innings allowing two runs on two hits, while striking out four, before senior
Kat Hoffman came on for the final two innings to claim her first win of the season.
Hoffman finished 1-for-2 at the plate with two runs scored, while Astorga went 2-for-3 with one run scored.
Detroit will continue Horizon League play as the Titans visit Cleveland State for a doubleheader on Wednesday (April 29) before closing the regular season at Green Bay with a weekend series on Friday and Saturday (May 1-2).