UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University softball team earned its first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sweep of the season, taking two from Ashland University Saturday at the SVSU Softball Complex.

The Cardinals came away with a walk-off win on an Alexis Gills bases-loaded single to the fence in the seventh for the 6-5 victory in game one. SVSU led from start to finish in the finale, scoring two in the first and holding on for a 5-3 win.

The sweep moves SVSU to 16-6 overall and 5-4 in the GLIAC.

Trailing 5-3 in game one, Gills tied the score with one swing in the sixth inning, blasting a two-run home run over the centerfield fence. After the Cardinals loaded the bases in the seventh with two outs, Gills came up big again, lining the ball over the left fielder to the fence to give SVSU the win.

Leah Denome, Jackie Popko, and Paige Kolinski added RBIs in the win, while Gills totaled three hits and three RBIs. Jaclyn Groves (5-0) got the complete-game win on the mound, allowing five runs on seven hits, walking one, and striking out five.

Game two started with three straight doubles for the SVSU offense from Sarah Gersch, Sabrina Sage, and Denome, scoring two runs for the Cardinals. Sage added an RBI in the third on a sacrifice bunt and Shelby Misiak made it 4-1 in favor of SVSU in the fourth with an RBI ground out.

Ashland cut the deficit to one with a two-run home run in the fifth, but Sage picked up her third RBI of the game in the bottom of the inning for an insurance run and the Cardinals held on for the victory.

Alyssa Muench (2-2) earned the win on the mound, getting the start and tossing 4.1 innings. She allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits, walking one and striking out three. Groves made her second appearance of the day in relief and picked up the save with 2.2 scoreless innings.

The Cardinals are on the road for their next three matchups starting at the University of Wisconsin Parkside at 2:30 pm Wednesday in Kenosha, Wis.