UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. -- The Wayne State University softball team (37-17 overall, 21-4 GLIAC) earned the No. 1 seed for next weekend's GLIAC Tournament at Marathon Diamonds in Findlay, Ohio, with a split Sunday afternoon at Saginaw Valley State University (28-17 overall, 18-6 GLIAC.  The host Cardinals won the opener 1-0 in nine innings, before the Warriors responded with a 6-1 triumph in the nightcap.

WSU sophomore Lyndsay Butler (Cambridge, Ont. / Centennial C.V.I.) and SVSU's Sarah Appold (11-7) went toe-to-toe in the circle for eight innings.

Butler (19-7) struck out 14 and did not walk a batter while allowing six hits.  Meanwhile, Appold struck out 10 and walked one while limiting Wayne State to five hits.  The setback ended Butler's personal 10-game winning streak.

The Warriors had two base runners in the top of the first with one out but were unable to get anyone to third base.

Saginaw Valley State had a leadoff hit in the second but Butler retired the next six Cardinals.

Wayne State had one-out hits in the third and fourth but could not advance a runner past second.

SVSU had a runner thrown out at home to end the eighth and keep the game scoreless.  Cardinal Mackenzie Rousse led off the ninth with a single and advanced to second on a ground out.  Nicole Romain lined a single off the WSU third baseman which scored Rousse.

Butler had two of WSU's five hits.

Game two started out much differently as a leadoff walk followed by a single could have put Butler in a tough situation but the Cardinals leadoff batter was ruled out for leaving first base too early.

In the bottom of the first, Butler had a leadoff single and freshman outfielder Kristen Lucas (Newmarket, Ont. / Mulock S.S.) also singled with a throwing error advancing both runners.  After SVSU hurler Sarah Vrabel retired the next two Warriors, junior third baseman Jade McGarr (Guelph, Ont. / St. James Catholic) had an infield single scoring Butler.

Saginaw Valley State had the bases loaded with one out in the second but a strikeout and fielder's choice ended the frame.

Wayne State broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth with five runs on five hits and a pair of Cardinal miscues.  Sophomore Devin Hentschel (Wyoming, Mich. / Rogers) had a leadoff single and advanced to second when junior shortstop Gabby Williams (South Lyon, Mich.) reached on a botched sacrifice bunt.  An infield single by sophomore first baseman Allie Buchanan (Cambridge, Ont. / Galt C.I.) loaded the bases.  Then WSU's top of the order came through with three consecutive RBI singles by Butler, Lucas and senior second baseman Nikki Fulton (Stratford, Ont. / St. Michael Catholic S.S.) to knock Vrabel from the contest.

The Cardinals scored once in the top of the fifth on two singles and a double.

Neither team scored the rest of the game.

Butler (20-7) earned the win by holding Saginaw Valley State to one run on five hits in five innings of work.  She struck out five and walked three.  Junior Mackenzie Boehler (Saginaw, Mich. / Swan Valley) retired six of the eight batters she faced striking out four and walking two.

Vrabel (10-7) surrendered six runs (three earned) on nine hits in three innings in the circle.  She did not strike out a batter and walked one.  Appold tossed a scoreless inning, while Annie Hansen pitched the final two frames.

Wayne State will conclude regular-season play on Monday in the completion of the suspended game against Findlay.