FINDLAY, Ohio -- After dropping the first game of Sunday's GLIAC Tournament Championship round, the Wayne State University softball squad (41-18-1) was faced with a winner-take-all contest.  Trailing Saginaw Valley State University (33-19) 9-2 after three-and-a-half innings, the Warriors scored the final eight runs including three in the bottom of the seventh to claim their fourth consecutive GLIAC Tournament title.  WSU has an 18-2 mark over those four tournaments.

In game two, WSU 34-year head coach Gary Bryce elected to start junior Mackenzie Boehler (Saginaw, Mich. / Swan Valley), who last Sunday had retired six of the eight Cardinal batters she faced in relief to preserve a win and the GLIAC regular-season title for Wayne State.

Meanwhile, SVSU third-year mentor Todd Buckingham elected to go wtih Sarah Appold, who after the first game on Sunday had thrown 34 innings in the tournament.

Boehler faced just six SVSU hitters through two innings thanks to a caught stealing after an infield dribbler.  In fact, the Warriors took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second as Devin Hentschel (Wyoming, Mich. / Rogers) had a leadoff single up the middle, then beat the throw to second on a sacrifice bunt by Shannon Hilton (Gilford, Ont. / Bradford).  Gabby Williams (South Lyon, Mich.) followed with a bunt single to load the bases.  Allie Buchanan (Cambridge, Ont. / Galt C.I.) singled to left scoring Hentschel to make it 1-0.  After a strikeout, Kristen Lucas (Newmarket, Ont. / Mulock S.S.) walked on four pitches to give WSU its second run of the frame.

The Cardinals grabbed a 4-2 lead in the top of the third on five hits with two runs being unearned.  Shelby Weeks hit a two-run home run to left center giving SVSU a 3-2 lead after an error and a triple.  Nicole Romain contributed an RBI double down the left field line.

Saginaw Valley increased its lead to 5-2 with three consecutive hits to start the fourth prompting Bryce to bring in senior Briana Lee (Canton, Mich. / Salem).  After a hit by pitch loaded the bases, Mackenzie Rousse had a two-run bloop single to right center.  With two outs, Meredith Rousse delivered a two-run single to center pushing the Cardinals lead to seven (9-2).

Wayne State started to chip away at the deficit in the bottom of the fourth.  Buchanan had a one-out single, and Lyndsay Butler (Cambridge, Ont. / Centennial C.V.I.) followed with a double down the left field line.  Lucas ripped a single through the right side scoring Buchanan with Butler scoring on the following play in which SVSU earned a force out at second, but a wild throw to first permitted Butler to score.

Lee struck out two of the three Saginaw Valley hitters in the fifth and the Warriors responded with three runs.  Jade McGarr (Guelph, Ont. / St. James Catholic) walked on five pitches, and Hentschel had a single up the middle.  After a pop out, Kylee Barrett (Croswell, Mich. / Croswell-Lexington) singled through the left side to load the bases.  A wild pitch plated McGarr, with Hentschel scoring on Buchanan's single to left.  Butler laced a single to center scoring Barrett to make it 9-7 and prompting the Cardinals to make a pitching change.  Sarah Vrabel issued a four-pitch walk but got out of the inning with a pair of force outs.

Lee worked around a leadoff hit and a WSU miscue to keep SVSU off the scoreboard in the top of the sixth.  McGarr and Shelby Spano (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Stevenson) sandwiched sixth inning hits around a pop out, but the next two Warrior batters were unable to get an RBI hit.

Despite another Warrior error in the seventh, Lee retired the final two batters setting up the late inning heroics for Wayne State.

Butler laced an 0-1 offering into left field for a leadoff hit.  Following a fielder's choice and a wild pitch, Nikki Fulton (Stratford, Ont. / St. Michael Catholic S.S.) had an RBI single up the middle to make it 9-8.  Emily Bryce (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester Adams) walked on four pitches to put the tying run in scoring position.  McGarr, who had three hits in the contest, hit a rocket off the fence in center field which scored Fulton and advanced Bryce to third.  With runners on the corners, Hentschel hit a 1-0 pitch into right field allowing Bryce to scoring the winning run.

Lee (14-8) earned the win in relief holding SVSU to two runs on four hits in four innings of work.  Boehler allowed seven runs (five earned) on nine hits in her three innings in the circle.  Butler and Buchanan each had three hits in addition to McGarr, while Lucas was 1-for-2 with three walks.

Appold surrendered seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits in 4.1 innings.  Vrabel (12-8) allowed the three seventh inning runs on a total of five hits in her 2.1 innings of work.

Wayne State will find out where it will be playing the NCAA Regionals next weekend on Monday morning during the NCAA Selection Show at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 4th (click here to go to the Championship Selection Show page).