EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Truman softball team finished its play in the 2017 Midwest Region Crossover on Sunday with a doubleheader against Saginaw Valley State and Northwood. The Cardinals defeated the Bulldogs 10-5 and the Timberwolves followed suit, 6-4.

Truman has now dropped three in a row to fall to 6-8 overall while Saginaw Valley has been winners in three straight to improve to 6-5 and Northwood split on Sunday to put its record at 2-4. For the twinbill, a trio of Bulldogs collected three hits including Lex Van Nostrand (3-for-6, 1 2B and 2 RBI), Alyssa Rivera (3-for-7, 2 R, 1 HR, and 3 RBI) and Ashley Murphy (3-for-7, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, and 1 RBI).

In the first game, Saginaw Valley scored five runs through two and a half innings before Truman could even get a runner in. In the bottom of the third, though, Rivera ended the drought with a home run to right center, her second blast in three games, and the Bulldogs were on the board. Two innings later, Van Nostrand doubled in Christa Reisinger and Jamie Fowle brought in Brooke VunCannon with a groundout to the shortstop that cut the deficit to two, 5-3.

The Cardinals tacked on one in the sixth and four in the seventh to take a commanding seven-run advantage, 10-3. In the home half of the seventh, Rivera crossed home plate when Fowle reached on a fielding error by the shortstop and Murphy came in as well thanks to Kadie Orenstein reaching on a fielder's choice. Saginaw Valley's lead had been cut to five, 10-5, but there was no offense left in the tank for Truman.

In the circle, Nicolette Simpson (2-4) was given the loss after giving up six earned runs on 11 hits in 5.2 innings of work. In relief, Alyssa Hajduk surrendered four earned on four hits.

In the nightcap, after Northwood went ahead 1-0, Rivera was once again the first to give the Bulldogs some scoring. The freshman singled to center to push across both Reisinger and Riley Cook and Truman was ahead 2-1. However, in the fourth frame, the Timberwolves tallied five runs to take the lead back, 6-2, over the Bulldogs. Truman's third run scored on a Murphy blast to left and the fourth came in when Van Nostrand belted a sacrifice fly to right.

Lauren Dale (4-2) allowed six runs, five earned, on eight hits through three innings while Hajduk lasted the final three innings with just one hit given up.

Next up, the Bulldogs will make their 2017 home debut on Wednesday with a doubleheader against Wayne State College beginning at 1 p.m.

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