ALLENDALE, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team fell twice on the road today (4/10) at #3 Grand Valley State University in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) doubleheader. Grand Valley claimed the opener by a 5-3 score before winning by an 8-7 score in game two. With the losses, the Cardinals fall to 10-15 overall on the season and 6-8 in the GLIAC. The Lakers improve to 23-3 overall and 12-1 in league play.
In the first game, the Cardinals led by a 3-2 count after the top of the second inning after a Mike VanAlst (Clio, Mich.) sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Matt Hunt (Howell, Mich./Concordia University).
The Lakers added two more runs in the bottom half of the inning, however, and would score another in their half of the third, giving them a 5-3 advantage. That score would hold through seven, as GVSU closed-out for the two-run victory.
Mike Saunders (Mt. Morris, Mich./EA Johnson HS) took the loss for SVSU, lasting only 1 2/3 innings while yielding four runs.
VanAlst, Hunt and Kyle O'Boyle (Midland, Mich./Bullock Creek HS) all had RBI's for the Cardinals.
Grand Valley jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the nightcap after the first inning. SVSU responded with its own five run inning in the top of the second, highlighted by a two RBI double from Kyle Parks (Flushing, Mich.) to knot the score at five.
The Lakers plated two runs in the third inning to take a 7-5 lead. The Cardinals would once again match that, scoring two runs in the top of the fourth inning to tie the score at seven after O'Boyle ripped a two RBI double to score Ryan Ermers (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford II HS) and Brandon Schwanz (Novi, Mich./Henry Ford CC).
Grand Valley would add a single run in the fifth inning to take the 8-7 lead, and despite a late effort by the Cardinals, would win by that score.
Schwanz was 3-for-4 in the game with an RBI and run scored. Ermers added a pair of hits and a run.
Justin Drzewicki (Bay City, Mich./Central HS) took the loss in relief for SVSU.
The Cardinals are back in action on Tuesday (4/12), as they host Alma College in a single, nine inning game. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.
