WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team traveled down to Florida for their first game of five on their Spring Break trip. The Cardinals (9-3) started the trip Wednesday afternoon with a 9-3 loss to St. Cloud State.
The Huskies (8-5) got on the board I the second and extended the lead with four runs in the fourth and didn't look back. Henry Stempky (L, 0-1) (Cheboygan, Mich. / Cheboygan HS) took the tough-luck loss as he threw three innings and allowed one run on one hit and a walk while striking out two. Bryce Brassfield (W, 2-2) went eight innings for SCSU with the quality start.
The middle of the lineup produced the most consistency with the three through six hitters all getting a hit. Aaron Bess (Boyne City, Mich. / Boyne City HS) worked two walks as well. The Cardinals scored a run in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings but St. Cloud State had responses scoring a pair in both the sixth and seventh.
Connor Cornwell (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Henry Ford II HS) drove in the first run for SVSU after Buck Snabes (Rochester, Mich. / Rochester Adams HS) doubled. Cornwell's single to right brought in Snabes to make it 5-1. Lucas Mead hit his first home run in the sixth with a solo shot to left. After a two-run home run for SCSU in the bottom of the inning, Jack Sequin (Bay City, Mich. / Bay City Western HS) drove in the last Cardinal run with an RBI ground out that plated Austin Cicerone (Troy, Mich. / Troy HS). The Huskies got another two-run blast in the bottom of the seventh to put them ahead 9-3.
The Cardinals used six arms starting with Brayden Simmon (Auburn, Mich. / Bay City Western HS) who took over for Stempky and allowed four runs, two earned, in his collegiate debut. Sam Briggs (Linwood, Mich. / Standish HS) and Brady Young (Vicksburg, Mich. / Vicksburg HS) were the two arms to post scoreless outings. Briggs went 1.2 innings with two hits, a walk, and a strikeout. Young also made his collegiate debut and allowed one walk over one inning of work. Drew Ferguson (Rockford, Mich. / Rockford HS) and Evan Woodward (Rochester, Mich. / Stoney Creek HS) both allowed two runs in their appearances.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley baseball is back in action in Florida on Thursday, March 5. The Cardinals play Minnesota State Mankato with first pitch at 9:15 AM from NorthEast Regional Park Field 2.
