HAMMOND, Ind. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team opened GLIAC play with a 10-3 victory at Purdue Northwest on Friday afternoon. The Cardinals (10-8, 1-0 GLIAC) used a five-run fourth inning to propel themselves past the Pride (5-9, 0-1 GLIAC).
SVSU struck first in the opening inning. Lucas Mead (Gladwin, Mich. / Gladwin HS) drew a walk and Ryan Jarvis (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota HS) followed with a single before Jacob Pitt (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Catholic Central HS) worked a free pass to load the bases. Buck Snabes (Rochester, Mich. / Rochester Adams HS) brought home Mead on a fielder's choice to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead
Purdue Northwest answered with single runs in the second and third innings to take a 2-1 advantage, capitalizing on a Cardinal error and an RBI groundout.
The game swung in the fourth inning when SVSU erupted for five runs. Snabes tripled to lead off the frame and scored on a sacrifice fly from Connor Cornwell (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Henry Ford II HS) to tie the game. After Ethan Scheib (Mattawan, Mich. / Mattawan HS) singled and Chase Miller (Walkerton, Ind. / John Glenn HS) walked, Aaron Bess (Boyne City, Mich. / Boyne City HS) reached on a fielding error that allowed two unearned runs to score. Mead followed with a walk before Jarvis doubled to left field, driving in two more to put the Cardinals ahead 6-2.
Purdue Northwest plated a run in the bottom half on an RBI triple, but Saginaw Valley continued to apply pressure. In the fifth, Scheib's aggressive baserunning forced another error that allowed Austin Cicerone (Troy, Mich. / Troy HS) to score. In the sixth, a balk brought home Bess to extend the lead to 8-3.
The Cardinals added two insurance runs in the eighth. Jarvis stole third and scored on a throwing error, and Snabes crossed the plate on a wild pitch to cap the scoring at 10-3.
Jarvis led the offense, going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Scheib finished 3-for-5, while Snabes added a triple, an RBI, and two runs scored. Bess recorded two hits and scored twice. Mead and Miller both walked three times as SVSU totaled nine hits and drew nine walks.
On the mound, Nathan Masar (W, 4-0) (Midland, Mich. / Bullock Creek HS) earned the win, tossing four innings while allowing three runs, two earned, and striking out five. Steve Getts (Walled Lake, Mich. / Walled Lake Central HS), Henry Stempky (Cheboygan, Mich. / Cheboygan HS), and Ethan Marshall (Marlette, Mich. / Marlette HS) combined to hold the Pride scoreless over the final five innings, limiting Purdue Northwest to just five hits in the game.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley baseball continues the opening GLIAC weekend in Hammond, Indiana. The Cardinals and Pride are set for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 21. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 1:00 PM at Dowling Park.