UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team dropped its home opener to Parkside 7-2 on Friday afternoon at the SVSU Baseball Complex. The Cardinals (12-10, 3-2 GLIAC) totaled six hits and seven walks against the Rangers (13-9, 2-3 GLIAC) and stranded the bases loaded in the ninth.
UWP struck first in the opening inning with an RBI single to take the lead. The Rangers added to their advantage in the fourth inning as they drove in a pair with a single through the right side to make it 3-0.
Saginaw Valley threatened early but was held scoreless through the first six innings despite drawing six walks against Parkside starter Keegan Waters (W, 2-2). Waters limited the Cardinals to just one hit across five shutout innings while striking out three.
The Cardinals broke through in the seventh inning. Austin Cicerone (Troy, Mich. / Troy HS) sparked the rally with a single through the left side before Ethan Scheib (Mattawan, Mich. / Mattawan HS) was hit by a pitch and Chase Miller (Walkerton, Ind. / John Glenn HS) singled to load the bases. Aaron Bess (Boyne City, Mich. / Boyne City HS) drove in SVSU's first run on a fielder's choice. He later stole second, allowing Scheib to swipe home and cut the deficit to 3-2.
Parkside responded in the eighth with a run before pulling away in the ninth, plating three runs on an RBI fielder's choice, an RBI double, and another run on a stolen-base sequence to secure the 7-2 victory.
Cicerone led the Cardinals with a 2-for-3 performance, while Lucas Mead (Gladwin, Mich. / Gladwin HS) and Buck Snabes (Rochester, Mich. / Rochester Adams HS) each recorded a hit. Bess drove in SVSU's lone RBI and added a stolen base as the Cardinals totaled six hits and seven walks in the contest.
On the mound, Nathan Masar (Midland, Mich. / Bullock Creek HS) (L, 3-1) suffered the loss despite a solid outing, allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits with six strikeouts over five innings . Ryan Walters (South Lyon, Mich. / South Lyon HS) followed with 2.1 innings of relief, allowing one run and striking out three, and Will Juday (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Portage Central HS) worked the final 1.2 innings.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley continues its GLIAC series against Parkside with a doubleheader on Saturday at the SVSU Baseball Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
