UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team split its GLIAC doubleheader with Davenport on Friday afternoon at the SVSU Baseball Complex. The Cardinals (15-12, 6-4 GLIAC) fell 6-5 in game one against the Panthers (15-18, 7-3 GLIAC) before totaling 13 hits in game two and winning 10-3.
Game One: Cardinals 5, Panthers 6 (7-innings)
Saginaw Valley answered an early Davenport run with a strong first inning. Buck Snabes (Rochester, Mich. / Rochester Adams HS) tripled down the right field line to score Lucas Mead (Gladwin, Mich. / Gladwin HS), and Jacob Pitt (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Catholic Central HS) followed with an RBI double to right center to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
The Panthers used a three-run second inning, aided by an error and a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded, to take a 4-2 advantage. SVSU tied it in the third when Connor Cornwell (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Henry Ford II HS) singled to center to drive in Snabes and Jarvis.
In the fourth, Austin Cicerone (Troy, Mich. / Troy HS) singled and later scored on a Jarvis groundout to put the Cardinals back in front, 5-4. However, Davenport reclaimed the lead in the fifth on a two-run home run from Dylan Pawenski and held on the rest of the way.
SVSU totaled 10 hits in the loss, with Pitt and Cornwell each recording two. Snabes added a triple and scored twice, while Jarvis drove in a run.
Ryan Walters (South Lyon, Mich. / South Lyon HS) started and allowed four runs, two earned, over 1.2 innings before Nathan Masar (L, 3-2) (Midland, Mich. / Bullock Creek HS) settled things down with 5.1 innings of relief, striking out six and allowing just two runs on one hit.
Sean Knorr (W, 2-1) recorded all but one out in the game for Davenport as he pitched 6.2 innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on 10 hits and two walks. Brayden Flanders (Sv, 1) took over and retired the only batter he faced for the save.
Game Two: Cardinals 10, Panthers 3
The Cardinals bounced back quickly in the nightcap. After Davenport scored in the first, Pitt delivered a two-run single through the right side to score Mead and Jarvis, giving SVSU a 2-1 lead.
Saginaw Valley broke the game open in the second inning, plating four runs. Mead singled home a run, Pitt added a two-run single, and Mitchell Walters (Shepherd, Mich. / Shepherd HS) drove in another with a base hit to extend the lead to 6-1.
Davenport trimmed the deficit to 6-3 in the fifth, but Mead answered emphatically in the bottom half with a two-run home run to center field to push the advantage to 8-3, his third home run of the year. In the sixth, Ethan Scheib (Mattawan, Mich. / Mattawan HS) lined a two-run single up the middle to score Walters and Pitt, capping the score at 10-3.
Mead finished 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Pitt drove in four runs on two hits, while Walters added a hit and an RBI. The Cardinals totaled 13 hits and drew seven walks in the win.
On the mound, Brady Young (Vicksburg, Mich. / Vicksburg HS) worked two innings before Jack Decker (W, 2-0) (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington HS) took over and delivered seven strong frames. Decker allowed just two runs on four hits while striking out nine to earn the victory.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley was scheduled for a doubleheader tomorrow, Saturday April 4, to wrap up the four-game series with Davenport. The weather has pushed the games back two days and the Cardinals and Panthers will conclude the series on Monday, April 6. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM from the SVSU Baseball Complex.
