UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team erupted for 17 runs on a season-high 18 hits in a 17-7 victory over Findlay Tuesday afternoon at the SVSU Baseball Complex. The Cardinals (19-16) took advantage of four errors by the Oilers (24-14) and two home runs to claim the victory.
Saginaw Valley wasted no time taking control, plating four runs in the bottom of the first. Ethan Scheib (Mattawan, Mich. / Mattawan HS) doubled to open the frame and later scored on an RBI single from Ryan Jarvis (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota HS). Buck Snabes (Rochester, Mich. / Rochester Adams HS) followed with an RBI single to score Lucas Mead (Gladwin, Mich. / Gladwin HS) before Aaron Bess (Boyne City, Mich. / Boyne City HS) ripped a two-run single to right to give the Cardinals a 4-0 advantage. Snabes' hit extended his hitting streak to 24 games, while Mead stretched his on-base streak to 32 games.
Findlay answered with a three-run homer in the second to cut the lead to one, but the Cardinals responded immediately with a five-run bottom half. After loading the bases, Bess crushed a grand slam to left-center, his sixth home run and second grand slam of the season. Later in the inning, Austin Cicerone (Troy, Mich. / Troy HS) scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 9-3.
The offense kept rolling in the third when Snabes launched a two-run home run to center field, his third long ball of the season, pushing the margin to 11-3. After Findlay added a solo homer in the fourth, SVSU capitalized on defensive miscues in the fifth. Snabes singled and moved into scoring position before both he and Bess came around to score on a throwing error, stretching the lead to 13-4.
The Oilers rallied for three runs in the eighth, trimming the deficit to 13-7, but Saginaw Valley put the game away in the bottom half. Mead delivered a bases-clearing double to center field, scoring Scheib, Zane Wilson (Shepherd, Mich. / Shepherd HS), and J.T. Thomas (Howell, Mich. / Howell HS). Snabes followed with an RBI single to cap the four-run inning and secure the run-rule victory.
Bess powered the lineup, finishing 4-for-4 with a home run and six RBI. Snabes went 5-for-6 with a homer, four RBI, and four runs scored, marking the first five-hit performance by a Cardinal in 2025. Mead crossed the plate four times and drove in three, while Jarvis added three hits and an RBI as the Cardinals totaled 18 hits.
On the mound, Henry Stempky (W, 1-1) (Cheboygan, Mich. / Cheboygan HS) earned the win in relief, tossing two innings and allowing one run. The bullpen combined to cover six innings, with Ryan Walters (South Lyon, Mich. / South Lyon HS), Will Juday (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Portage Central HS), Dan Wilcome (Cheboygan, Mich. / Cheboygan Area HS), and Evan Woodward (Rochester, Mich. / Stoney Creek HS) each contributing as the Cardinals held off the late push.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley returns home for its final homestand of the regular season this weekend. The Cardinals host No. 6 Grand Valley State for a four-game series beginning Friday, April 17 at 3:00 PM. Senior Day is scheduled for the doubleheader on Saturday.
