MIDLAND, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team split the sixth annual Dow Diamond Classic against Northwood on Tuesday, taking game one 18-6 and falling 6-3 in the nightcap. The Cardinals (21-20) tallied 23 hits and struck out 15 Timberwolves (18-23) over the 14 innings.
Game One: Cardinals 18, Timberwolves 6 (7-innings)
Saginaw Valley exploded for 18 runs on 16 hits, breaking the game open with a five-run third inning and a nine-run sixth. Lucas Mead (Gladwin, Mich. / Gladwin HS) delivered one of the top individual performances of the season, going 4-for-4 with a triple, four RBI, five runs scored, and a walk.
After Northwood tied the game at 3-3 in the third, the Cardinals immediately responded. Aaron Bess (Boyne City, Mich. / Boyne City HS) singled home a run before Mead ripped a bases-clearing triple to right-center to give SVSU an 8-3 lead.
The sixth inning turned the game into a rout. SVSU capitalized on wild pitches, interference, and timely hitting, scoring nine runs in the frame. Bess and Ethan Scheib (Mattawan, Mich. / Mattawan HS) each drove in multiple runs during the rally, and Ryan McCartan (Lake Orion, Mich. / Lake Orion HS) capped the inning with a two-run single as the Cardinals pushed the margin to 18-5.
Brady Young (W, 2-0) (Vicksburg, Mich. / Vicksburg HS) earned the win in relief, tossing two scoreless innings. The bullpen combined to limit Northwood to three earned runs in the contest.
Game Two: Cardinals 3, Timberwolves 6 (7-innings)
Saginaw Valley struck first when Scheib homered to left field in the top of the first for his second home run of the year. Northwood answered with a four-run third inning, highlighted by a two-run homer from McCartan's brother Connor.
The Cardinals cut the deficit to one in the fourth as Buck Snabes (Rochester, Mich. / Rochester Adams HS) doubled and later scored, and Brady Carpenter (Oxford, Mich. / Oxford HS) delivered a two-run single to center to make it 4-3. However, the Timberwolves added two insurance runs in the sixth to secure the 6-3 decision.
Scheib finished 2-for-4 with a homer and RBI, while Carpenter drove in two. Henry Stempky (L, 2-2) (Cheboygan, Mich. / Cheboygan HS) was charged with the loss in relief. Bess started game two and threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Will Juday (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Portage Central HS) also threw two scoreless frames with four punchouts.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley heads on the road for its final eight games of the regular season. The Cardinals will play two games each against Missouri Southern State and Truman, all at Truman. Action begins Friday, April 24, with a game against each opponent starting at 1:00 PM. SVSU will face MSSU again on Saturday before closing the weekend against Truman on Sunday.
