TIFFIN, Ohio - The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team dropped two games at Tiffin University on Sunday (May 6). The Dragons took game one by a 5-4 count and won game two, 9-3. The Cardinals finish the regular season with a 24-24 overall record and 20-16 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Dragons finish at 25-24 on the year and 20-16 in the conference.
Saginaw Valley finishes the conference schedule in fifth place, while Tiffin finishes in fourth place. This will set up a first-round GLIAC Tournament matchup between SVSU and Wayne State, who finished as the No. 2 seed.
Game 1: Tiffin 5, SVSU 4
Tiffin jumped off to a hot start on Sunday as they posted four runs in the first inning for the early advantage and momentum.
The Cardinals cut the deficit to 4-1 in the third inning as Chet LaFave (Charlotte, Mich./Olney Central College) laced a single down the right field line to plate Cam Wiechmann (Birch Run, Mich./Muskegon CC), who singled earlier in the third.
Jason Kandal (Standish, Mich./Standish-Sterling Central HS) got the Cardinals even closer at 4-2 as he led off the fourth inning with solo home run down the left field line. Tiffin would answer back in the bottom half of the fourth with a run to bump the lead to 5-2.
Saginaw Valley would rally in the sixth inning scoring two more runs to trim the deficit to 5-4. Ryan Ermers (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford II HS) reached on an infield single which scored Chris Perkovich (Canton, Mich.) before Brandon Schwanz (Novi, Mich./Henry Ford CC) singled up the middle to score Matt Hunt (Howell, Mich./Concordia University).
The Cardinals would get the leadoff man on to start the seventh inning, but were unable to capitalize on the opportunity as Tiffin was victorious 5-4.
Game 2: Tiffin 9, SVSU 3
Saginaw Valley took the early momentum in game two with three runs on three hits for the 3-0 edge after the top of the first.
LaFave started the SVSU rally with an RBI single through the left side which plated Schwanz, who walked earlier in the frame. Andy Orr (Utica, Mich) followed with a base hit to score Wiechmann, who reached on a single to stretch the SVSU lead to 2-0. Hunt would then cap the inning with an RBI groundout to score LaFave and give the Cardinals a 3-0 advantage.
However, the Dragons came right back in the bottom of the first with four runs to take a 4-3 lead. Tiffin kept their offense clicking on all cylinders as they pounded out 14 hits and nine runs as they defeated the Cardinals, 9-3.
Both teams committed three errors apiece which led to three unearned runs off the SVSU pitching staff.
The Cardinal baseball squad will battle Wayne State University in round one of the 2012 GLIAC Baseball Tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 10:30 am on Wednesday (May 9) at V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.