UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team began its home weekend series against Lake Erie with a 13-1 victory over the Storm. It was a single, nine-inning game at SVSU's Baseball Complex. The weekend schedule was altered a bit due to better weather forcasted for Sunday, as the teams will resume the series with a doubleheader beginning at 11:00 am.
The Cardinals had 19 hits in the game, which matches a season-high SVSU had on its Florida trip against Oakland City University.
Saginaw Valley got things rolling in the bottom half of the second inning when it used seven hits to push across six runs, grabbing the 6-0 lead. Kyle Kaufmann, Connor Foley, Dylin Eschenburg, Michael Craig and Brad Schalk all had RBIs in the inning.
The Cards tacked-on four more in the bottom half of the fourth, using a Schalk RBI single, Chris Perkovich sac fly and a two-RBI double by Kaufmann. That brought the lead to double-digits at 10-0.
In the bottom of five, a Craig RBI single and sac fly by Luke Valutis would push the lead out to 12-0.
SV would add its 13th and final run on an error in the last of the seventh inning.
The Storm scored its lone run in the top of the eighth inning, but the Cards would close it out from there to seal the 12-run victory.
The run support was more than enough for Cardinal starter Andrew Geese, who notched his second victory of the season on the mound. The lefty allowed only two hits and struck-out six in 6.0 innings of work.
Craig led the offensive charge with a career-high four hits, adding a pair of RBIs. Kaufmann had himself a career day at the plate as well, posting a career-best three hits and three RBIs.
Richard Guglielmi, Tyler Schwanz, Valutis and Foley all added two hits in the game, with Valutis and Foley each knocking-in a run. Eschenburg and Schalk both added a hit and two RBIs as well.
The Cardinals improve to 6-14 overall on the season and 3-7 in the GLIAC. Lake Erie falls to 12-13 overall and 6-6 in league play.
The two teams resume the series with a doubleheader at 11:00 am Sunday (Apr. 6) at the SVSU Baseball Complex.
