UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team dropped a pair of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) games to Lake Erie College in a Sunday doubleheader.
The Storm scored two 7th inning runs to force extras and would win in the 10th inning of game one by a count of 5-4. Lake Erie would claim the nightcap by a score of 5-0.
Game One
The Cardinals did all of their scoring in the bottom of the second inning. That's when SVSU plated four runs, the fist coming off a Connor Foley grounder to short that scored Chris Perkovich from third. Foley would reach on the play on an error by the shortstop, but still got an RBI on the grounder up the middle. SV's next run would come when Brad Schalk got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Foley with the second run. A two-RBI Luke Valutis single would follow that scored Michael Craig and Dylin Eschenburg, making the score 4-0.
That 4-0 lead would hold true until the top of the 5th inning, when the Storm put up a couple of runs to make the score 4-2 in SVSU's favor.
The Cardinals carried the 4-2 lead into the top of the 7th inning, looking to claim their second consecutive win over the visitors from Ohio. After a leadoff hit-by-pitch and double to put runners on second and third with no outs, SVSU made a pitching change.
Jeff Schalk came into the game and immediately got his first two batters, the first on a flyout to right field and the second on a strikeout looking. Lake Erie's Sean Mathews would follow with a single up the middle, though, and push across two runs to knot the game at 4-4.
With Saginaw Valley unable score in its half of the 7th, the game would go into extra innings.
The Cards got out of a bases loaded jam with two outs in the top of the 8th but could not capitalize on it in the bottom half of the inning.
Eschenburg looked to get things going in the bottom of the ninth inning, as he laced a line drive to the right-center field gap. Lake Erie center fielder Aaron Lindgren laid-out and made a catch, however, to rob Eschenburg of a double and possibly a triple. The Cardinals would go scoreless again and the game would move to the 10th.
SVSU right fielder Tyler Schwanz gave Lindgren a bit of payback in the top of 10, as the sophomore made a diving catch on the warning track to take an extra base hit away from him to begin the top of frame. The Storm would get an RBI single from Alex Lind to make the score 5-4 in its favor though.
After Niko Gonzalez reached on a throwing error, he was lifted for pinch-runner Demetrius Dunlap. Schwanz moved Dunlap to second on a well executed sac bunt, setting the Cards up with a guy on second and just one out. Perkovich followed next with an infield single in the hole at short. Dunlap attempted to move up to third when the shortstop threw to first, but the first baseman gunned it to third to get Dunlap for the second out. Lake Erie would close things out from there, sealing the 5-4 victory.
Perkovich and Craig each had three hits in the opener for SVSU. Valutis (2 RBI) and Brad Schalk (1 RBI) each had a hit as well. Foley had a hit and RBI while Kaufmann walked twice.
Pete Baumgartner suffered the loss in relief, throwing 2 2/3 innings while allowing four hits, a run and walking three.
Game Two
SVSU starter Aaron Langlois kept the Storm hitters in-check to start the game, as he carried a no-hitter through the first five innings of play.
Lake Erie got to the lefty in the 6th, using a walk, single and walk to load the bases with one out.
Garrett Emling cleared the bases with a double to left-center, giving the Storm a 3-0 lead. Lake Erie would set SVSU down in order in the bottom of the sixth and tack-on two more runs in the top of seven to extend the lead out to 5-0.
Saginaw couldn't respond in the last of the seventh and Lake Erie would complete the sweep for the day with the 5-0 victory in game two.
Langlois took the loss on the mound, allowing two hits and three runs in six innings of work. Walks plagued the starter, as he allowed seven on the day.
Six different Cardinals had a hit in the game, all being singles.
With the losses, SVSU falls to 6-16 overall on the 2014 season and 3-9 in the GLIAC. The Storm improves to 14-13 overall and 8-6 in league play.
The Cards are set to continue play on Wednesday (Apr. 9) at Grand Valley State University for a mid-week doubleheader. First pitch is set for 2:00 pm. Stay tuned as to where the game will be played, as GVSU has yet to play a home game due to poor field contitions on their campus in Allendale.
