PAINESVILLE, Ohio - The SVSU baseball team closed out a four-game weekend series against Lake Erie College with a doubleheader on Sunday. The Cardinals rallied late to take a 7-6 victory in the opener and continued the strong play offensively in the nightcap, powering to a 13-7 decision over the Storm.

Game One

Saginaw Valley jumped ahead of Lake Erie early on in the contest, scoring three runs in the first inning. The Cardinals scored first with an RBI base hit from Brendan Harrison that plated Chad Carson. Harrison advanced to second on a passed ball and would round home on a two-run home run from Garrett Soule. 

Soule's first home run of the season gave SVSU an early 3-0 lead over Lake Erie. 

The Cardinals would work out of a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the first and use momentum to tack on another run in the 2nd. SVSU went up 4-0 on an RBI double from Jordan Swiss.

Lake Erie would cut into the lead with a single run in the second inning and then again in the third inning. SVSU would still hang on to a two-run advantage heading into the fifth inning of play. 

Craig Wilson gave SVSU a 6-3 lead in the sixth inning with an RBI base hit that scored Jordan Swiss. The Cardinals were only able to push across just the one run in the top half of the frame, as the Storm would end up tying the score with three runs in the bottom half of the sixth. 

The Cardinals regained the lead in the seventh, scoring a single run in the frame after Soule reached safely on an HBP. He would evenutally advance to third base, where he would be brought home on an infield single from Conner Sonnier. 

The single run was all Scott Sency would need to close out Game 1, retiring Lake Erie in order and grabbing the 7-6 victory. 

Inside the Boxscore

• Chad Carson went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored as the No. 3 hitter for SVSU. 
• Adam Fitzgibbon reached base safely in all four plate appearances. He went 3-for-3 at the dish (all singles) while drawing a walk and scoring a run. 
• Garrett Soule drove in two runs with his home run in the first inning and finished 1-for-3 in the game. 
• The Cardinals offense notched 16 hits and had six different players drive in runs for the victory.  

On the Mound

• Mason Schwellenbach got the start for SVSU. He went 5.0 innings and allowed six runs on nine hits, walked one batter and struck out six. 
• Jake Tarbell would come in for Schwellenbach, who would not allow a hit to Lake Erie in his 0.2 innings in relief. 
• Scott Sency took the win for SVSU, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings. 

Game Two

Saginaw Valley began the nightcap facing a one-run deficit, allowing a run in the bottom of the first inning to Lake Erie. The deficit would not stand for long as the Cardinals continued to get off good swings in Game 2. 

The Cardinals took the 2-1 lead early in the second inning off a two-run shot from Adam Fitzgibbon, the first of his career. The inning was extended as a base hit from Collin Winters and another hit from Colton Brooks gave SVSU two runners on base with just one out. Winters would later score off a Lake Erie throwing error, extending the lead to two. 

SVSU went up 7-1 after three innings of play with Brooks' three-run homer to centerfield, his first as a Cardinal. 

The six-run lead lasted until the seventh inning, when Lake Erie would push across three runs and show some late life despite trailing 9-6 to the Cardinals. 

After a scoreless eighth inning, SVSU got the insurance runs it needed with a grand-slam home run coming from Jordan Swiss. His bases clearing homer to center field gave the Cardinals a 13-6 lead. 

The Cardinals allowed just one run in the ninth to the Storm and took Game 2 by a count of 13-7. 

Inside the Boxscore

• Colton Brooks and Adam Fitzgibbon closed out the nightcap with a pair of four-hit games. Both players had a home run in the contest, with Brooks notching four RBI over Fitzgibbon's two. 
• Jordan Swiss went 2-for-5 with a run scored in Game 2 and five RBI. 
• Conner Sonnier provided the other RBI for SVSU and went 1-for-6 at leadoff for the Cardinals. 
• SVSU scored 13 runs on 15 total hits, with three home runs in the nightcap. 

On the Mound

• Brian Feinauer took the mound for SVSU and got the victory. He went 6.0 innings and only allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out nine batters. 
• Camden Dice would then enter the game for Austin Koin, who relieved Feinauer in the sixth. He pitched two scoreless innings and fanned a batter. 
• Scott Sency closed out the game, pitching 1.0 inning and allowing a run on two base hits. 

Up Next...

SVSU Baseball hosts Tiffin for its first home series of the 2017 season next weekend at the SVSU Baseball Field. First pitch with the Dragons is set for Noon on Saturday and Sunday. 

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