UNIVERSITY CENTER -- The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team continued league play on Saturday (Apr. 22) as the Cardinals began a four-game weekend series with the Wayne State Warriors. The Cardinals pitched well in Game 1 to secure a 3-2 victory over the Warriors. Saginaw Valley dropped the second game by an 8-7 final count.
Game One
SVSU held Wayne State scoreless in the top of the 1st and would strike first in the contest in the bottom frame with two runs.
SVSU put two runners on base when Brendan Harrison reached base safely with a single that bumped Chad Carson up to third. Carson would then come around to score on the next at-bat, as a wild pitch brought in the game's first run. Harrison would move into scoring position and be driven-in by an Adam Turner single.
The Cardinals then tacked on a single run in the 2nd inning off an RBI single from Adam Fitzgibbon that brought home Mason Schwellenbach.
SVSU did not allow a run to Wayne State through the first four innings, as starter Amani Godfrey cruised into the 5th inning holding a 3-0 lead on the Warriors.
Wayne State then cut into the deficit in the top of the 5th, notching two runs from a pair of singles.
Godfrey would pitch into the sixth inning and kept the Cardinals ahead 3-2 with Tyler Stambaugh entering the game.
Stambaugh and Jake Tarbell would leave a Wayne State runner stranded at second base and closed-out Game 1 with a 3-2 victory over the Warriors.
Inside the Boxscore
- Mason Schwellenbach scored a run and finished 2-for-3 at the dish for the Cardinals. He scored the game-winning run in the 2nd inning.
- Brendan Harrison recorded a base hit and also crossed home for a run.
- Adam Fitzgibbon went 1-for-2 at the plate and drew a walk. He added an RBI to his line in the first inning.
On the Mound
- Amani Godfrey toed the slab in Game 1 for the Cardinals and was credited with the win (W, 2-1). He pitched 5.2 innings for the Cardinals and allowed two runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out seven.
- Tyler Stambaugh pitched 1.0 inning in relief for SVSU and gave up one hit and fanned one batter.
- Jake Tarbell recorded the final out of the contest and earned his fifth save of the season.
Game Two
Saginaw Valley took the lead once again in the nightcap with a solo home run to right center field from Adam Fitzgibbon. His fifth home run of the season gave the Cardinals the 1-0 lead.
The one-run advantage quickly turned in favor of Wayne State, which erased the deficit in the top of the 2nd and took its first lead of the afternoon. The Warriors would score four runs in the inning with a pair of singles driving in two runs apiece. Wayne State was now ahead 4-1 on SVSU, which did not score in the bottom of the second.
SVSU cut the deficit to 4-2 with a Collin Winters RBI single that hopped over the third baseman, allowing Cole Brooks to score. Winters came around to score from first base on the next at-bat, as Austin Koin delivered a pinch-hit RBI double for the Cardinals.
The run scoring continued into the fourth inning for both teams. Wayne State added a run in the fourth off a double to go ahead 5-3 on Cardinals. Saginaw Valley responded in the bottom frame with three runs, regaining the lead from the Warriors as Jordan Swiss scored from an Adam Fitzgibbon base hit. Fitzgibbon advanced to second base on a steal and was driven in on the next play with a single from Chad Carson. He also brought home Nate Blackwell, who reached base on a walk with no outs.
Both teams were held scoreless in the fifth and each added a run in the sixth inning to set the score at 7-6 in favor of SVSU.
Wayne State jumped ahead once again in the seventh inning by plating two runs from a double and fielding error, pushing the score to 8-7. The one-run lead for the Warriors was tested in the next three innings, as SVSU put runners in scoring position to end the seventh inning and then again in the ninth.
The Cardinals threatened to score in the bottom of the ninth after a triple from Jordan Swiss put the tying run just 90 feet from home. Wayne State recorded the final out to take Game 2 by a count of 8-7.
Inside the Boxscore
- Brendan Harrison finished out the nightcap with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate.
- Adam Fitzgibbon and Chad Carson each added two hits in the contest and also drove in two runs.
- Cole Brooks continued to swing the bat well by going 1-for-4 with a run scored and a walk.
- Collin Winters drove in a run in the third inning for his only hit of the game.
- The Cardinals out-hit Wayne State by a 14-11 margin.
On the Mound
- Camden Dice pitched 4.2 innings as the Game 2 starter for SVSU. He did not factor into the decision and allowed five runs on five base hits, walked four and struck out two.
- Tristan Faunce came into the game in relief of Dice. He went 2.1 innings and gave up three runs (one earned) on six base hits and took the loss (L, 0-3).
- Scott Sency pitching the final two innings of the game and did not allow a hit while fanning three.
Up Next...
Both teams return to the diamond for another league doubleheader on Sunday (Apr. 23). First pitch for Game 3 at the SVSU Baseball Complex is set for Noon.
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